New versions of the viral fluffy, toothy grinned Labubu dolls, including a mini doll and toy which is over a foot tall, are being released in the UK on Friday at 12.00.
The mini-sized Labubu pendant, which is part of The Monsters Pin For Love series, will be available in various colours corresponding to letters of the alphabet and will retail at $22.99.
The new Rock the Universe vinyl plush doll, which is part of The Monsters Big Into Energy Series, will be the first of the Monsters to have long fur and uses a specialised dyeing technique that ensures no two figures are exactly alike. These new special figures will retail for $114.99 each.
All of the new products will be available from August 29 on Pop Mart’s website, either for in-store pickup or shipping, as well as on the company’s app and its official TikTok accounts.
Labubus were conceptualised by Korean artist Kasing Lung in three picture books inspired by Nordic mythology in 2015.
It was not until 2019 that Lung made a deal with Pop Mart to sell Labubu toys, but they only gained popularity in 2023 when the fluffy monsters were sold as key rings.
Since 2023, Labubu dolls have gone viral and been worn by celebrities including Dua Lipa and Rihanna.
Pop Mart has had major financial success from Labubus, contributing to a double of revenue in 2024 and an increase of almost 400 per cent in profit for the first half of the year.
The newest versions of the toys went on sale at 10pm in China on Thursday and sold out almost instantly online.
The fluffy, toothy-grinned dolls have risen to extreme popularity in the UK, resulting in Pop Mart pulling all of its Labubu plushies from its 16 UK stores from May to June due to safety concerns following fights in store.
The scarcity of labubus in the UK has led to what one collector, Ashley Bushey, 32, described as a “battlefield” resale market with toys which retail for £17.99 in the UK being listed for up to £600 on re-sale platforms including Vinted and eBay.
Part of the toy’s appeal may come down to Pop Mart’s decision to sell the toys in blind boxes, which contain a random plushy chosen from the series, meaning customers do not know which toy they will receive until they open the box.
Pop Mart said there is a one in 168 chance of getting one of two special edition dolls from unmarked blind boxes.