Ugly-cute Labubus now will creep out Minnesotans at the Mall of America.
Pop Mart soft-launched its first Minnesota location on Monday. By Wednesday afternoon, eager customers and curious mallgoers alike flocked to the store, ooohing and ahhing over creepy-cute Labubus, adorable Molly figurines, emotional Hirono characters, charming Duckoo figures and more.
There weren’t many Labubus in stock for the soft launch. Pop Mart will bring in more for the Nov. 8 grand opening. The store also will sell Skullpandas toys and other sold-out items from previous collections, but didn’t specify which ones.
A large Labubu is one of the many toys on display at Pop Mart’s new Mall of America store. (Alicia Eler)
“The Mall of America is an iconic retail location and we are excited to bring the joy of Pop Mart to the Minnesota community,” said Pop Mart PR & Celebrity Relations Manager Marco Negrete, who’s based in Los Angeles.
Pop Mart sells more than just the popular collectible toy character Labubu, a delightfully ugly furry creature with jagged teeth and big eyes. Labubus went viral after people spotted Rihanna, K-pop star Lisa from Blackpink and Dua Lipa flaunting them.
People first spotted Rihanna with a Labubu in February, but Lisa from Blackpink is said to have kicked off the trend in April 2024.
Buying a Labubu and any other Pop Mart toy is a gamble. They’re sold in “blind boxes,” so each purchase is a mystery ― and that adds to the excitement of collecting them all. Blind boxes for collectible toys range from $4.99 to $294.99.
Figurines of Hirono, by contemporary artist Lang, personify a range of emotions. They’re for sale at Pop Mart’s new store at the Mall of America. (Alicia Eler)
Alberto Cienega, 25, of Brooklyn Park excitedly browsed the Hirono collection. After hearing about the store on Pop Mart’s Instagram, he showed up on Wednesday looking for the new Halloween Hirono collection. It wasn’t in stock.