THEY have been seen dangling from the bags of Rihanna, the Kardashians and Paris Hilton.
And now, Labubu dolls are the must-have status symbol for kids everywhere.
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The small toy monsters with bright-coloured fur and devilish toothy grins are in such demand they have even led to mini-riots and midnight break-ins.
And the craze is making their Chinese owners very rich indeed.
Pop Mart reported a near 400 per cent increase in profits during the first half of this year.
Now it is one of the most valuable toy makers in the world — worth more than twice as much as rival giants Hasbro and Mattel combined.
The firm, founded in 2010 by CEO Wang Ning, has sold more than £496million-worth of products this year alone.
Not bad for a furry little monster that’s no bigger than a hand.
To some, the creatures are adorable, to others, plain ugly. One thing is for sure — the world is in the grip of Labubumania. But how?
Inspired by Nordic folklore, Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung designed them in 2015 as part of a collection of characters called The Monsters.
It wasn’t until Pop Mart bought the rights to them that the seeds for their viral success were sewn.
The toy company specialises in “blind boxes”, so-called because customers only find out what they’ve bought when they open the package.
Combine that with the characters coming in themed groups such as “Big Into Energy” and “Exciting Macaron”, ultra-rare limited-edition designs, and collaborations with fashion designers, and you’ve got the ultimate collector’s item.
Each “series” also has a “secret” final Labubu to complete the collection that is even rarer than the rest.
No wonder demand has spiralled.
Fake versions, dubbed Lafufus, are big business too, with China seizing 70,000 in just a few days.
Although “blind boxes” from Pop Mart tend to range from £18 to around £60, Labubus get resold online for thousands.
Rarer than rest
One child-size Labubu fetched a record 1.08million yuan (£110,000) at a Beijing auction in June.
Parents are finding their pockets plundered by kids desperate for “just one more”.
But you almost can’t blame them when just about every big name is a fan.
Having gained popularity in China, Labubus went global after K-pop singer Lalisa Manobal from girlband Blackpink — who also features in TV hit White Lotus — began posting photos of them on her social media.
Since then, Rihanna, Lizzo and Dua Lipa have been snapped with Labubus dangling from their designer bags.
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In April, Kim Kardashian posted snaps of her collection of ten dolls on Instagram.
A few weeks later David Beckham revealed his daughter, Harper, 13, had bought him a rare “secret” edition Labubu.
But they’re not just bag accessories.
Paris Hilton’s kids Phoenix, two, and London, 21 months, own several, including some as big as them.
In June, Olivia Attwood was treated to a £175 doll by footballer husband Bradley Dack to mark her second wedding anniversary.
A month earlier she celebrated turning 34 with a Labubu-themed birthday party.
Towie favourite Gemma Collins says she’s “obsessed” with the dolls.
And tennis player Carlos Alcaraz was even spotted wth one at Wimbledon in June.
Chaos at shop
Yesterday, singer Pixie Lott announced on TikTok the world’s first gig for Labubu Dolls — set to be held next Thursday at a “secret West London location”.
And what better way for Madonna to have celebrated her 67th birthday last Saturday than with a giant Labubu cake?
It’s little surprise then that Pop Mart stores in the UK have had queues snaking around the block.
But they underestimated just how desperate people were to get their hands on them.
In May, bosses were forced to temporarily halt sales in all UK stores after fights broke out between frenzied fans who had been camping outside since 3am.
“There were big crowds of people hovering around the shop, and there was this really negative vibe,” shopper Victoria Calvert told the BBC after she witnessed the chaos at the Westfield Stratford shopping centre in East London.
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“People were shouting, basically saying there were no more Labubus left.
“I even witnessed a fight between a worker and a customer.”
Pop Mart has since moved to a system that only allows shoppers to buy them in store after winning an online raffle.
Two weeks ago in California, burglars raided an LA store and swiped boxes of the dolls.
The heartbroken owners fear $30,000 worth of Labubus were taken.
And in Iraq, Kurdish authorities confiscated 4,000 dolls and banned their sales in shops — though denied it was due to earlier media reports that they had demonic powers.
It might be yet another crazy trend. But for now, it seem Labubu fever is here to stay.
‘HOOKED AFTER MY FIRST LABUBU’
VIDEO editor Iyo Ozigbo, 25, bought her first doll just one month ago – and was hooked.
The North Londoner said: “I first found out about them around December, when Olivia Attwood made a TikTok about them.
“I thought they looked cute.”
She entered the raffle to buy one – and finally won four weeks ago. “I was shocked when I got the email saying I’d won,” she said.
“The lady in the store in Soho told me demand had got so bad that people were having fights over them.
“I was even cautious walking down Oxford Street with it, because I genuinely thought someone would try to nick it.”
She’s since bought three others, bringing her total Labubu spend so far to £80, and plans to get two more.
She said: “They’re fluffy and cute, and the colours look great.
“When you see celebrities wearing them, it’s only natural you want one.
“And some people might think £18, their starting price, is a bit expensive.
“But it’s not that much to have something that celebrities are wearing.
Some of my friends say, ‘Oh god, just another trend’, but some of them are slowly being persuaded to team Labubu.”
