SINISTER smiling faces with serrated teeth, Teletubby-esque fluffy costumes and large, menacing eyes.
You’d be mistaken for thinking they were the monster in a kids scary, but Labubus are actually the new plush toy that’s taken social media by storm.
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Labubu is a brand of plushies designed by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung and loved by celebrities like Dua Lipa and Rihanna.
The brand made its debut in 2015, but skyrocketed in global popularity after hitting Pop Mart shelves in 2019.
Pop Mart is a Chinese toy retailer, known for its collectible designer models that are often sold in a blind box format, meaning you don’t know what you’ve got until you’ve opened it.
After mammoth success overseas, the Labubu craze has now made its way to the UK.
The first three months of 2025 were wildly successful for the brand, with Brits searching high and low to nab one of the quirky figurines.
Since opening stores in London and Manchester over the last 12 months, Labubu dolls have become cult collectibles among grown British women.
Yes, that’s right. It’s not just kids who love these dolls, but adults too.
Labubus come in an array of vibrant colours, unique shapes and various sizes, spanning from plush toys to striking vinyl figures.
They come as little toys you can hook on your handbag, as well as mega-sized figures and quirky home decorations.
Love Island’s Olivia Attwood is a huge fan of the viral toys.
And a fellow contestant from the ITV dating show has now revealed she ended up “in a fight” with a woman over the sought-after plushies this week.
Mal Nicol had queued up at Pop Mart in London to bag a Labubu for her 11-year-old cousin’s birthday.
But the TV star, who has two of the toys herself, was left fuming when a fellow customer cleared the shelf.
Relaying the incident on TikTok, Mal said: “Did I really just get in a fight with someone at Pop Mart? Yes, I did. Yes, I did.
“This b****, she bought five, she bought five. It’s actually ridiculous.
“This woman was like 37, which is fine. But if you’re reselling them, f*** off.
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“Young girls waiting in this queue, she buys them all. Buys them all so none of us can get them.”
She adds: “The worst bit is that in the line she’s talking to the other girls [in the queue]…we all agree to buy like two each and she goes to one machine buys out four and then goes the other one and I think she would have genuinely bought more if we hadn’t all said.
“It’s just principle, like how can you be like that? I was like, you’re so selfish. You’re so selfish, imagine doing that.
“I just think it’s so crazy. And then some people in the queue were like ‘you’re f***ing sick, you’re f***ing disgusting’ and I’m like, I know.
“At the end of the day it is literally a toy for your handbag or whatever.
“But this woman’s reselling them.”
Mal’s video has since racked up 440,000 views, with people left divided over the incident.
Many social media users have agreed that the woman’s actions were unacceptable.
One said: “My friend was in queue, she was going to get one for her and one for me and some greedy pigs took all of them so no one else could have a look in.”
A second sympathised: “I feel sorry for the people that didn’t manage to get these. Luckily got all three last month. But I can’t understand why people get in fights for them.”
A third fumed: “Shocking that Pop Mart would even let her buy 5. Like you said there is kids waiting in line for them.”
“Omg I was in the queue not far behind and it was sooooo annoying. I didn’t manage to get one”, chimed in a fourth.
And a fifth added: “I understand people want to make a quick buck but some things you just need to draw a line at.”
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Others, meanwhile, have insisted that the woman was entitled to clear the shelf and have been left stunned by the frenzy the toys have sparked.
“Fully grown adult fighting over a kids toy is unbelievable”, one sighed.
A second echoed: “Why are people fighting over these weird happy meal looking toys, I can’t understand it.”
A third claimed: “No one owes you or anyone else anything. If they wanna buy 5, then they can buy 5. It’s the whole point of buying things.”
A fourth wrote: “Saying ‘reselling’ so confidently! Did she say she was reselling them? Or are you just assuming. Do better and go earlier and stop complaining.”
Meanwhile, a sixth said: “If I wanted 6 I would get 6, bigger issues in the world love.”
Pop Mart UK have since revealed they have “paused in-store sales” of Labubus.
In a statement on Instagram, they said: “Due to the increasing demand for our beloved Labubus, we’ve seen a significant rise in customer turnout on restock days — with long queues forming outside our stores and Roboshops.
“To ensure the safety and comfort of everyone, we will temporarily pause all in-store and roboshop sales of THE MONSTERS plush toys until further notice.
“Please stay tuned to our social media and Discord for updates on upcoming releases.
“Online drops will continue as usual, so keep an eye out for our announcement posts to know when the next one is happening.
“We’re working hard behind the scenes to improve the shopping experience both in-store and online. Thank you for your continued support, patience, and understanding.”
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Where to buy Labubu and how much do they cost?
Labubu dolls are still sold on Amazon and the Pop Mart website.
A single model can cost anywhere from £13.50 to £211, depending on the rarity of the design.
A blind box of six from Pop Mart will set you back a cool £105.
The Monsters collection, which contains various series, has been widely sought after by devoted fans of the brand.
Some of the collection’s limited editions cost a whopping £211 for a toy that’s 58cm tall, including the Angel In The Clouds design which features a white, fluffy suit and silver wings.
The Have a Seat Series, which was released under The Monsters collection, is particularly big among British collectors.
The summer-themed dolls come in pastel hues and possess accessories like sandcastles, ukuleles and mini radios.
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There’s also the Coca-Cola Series, which are vinyl figurines, and the Fall in Wild Series, which contains Labubu dolls dressed in wilderness-inspired outfits.
The Fall in Wild vinyl plush doll retails at £79.50, while a small Coca-Cola figurine can be nabbed for £13.50 at Pop Mart.
For Scottish Labubu lovers, the dolls are harder to locate, with only a select few stores selling them.
One of those stores is Forbidden Planet, which has branches in Edinburgh and Glasgow and received its first shipment last Thursday.
Bubble tea shop Cafe Kawaii in the capital also stocks the popular collectibles.
Labubus in this shop can go for up to £45 depending on the price from their supplier, shipping, taxes, and duties.
Both stores have limited sales to one per customer.
