You know them, you’ve heard of them, Labubu’s.
In recent months, this popular blind box has been all the rage, contaminating netizen’s for you page and ultimately leading to crazy riots, purging stores of every restock and hyperoverconsumerism.
What are Labubu’s, exactly?
A Labubu is a collectible monster elf, wearing a fluffy suit with bunny ears with a cartoon-like smile where 9 teeth hang out. There are over 300 different variations of Labubu’s, and they come in all different shapes and sizes. Keychains, figures, plushies, the most successful franchise being the blind boxes.
They were created by a Chinese company and had their first appearance in 2015, but became more well-known in 2019 when they paired up with PopMart, a popular store that specializes in selling these types of merchandise.
Now in 2025, they’ve become the new must-have in everyone’s shopping cart. Where did this sudden fame come from?
Nepobaby? More like Nepobubus!
The craze started when Lisa from Blackpink was shown in an Instagram post carrying a Labubu on her bag. Viewers were utterly mindblown by the complexion of the adorable small keychain. Next was Rihanna, Dua Lipa, and even Kim Kardashian! It seemed like every other female pop star was paparazzied with a Labubu on camera. The fans went crazy.
With the newfound fame, more and more online content was published about this doll. The Labubu was found in every corner of the internet, in mediums of unwrapping, mukbang, humour, you name it! They’ve become an internet sensation in a span of months.
Recently, multibillion companies such as Uniqlo and Coca Cola have collaborated with Labubu’s as well, leading to even more exposure for the doll.
At this point, the Labubu doll is utterly inescapable. It lurks in every street corner you turn, in every reel you scroll, and backpack you walk past. This mega hype and exposure was the driving factor of Labubu’s 700% revenue growth in only a year, and what lead the CEO to become the youngest billionaire in China.
The consumerism pattern and what it says about our society
Collecting things has always been a hobby some of us humans had. Back then, it was simple. Pokemon cards, coins, bottle caps, bread tags, it could’ve been the most mundane ordinary junk you’d find everyday – but people would enjoy the process of adding to their collection as so.
However as time went on, things slowly shifted for a change.
The innocent quiet joy of building up your collection turned into a raging perilous monster of I need this new ___. It’s fueled by the urge to follow the trends, to be up-to-date with what current society expects us to fufill. The collector turned into a consumer.
It’s not uncommon anymore to see products being sold out right as the restock hits the market, or literal fist fights between customers, trying to get their hands on the newest and latest must-have. Think Stanley’s. Labubu’s aren’t anything new, it’s just the next line of products that happened , the next hit that consumers have been waiting for.
What’s scary though is the speed of which these products are being popularized, and in a couple of months, all forgotten about. We need to realize the problem we’re facing and take a grasp on the situation – the normalization of this cycle of collecting, reselling, and demanding the store to just take your money. It has an incredibly detrimental effect on the environment and our wallets.
Conclusion
Are Labubu’s a negative impact on our society, or just a cute harmless doll that happens to be popular? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Sources
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AOZovnE9wgI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labubu
Such an interesting read! I love how you went beyond the hype and really unpacked the consumerism behind trends like Labubu. It’s cute on the surface, but the cycle it represents definitely says a lot about our current culture. Great job!
Thank you for the kind words!
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