Just because Rihanna clipped a Labubu on her bag doesn’t mean you need to buy one. She didn’t have to literally fistfight anyone to get hers. You probably will.
The demon toy has been dragging out the worst in us lately, exposing the dark side of our consumerist habits. The obsession with the designer bag charm shows no signs of slowing down – if anything, it’s only getting worse.
Videos online show queues wrapping around stores selling Labubus before dawn in cities from Paris to Los Angeles, with adult fans camping outside just for a chance to unbox a rare toy from its blind package.
In some cases, security had to step in to stop people from fighting. In London’s Westfield Stratford City shopping center, a group of men traded punches after tensions boiled over during a Labubu restock last week. The chaos unfolded as crowds pushed in to get their hands on the coveted toy.
#Labubu fans are fuming after #PopMart pulled the viral dolls from all #UK stores following chaotic fights in #London. pic.twitter.com/0dA6LQOu2t
undefined Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) May 27, 2025
In response, Pop Mart – the Chinese collectibles company behind the viral toy – temporarily suspended in-store sales of Labubu dolls at all of its UK locations until June, citing “potential safety issues,” according to the BBC.
The scarcity of the product has led to the rise of cheap knockoffs called “Lafufus,” sold on platforms like eBay or Alibaba, or even fake vending machines imitating Pop Mart’s own “robo shops” that have taken over cities across the globe.
While some consumers embraced the fakes – even turning them into a TikTok trend of their own – others said they were duped and raised safety concerns, calling on authorities to do more to prevent counterfeits and stop scammers from taking advantage of the craze.
@vika.bystr Her ✨labooty✨ is my favorite 🍑 #lafufu #popmart #rormart #labubu #labubuthemonsters #labubus #blindbox #labubuhaveaseat #unboxing #fyp ♬ original sound - 🧸ྀི
In China, authorities have started to crack down on attempts to smuggle Labubus out of the country. Customs officials have reported multiple cases of passengers caught with undeclared Pop Mart toys, hoping to flip them for a profit.
In one case, customs officers in Hunan province seized 318 toys from three travelers. In another case, a passenger in Anhui province was caught carrying 94, according to a report by China Daily.
Smuggling can carry a prison sentence of up to five years in China, but the number of people willing to take the risk points to just how hot the resale market has become. Labubus typically retail from $15, with rarer models priced as high as $85 – but on resale platforms, they can fetch ten times that or more.
Manufactured madness?
Labubu was created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung as one of several characters in his Nordic-inspired series The Monsters, released in 2015. A collaboration with Pop Mart led to the first Labubu collection in 2019, but it wasn’t until 2024 that the monster really took off.
Much of its popularity can be attributed to Lisa from K-pop band Blackpink, who frequently shared the figurines on her Instagram stories and referred to the doll as “my baby” in a recent interview with Teen Vogue.
Other celebrities, including singers Rihanna and Dua Lipa, started incorporating Labubus into their outfits, cementing the doll’s cult fashion status.
Pop Mart has been accused of deliberately releasing only a limited number of Labubus to create an illusion of scarcity and exclusivity – much like luxury fashion brands such as Hermès, which keeps the supply of items like its Birkin bags intentionally low.
Was it #Lisa who gave Labubu to #Rihanna as a gift?! pic.twitter.com/F5WYwZ8F0B
undefined Tommy Aleixo Chuffi (@tommythebest) February 27, 2025
In what’s known as “artificial scarcity,” companies intentionally limit supply despite having the capacity to produce more. The resulting sense of shortage drives up demand, and, conveniently, prices too.
Whether or not that’s what Beijing-based Pop Mart is doing, the strategy it adopted seems to be working. The company reported a 475% year-on-year increase in overseas revenue in the first quarter of 2025.
Responding to the temporary pause on Labubu sales in UK stores, fans didn’t hold back their criticism, accusing the company of deliberately “drip feeding” stock to fuel the hype. Others questioned why Pop Mart wasn’t limiting the number of Labubus a single customer could buy.
“These damn grown ass men and their reseller mindset ruins everything,” said one Instagram user under Pop Mart’s post.
The company promised to address the issues, saying that it was “currently working on a new approach for the distribution that will allow everyone a fairer chance to purchase.” It said it would “soon” announce more details.
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