The New Craze? Scary Labubu Dolls Are the Latest Terrifying Toy Obsession for Kids

“Daddy, I love you. You’re so cute Labubu!” said my older daughter just before she fell asleep. She caught me off guard. “Which Labubu? How do you know him?” I asked worriedly. My daughter wasn’t confused: “I saw an advertisement on YouTube. They’re dolls that look like rabbits, maybe a little scary.” While I’m asking myself for the hundredth time how useful the apps that block inappropriate content for children are because even children’s products today can be terrifying, I decided to postpone the lecture a little on why you should be careful with dolls and when the hell she’ll be able to step up to the level of Chucky and Annabelle dolls. “Yes, they’re charming,” I replied, hoping that, as in the case of those monsters with scary teeth, I wouldn’t have to deal with girls threatening to eat me if I didn’t buy them the dolls everyone had in kindergarten or school.

The truth is, I was ready for it. As a parent of girls who collect dolls in commercial quantities – our “work” room has become a doll warehouse, with something like five boxes full of dolls, along with dozens of others hidden in every good corner of the house – I had already heard about the next viral hit that is driving children crazy all over the world. Like several other cases, the most notable are the super creepy Huggy Wuggy dolls, this current hit also has scary sides. It’s hard to say that these dolls are beautiful or cute, but rather more scary from my professional perspective, but argue with children.

Labubu dolls are the next hot trend, a phenomenon that grew in Asia and reached every corner of the world through TikTok, celebrities, and influencers who agreed to get their hands on them in exchange for a coupon code. These dolls have become collector’s items, with different versions and an element of surprise, perhaps every parent’s worst nightmare. And they are also relatively expensive, as befits a collector’s item. So are we on the way to another hysterical phenomenon, which will show once again that today’s boys and girls can also love the mysterious and dark sides of toys?

What Is A Labubu?

Labubu dolls are a series of plush toys used as collector’s items. Kasing Lung, an artist from Hong Kong who grew up in the Netherlands, designed these dolls. As a child, Lung learned about the Nordic folklore, meaning, myths, and folklore stories that developed in the Scandinavian countries when they spoke Old Norse. “At that time, there were no game consoles or computers, so I had to draw dolls with a pen,” he said in an interview. “So I had the idea of painting fairy tales since I was a child.” Lung moved to Belgium, won a prestigious illustration award, and published a Chinese illustrated book and a children’s book. Along with Norse mythology, he was also influenced by East Asian pop culture, as we can see in the design of the monster characters.

Lung, who made Labubu, introduced it in an illustrated book in 2015, showing “The Monsters.” Shortly after, the monsters starred as part of figurines produced for him by “How2Work.” Since 2019, the giant Chinese retailer “Pop Mart” has sold the dolls inclusively. Pop Mart is known worldwide for its designer collectible toys, which often arrive in a “blind box” format – that is, you don’t know exactly which character hides inside a specific box.

Pop Mart’s doll catalog includes original characters, the most famous of which today is Labubu, alongside collaborations with well-known brands that have produced, for example, unique versions of Disney or Harry Potter dolls.

Note that Labubu is not a single character but part of a “tribe” of monsters that includes other scary Labubu dolls, like:

• Mokoko – Mokoko, meaning “special” in the Lilli language, stands out with pastel pink fur, a white belly, curly eyelashes, and even a heart-shaped face. Finding Mokoko is challenging because it is the rarest character, with relatively few dolls released worldwide. You can find it mainly at the brand’s “Pop Land” theme park in Beijing.
• Pato – A pinkish creature with floppy ears. Pato is a sensitive and dreamy creature.
• Spooky – A ghost-like character (yay!) with a head that resembles a rolled-up cloth.
• Tycoco – The little skeletal member of the group. A shy and delicate creature who sometimes becomes the victim of pranks from Labubu, his girlfriend. They have a cute, even romantic relationship, which is prominent in the monster products launched in honor of Valentine’s Day.
• Zimomo – The monster’s leader and the only male character (maybe that means something, maybe not), is characterized by his tall stature and spiked tail. In an interview, Lang compared Zimomo to the character of Papa Smurt from “The Smurfs.”
• Pippo is a winemaker who stands out with his large ears and relatively large dimensions. Pippo has some vibrant colors, cute expressions, and tons of energy.

Labubu is just one character from Lang’s Monster World, but it is the most famous and iconic. Many use this generic name to describe the product and its different versions.

What Do The Scary Labubu Dolls Look Like?

Labubu is a lovable elf character – the same mythological race of small, humanoid creatures, like elves and demons. According to Lange’s first illustrated literary works, Labubu was originally a girl.

Labubu dolls include several unique characteristics, which create a combination of an appearance that manages to be cute but also scary at the same time. The physical structure of the dolls has a relatively small, round, furry body, about the size of a cat. The eyes are large and round, which gives the dolls an innocent and slightly childish look. The creatures’ ears resemble rabbit ears that are pointed, similar to an elf.

The main distinguishing feature of the dolls, which explains why they star on our website, is nine sharp teeth, which create a playful but slightly scary smile. In addition, the original dolls stand out for their red and soft cheek blush. They wear adorable furry clothes, and their bodies do not have tails.

One could argue that the appearance of the Labubu dolls is “ugly cute,” similar to some of the other scary dolls we’ve already reviewed on the site. This contrast is one of the keys to the dolls’ success. It’s important to note that, unlike characters from scary games, say Huggy Wuggy, who threaten to crush children to death, Labubu and the other characters have some frightening aspects to their appearance, but according to the creator’s intention – and described in the books and videos that promote the products – they are small, cute, and good-natured creatures. Their actions sometimes end in trouble, but the main thing is the intention.

Here’s a short video that shows the dolls in action, with a very catchy song and a music video that is probably the scariest thing we’ve ever uploaded to the site:

Dolls, Keychain, Or A Bag Decoration?

The dolls come in various sizes, colors, and designs but tend to be small by any standard. The small figures usually arrive in “surprise packages” and are only about 15 cm in size. You will find larger dolls, such as vinyl versions measuring about 40 cm in size and sometimes more.

Many will say that these dolls are ideal as a decoration for a bag (charm) and not necessarily placed on a shelf or table like, say, Funko Pop figures. As we have seen with the celebrities who chose to get dolls and show them to the world, anyone can do with these dolls as they please.

Sometimes, you will find dolls with unique accessories or different outfits depending on the specific series. The company has developed a wide line of complementary products that increase the collecting experience, mainly velvet pendants for bags or small and easy-to-carry key chains, which have been an enormous success. The key chain series began in October 2023 with “Exciting Macaron” and has expanded over the years.

Among other things, we got to see a series influenced by nature (“Fall in Wild”), sitting figures (“Have a Seat”), and especially energetic figures (“Big into Energy”), with each collection including several characters for the fanatics. Each collection has more common figures than sporadic ones, which means there is potential for squeezing money out of parents, or at least emotionally. After all, the first thing the average collector will do after opening the bag is to see precisely what specific type they received and how rare it is.

As part of Pop Mart’s collaborations with well-known brands, we saw, for example, a series of winter “blind” boxes themed on Coca-Cola from the end of 2024. Another notable series is monster figures reimagined as characters from the worlds of manga and anime. Some figures were released at events and even in various museums, such as the “Labubu’s Artistic Journey” series, which you could find at the brand’s store in the Louvre in Paris.

At the same time, a whole catalog of sets and accessories for dolls is available, some of them handmade, such as clothes, hats, and miniature furniture.

Here is a review by a YouTuber named “Rage,” who unboxes some of the dolls and discusses their creepy side. The truth is that just for designing the cover image of the video, this guy, with almost two million subscribers, deserves a little more traffic on our site:

Thanks To K-pop And Influencers: Why Is Labubu So Popular?

Although Labubu dolls have been with us, in early versions, for almost a decade, it is only in recent years that there has been a real craze around them. The phenomenon began to explode on a colossal scale in April 2024, thanks to another huge hit of recent years, K-pop. One day, Lisa from the super-successful South Korean girl group “Blackpink” – a four-girl group that has released some massive hits, like a dance video with almost two billion views and a YouTube channel with around 97 million subscribers – was spotted with a Labubu keychain on her bag. Within hours, the photos went wildly viral.

Lisa opened the door for other celebrities who got the dolls or products based on them, such as Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Dua Lipa, and Lizzo. The characters appeared in their social media posts and paparazzi photos, more or less timed. From Thailand and Southeast Asia, the doll craze has spread worldwide.

Needless to say, it was an incredible financial success. Pop Mart reported that in the first half of 2024 alone, the Labubu product line generated about 6.3 billion Chinese yuan in sales, equivalent to about $870 million. The company’s revenue jumped by more than 100% in a relatively short period, and the manufacturer’s stock jumped by 500% (!) in just one year. Last April, to take another example, the number of searches for the term on Google exceeded the 2 million mark.

How Much Is A Labubu Cost?

One of the fundamental economic rules is that the demand for a particular product affects its price, with high demand almost always characterized by increased prices. This law works full-time in the case of Labubu dolls. Their cost varies between the different models, but as a rough generalization, it starts from a few dozen dollars and can reach up to about $100 or more. Various stores that sell the product, sometimes quite rightly from their point of view, may also charge a price of several hundred dollars.

Note that the dolls are branded as collectibles, some of which are rare. Although surprise boxes are, as mentioned, the biggest nightmare of many parents, children are enthusiastic about the concept, and as long as they get the dolls they need, they can remain sane and not destroy the house in a fit of rage.

Pop Mart usually distributes the dolls in measured quantities, sometimes a new stock of dolls every week – which contributes to their demand, sometimes turns the purchase into a hassle and causes the prices to be relatively high. In recent months, reports of thefts of dolls or even entire machines that sell them have emerged.

Note that the catalog of Labubu and its companies does not include dolls, key chains, and bag decorations. Other branded products include:

• Phone accessories, such as covers, wireless chargers, or headphone storage
• Fridge magnets, including in blind boxes
• Labubu Mugs (especially adorable!)
• Labubu Bags (mainly small ones) and purses
• Branded display fixtures
• Labubu clothes and other fashion items

How To Tell If A Labubu Is Fake?

Like many other popular products, Labubu is now available in countless imitations: some are successful and almost completely authentic, and others are much less. The collector community disparages them as “Lafufu,” and you will generally want to avoid buying them. Unless you want to cut costs and don’t mind purchasing a product that only somewhat resembles the “real thing.”

There are several ways to tell if a product is authentic or fake. It starts with the packaging itself: While the original packaging of the product is fine with a matte finish, imitations may be shiny, faded, or have poor paper or printing quality, sometimes even with spelling errors (intentional or not). Original dolls should come with a QR code that verifies their authenticity, so if a previously scanned code points to an address that doesn’t exist or doesn’t even exist, it’s probably a fake.

The small details of the doll itself can also indicate its authenticity. While original dolls will always come with nine teeth, in non-original versions, you may encounter a different number or “just” teeth that look like the doll has never visited a dentist: low quality, weird shape, and so on. Check the blush, another hallmark of the doll, which should be light, delicate, and streaked along the face. Try to feel the doll if possible because the original is made of high-quality, flexible material, while imitations may be plastic, have a “strange” hardness, etc.

The best tip we can give you, considering you are probably not an expert in identifying fake dolls, is to pay attention to where you buy the doll. Try to stick to official or well-known stores, and when buying online, pay attention to who the seller is and what the reviews say. A disproportionately low price will indicate in most cases that you encounter a fake because what can you do in the field of collectible dolls for children, there are no gifts.

Where To Buy Labubu And The Gang?

You can find Pop-Mart products in physical stores and vending machines scattered around the world, with an emphasis, of course, on Asia and the United States. However, like any significant trend, these dolls are expected to arrive in larger commercial quantities in other countries soon.

In some cases, you will buy them from businesses that carry out dropshipping – that is, a method in which the products are purchased through a retailer who does not store the products in his inventory but instead transfers the orders to the manufacturer, store or wholesaler, who is responsible for shipping them to customers. Although dropshipping has its advantages, in some cases it means that you may pay much higher amounts for the products, with differences that can reach hundreds of percent.

The dolls are mainly sold as “blind boxes” – sealed boxes that contain a random doll from the series, which adds an element of surprise and emotion to the need to collect the entire series. Personally, I am opposed to boxes of this type, which in most cases are a source of disappointment or even a trigger for tantrums on the part of children, whose chances of being disappointed with the doll they received increase as they accumulate more and more dolls in their collection, and as only the rarer dolls remain.

You can buy the dolls soon at the best toy stores across the globe. In the meantime, the more affordable option is to buy scary Labubu dolls it through international websites, which offer relatively reasonable prices. Pay attention to the shipping times and the amount you will pay for it, which varies between websites or even in specific transactions.

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