I get this question every single day. In my DMs, in emails, in comments on our PopNya Instagram. It's always some variation of: "How many teeth does Labubu have?" or a panicked "I think I bought a fake, it has the wrong number of teeth!"
It's the first piece of Labubu lore most new collectors learn. The golden rule. The secret handshake.
The common wisdom is that a real Labubu has 9 teeth.
So, does a Labubu have 9 teeth? Yes. But also, sometimes, the answer isn't that simple. And relying on that one fact alone is the fastest way to get scammed. As someone who has to authenticate these little monsters for a living, I can tell you the story of the Labubu doll teeth is a battleground between Kasing Lung's original art, Pop Mart's production, and a legion of counterfeiters.
The Origin of the 9-Teeth Rule
Let's get the big question out of the way. Yes, the standard, authentic, 3-inch Labubu figure produced by Pop Mart has a mischievous grin made up of nine individual teeth. Four on the top row, five on the bottom.
This became the #1 way to spot a fake because early counterfeiters were lazy. They'd get a real Labubu, make a quick, cheap mold, and rush it to production. In that process, details got lost or simplified. The most obvious shortcut they took was the mouth.
Instead of carefully sculpting nine distinct teeth, they'd often just paint on ten. Why ten? My best guess is that it's just an easier, more symmetrical number to work with. A five-over-five grin. It's even, it's simple, and it's completely wrong.
So, if a Labubu has 10 teeth is it fake? In 99.9% of cases I have ever seen, yes. Absolutely. A ten-toothed Labubu is one of the biggest red flags you can find. I've seen them with 8, I've seen them with 11, but 10 is the classic counterfeit signature.
The infamous fake green Labubu, often a knockoff of the "Soy" figure from The Monsters Toys series, is notorious for this. You see it pop up on sketchy online marketplaces, often for a price that's too good to be true. The green is a little too bright, the vinyl is shiny and cheap, and if you look closely, you'll almost always count ten weirdly uniform, square teeth.
Real vs. Fake: A Tale of Two Grins
This whole "how many teeth do Labubus have" debate is a perfect case study in the difference between art and imitation. Let's put them side-by-side.
When you look at a real Labubu, the teeth are more than just a number. They have character.
- Shape: They aren't perfect squares. They're slightly rounded, individual little nubs. The bottom middle tooth is often slightly larger, giving the grin its signature look.
It looks like a real monster's mouth, not a perfectly spaced set of veneers.
- Paint Quality: This is a big one for me. On an authentic figure from our LABUBU collection, the white paint of the teeth is crisp and clean. The black line that defines the mouth is sharp. There's no bleeding or smudging.
Now, look at a typical fake:
- The Count: As we said, usually 10 teeth. They look crowded and unnatural.
- Shape & Spacing: They are often just uniform, symmetrical rectangles painted on. There's no character, no individuality. It's the difference between a hand-drawn smile and a clipart smiley face.
- Paint Quality: Messy. The white paint often bleeds onto the "lip" area, and the black line of the mouth is thick and uneven. It just looks sloppy because it is.
I once bought a fake Macaron Labubu on purpose for a comparison video. The first thing I noticed, even before counting, was that the teeth just looked flat. They didn't have the subtle 3D quality of the real deal. The Labubu teeth number was wrong (it had 10), but the lack of quality was an even bigger giveaway.
Real Talk: The 9-Teeth Rule Is Not Enough
Okay, here's the part most guides won't tell you. This is the honest warning from a seller who has seen it all.
Relying only on the 9-teeth rule is a rookie mistake, and it will eventually get you burned.
Why? Because the counterfeiters are getting smarter. They read the same Reddit threads and watch the same TikToks as you do. They know we're all looking for 9 teeth. So, what are they doing? They're starting to make fakes with 9 teeth.
I've seen a few of these "next-gen" fakes come through the shop from customers asking for authentication. The teeth count is correct, but everything else is wrong. This is why you have to go deeper. If you're serious about collecting, you need to graduate from just counting teeth. For a more complete rundown, our Fake Labubu Guide from a seller's perspective covers these other points in detail.
Here are the real tells I use every day:
The Smell Test: This is my secret weapon. Authentic Pop Mart vinyl has a very specific, clean, almost sweet smell. It's pleasant. Fakes, made with cheaper and sometimes toxic plastics, have a harsh, overpowering chemical smell. It's the smell of cheap plastic and regret. If you open a box and it smells like a tire fire, you have a problem.
The Weight and Feel: An authentic Labubu has a satisfying heft. The vinyl is dense and smooth, with a matte finish (on most series). Fakes often feel lighter, more hollow, and are made from a harder, shinier plastic.
The Box and Card: Counterfeiters cut corners on packaging. Look at the printing on the box. Is the art sharp and vibrant, or is it slightly blurry and washed out? The collector card is another huge tell. The real card is on thick, quality cardstock with a crisp print. Fake cards feel flimsy, like cheap business cards, and the QR code on the back often doesn't work or leads to a weird website.
The Joints: On a real Labubu, the arm and head joints are snug but move smoothly. On many fakes, they are either rock-solid and impossible to move or so loose they feel like they'll fall off.
The teeth are just the first checkpoint, not the final destination.
But Do ALL Labubus Have 9 Teeth?
This is where it gets even more interesting. The question "do all labubus have 9 teeth" assumes we're only talking about the standard 3-inch blind box figure. But Kasing Lung's world is much bigger than that!
What about the plushies? The teeth are embroidered. The count might be there, but it's more of an artistic suggestion.
What about the huge figures? I've handled a few of the Mega and Jumbo Labubus, and while they have that signature grin, the focus isn't on a strict tooth count in the same way. The scale and material change the details. The spirit of the 9-tooth grin is there, but you're not going to disqualify a 70cm Mega Labubu because one tooth looks slightly different.
And what about Kasing Lung's original artwork? His paintings and sketches are the source of it all. The toothy grin is a core part of the character's design, a perfect blend of cute and mischievous that makes us love him. It's less about a specific number and more about the feeling it evokes. It's a reminder that these aren't just toys; they're pieces of art, which is something I explore a bit more when talking about the artist Kasing Lung himself. The 9-tooth design is simply how Pop Mart chose to standardize that art for mass production.
So, the definitive answer to "how many teeth do Labubu dolls have" is: The standard vinyl figures have nine. But the spirit of Labubu is bigger than its dental records.
Your Final Authenticity Checklist
Don't get overwhelmed. It's a lot, but it quickly becomes second nature. When you're looking at a potential new Labubu for your collection, here's your mental checklist:
1. The Initial Tooth Count: Start here. If it's 10, walk away. If it's 9, proceed to step two. 2. The Tooth Quality Exam: Look closer. Are they nicely shaped and cleanly painted? Or are they messy, uniform blobs? 3. The Sniff Test: Don't be shy. Give it a sniff. A clean vinyl smell is a great sign. A chemical headache is a dealbreaker. 4. The Packaging Inspection: Check the box art for blurriness. Feel the collector card. Look for the holographic Pop Mart sticker. 5. The Gut Check: Finally, trust your instincts. If a deal on a super-rare Labubu seems way too good to be true, it is. No one is selling a real Zimomo for $15 on a random website.
Learning these details is part of the journey of being a collector. It connects you more deeply to the art and the artist. Don't let the fear of fakes ruin the fun of the hunt.
And if you want to skip the stress of authentication altogether and just enjoy adding to your family of monsters, you can always browse LABUBU figures right here at PopNya. We do all this vetting work so you don't have to. Every single figure we sell is 100% authentic, guaranteed. That way, you can spend less time counting teeth and more time enjoying that wonderfully mischievous, nine-toothed grin.
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