I get this question almost every day in my DMs or from customers browsing PopNya: "What's the best Labubu?"
It's a simple question with a messy, wonderful, and expensive answer. Honestly, there is no single "best." The "best" for a day-one Kasing Lung fan is different from the "best" for someone who just saw them on TikTok. And the "best" for an investor is definitely not the "best" for someone who just wants a cute desk buddy.
As a seller, I've seen it all. I've seen the pure joy of someone pulling their first Labubu. I've also seen the crushing disappointment of opening a full case and getting no secrets. I've watched prices for a single figure go from $15 retail to over $1,000 in a matter of months.
So, instead of giving you a boring top 10 list, I'm going to give you my playbook. This is how I think about the Labubu market, and how you can find the figure that's truly the best for you.
The "Best" is a Lie: What People Really Mean
When people ask for the "best," they're usually asking one of four different questions:
1. "What's the most HYPED Labubu?" (The one that gets the most likes on Instagram) 2. "What's the RAREST Labubu?" (The one that's a true collector's grail) 3. "What's the CUTEST Labubu?" (Purely subjective, but there are clear fan favorites) 4. "What's the BEST QUALITY Labubu?" (The one that feels the most premium)
Answering these questions separately is the only way to get to the truth. The most popular labubus aren't always the rarest, and the rarest aren't always the cutest.
The Labubu Hype Tiers: A Seller's Field Guide
To understand the market, you have to understand the tiers. This isn't an official labubu rarity chart, but it's how I see the landscape after years of buying and selling.
Tier S: The Unobtainable Grails
This is a very, very small club. We're talking about figures that were released in limited quantities, often at toy conventions years ago, and now command astronomical prices.
The undisputed king here is the Grey Rainbow Labubu, officially known as Zimomo "Titan." This isn't your standard blind box figure. It's a larger, soft vinyl (sofubi) piece. The design is iconic: a matte gray labubu with rainbow teeth grinning maniacally. It's mischievous, it's beautiful, and it's ridiculously hard to find labubu of this caliber.
Real Talk: Why is it so expensive? Scarcity and history. It was an early, limited release that predates the massive Pop Mart boom. It is a different era of the brand. I've personally seen Titan sell for well over $1,500. For most people, this is a museum piece, not a realistic collecting goal. Is it the "best"? If you have a vault and a trust fund, maybe. For the other 99.9% of us, it's a beautiful thing to admire from afar. The hype around this figure is a big part of why are labubus so hard to get; it creates a halo effect for the entire brand.
Tier A: The Big Secret Chase
This is where most of the high-stakes fun happens. This tier is all about the "secret" and "super-secret" figures in Pop Mart's blind box series.
So, what are the chances of getting a secret labubu? Typically, a regular secret appears in 1 out of every 144 boxes (that's one per full case of 12 displays). A super-secret or chase figure can be even rarer, sometimes 1/288 or more. There's no guaranteed way to know, but that 1/144 figure is the industry benchmark.
A perfect example is the secret from the Exciting Macaron Labubu series, often called "Lychee." It's a translucent pink figure that just glows on a shelf. When the series dropped, the demand for Lychee was insane. People were buying cases just to chase it. I remember the aftermarket price hitting $200-$250 within weeks of release, while the common figures were selling for $15-$20. If you want a deep dive on this, my honest Labubu Macaron buyer's guide covers the fakes and market realities in detail.
The same goes for the black secret from the Have a Seat Labubu V2 series. It's sleek, simple, and highly sought after. These chase figures are the engine of the hype train.
Tier B: The Fan Favorite Commons
This, in my opinion, is where the real magic is. These are the regular figures in a set that are just so well-designed they become most popular labubus in their own right. They prove you don't need to pull a secret to have one of the cutest labubus.
A great example is "Soy" from the Have a Seat V2 series. It's a common figure, but the little soy sauce bottle accessory and its slightly worried expression make it the most popular have a seat labubu from the regular lineup. People buy it outright more than any other common in that set.
Another one I love is the Chestnut from the Fall/Autumn Biking series. The design is simple, the colors are perfect, and it just captures a feeling. These are the figures that are accessible, affordable (at first), and deliver 100% of the charm.
My Playbook for Picking YOUR Best Labubu
Okay, enough theory. Here's my practical, step-by-step advice.
Step 1: What's Your "Why"?
Be brutally honest with yourself. * Are you in it for the art? If you just love Kasing Lung's monster world, then literally any figure that makes you smile is the "best." Don't worry about rarity. * Are you in it for the thrill? If you love the gamble, then buying blind boxes is your game. The best labubu series for you is the newest one with a secret you're dying to pull. * Are you in it for the investment? If you're looking for value, you need to study the market. You'll be buying confirmed secrets or rare editions, not gambling on blind boxes. This is a high-risk, high-reward game.
Step 2: Compare The Series
Let's do a head-to-head on three of the most popular recent series to show you what I mean.
The Monsters x One Piece: * Vibe: Crossover chaos. Labubu cosplaying as your favorite pirates. It's pure fan service and it's brilliant. * Quality: Standard, excellent Pop Mart quality. The paint and details are sharp, especially on figures like the Zoro-inspired Santoryu. * Who is it for? Anime fans and Labubu collectors who want something wild. The crossover nature might make it a hot ticket for years to come. I wrote more about the hype behind the Monsters x One Piece crossover if you're curious.
Exciting Macaron Series: * Vibe: Sweet, pastel, and adorable. These are arguably the cutest labubus in a single collection. They look like little candy monsters. * Quality: The vinyl is smooth and the colors are vibrant. One thing I've noticed from handling dozens of cases: the quality control on the paint for this series is exceptionally good. Fewer smudges or errors than some other series. * Who is it for? Collectors who love the "cute" aesthetic. It's a perfect entry point and the color palette is just joyful. The chase for the elusive pink and green Labubu figures from this series and others is a huge part of the fun.
The Monsters Toys Series: * Vibe: Nostalgic and tactile. These Labubus are designed to look like classic toys (a hobby horse, a tin robot, etc.) and most of them have a soft, flocked (fuzzy) texture. * Quality: The flocking is a love-it-or-hate-it feature. It feels amazing, but it's a dust magnet and can be damaged if you're not careful. The underlying sculpts are fantastic. * Who is it for? People who want a different sensory experience. The flocked texture makes them stand out in a collection of smooth vinyl.
Step 3: The Size Question
Don't forget about the big boys! Besides the 3-inch blind box figures, there's the labubu medium size (and large size). These are often called Mega Collection figures, usually at 400% (about 7 inches) or 1000% (about 27 inches).
These are not blind-boxed. You know exactly what you're getting. They are statement pieces. The Mega "Space Molly" is a famous example in the broader Pop Mart world. For Labubu, figures like the Mega "SpongeBob" are incredible display pieces but come with a much higher price tag (usually $150+ at retail). They're a different kind of collecting entirely.
Real Talk: The Hard Truths About Collecting Labubu
This is the part other blogs won't tell you.
First, why are labubus so hard to get? It's a perfect storm. Kasing Lung's designs are genuinely brilliant. Pop Mart's marketing is genius, using scarcity and the blind box thrill to create constant demand. Then, celebrity endorsements (Lisa from Blackpink being the big one) threw gasoline on the fire, turning a niche hobby into a global phenomenon. Pop Mart wants them to be a little hard to get. It keeps the hype alive. You can read more about the whole phenomenon in this ultimate guide to Labubu dolls.
Second, a pro tip that will save you time and embarrassment: stop shaking or weighing boxes. Seriously. Back in 2020, you could maybe feel for a specific accessory. Not anymore. I can tell you from opening fresh factory cases that Pop Mart has gotten incredibly good at standardizing the weight and packaging. Sometimes they even put little cardboard inserts in the boxes of lighter figures to even things out. You're more likely to damage the box than to guess the figure inside.
Third, how many secret labubu are there? It's not an infinite number. Each blind box series typically has one "regular" secret (1/144) and sometimes one "super" secret (rarer). So for each new series, you can expect one or two new chase figures to enter the market. The total number is always growing, but it's a finite pool at any given time.
My Personal "Best Labubu" Picks (As of Right Now)
After all that, what do I actually have on my own shelf?
My "Justified Hype" Pick: Tycoco from The Monsters Toys Series This isn't a secret, but it's the hardest labubu to get from that set. It's a Labubu wearing a Tycoco (another of Kasing's characters) costume. It's flocked, it's meta, and the design is just perfect. The demand for this "common" figure often outstrips some of the secrets from other series. It's that good.
My "Underrated Gem" Pick: Cactus from the "Let's Go Camping" Series This one gets no love, and I don't understand why! It's a common figure. He's green, he's spiky, and he's holding a tiny ukulele. The level of detail is fantastic, and it's a design that feels pure Kasing Lung. You can get him for a fraction of the price of a hyped figure, and I think he has more personality than half of them.
My "One to Watch" Pick: The entire "Big into Energy" series. This is a more recent release, and I think it's being slept on. The designs, based on batteries and energy, are super creative. The Big into Energy Labubu series has some of the most unique colorways we've seen in a while. I have a feeling that in a year, people will be looking back and wishing they'd picked up the "Charging" secret when it was more accessible.
Ultimately, the search for the best Labubu is your own adventure. Don't let Instagram hype or reseller prices dictate what you love. Look at the art, find a character that speaks to you, and decide what "best" means for your collection.
If you're ready to start that journey, you can always browse our LABUBU collection at PopNya and see which of these little monsters catches your eye. Happy hunting!
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