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The text came through from a friend. "It's open."
That's all it said. But I knew exactly what it meant. The Pop Mart at Mall of America, the first official labubu store mn had finally, quietly, opened its doors. For Minnesota collectors, this was our Super Bowl. No more praying to the shipping gods for a package from the coast. No more wondering if the figure you bought on eBay was a convincing fake. We had a home base.
Or so I thought.
I've been in the designer toy game for years, both as a collector and as the owner of PopNya. I've seen the LABUBU craze go from a niche corner of the art toy world to a full-blown cultural phenomenon. I remember when you could get any LABUBU you wanted for retail. Those were the days. Now, as I've written about before, getting your hands on one is a collector's playbook all its own.
So, with the car keys in my hand and an unreasonable amount of hope in my heart, I made the trek to Bloomington.
The First Impression**
Finding the store is its own mini-adventure. It's on the first floor, North side, nestled between other big-name brands. You'll know it when you see it. The place glows. It's a clean, bright, colorful box of pure dopamine. The signature Pop Mart teal and pink are vibrant, and the massive SKULLPANDA figure near the entrance is an immediate photo op.
I'll be honest, my heart was pounding a little. It's one thing to see these stores on Instagram feeds from Shanghai or New York. It's another to have one in your own backyard. It feels like we, as a community in the Midwest, have finally arrived.
The store is laid out logically, with walls lined with blind boxes from floor to ceiling. Dimoo, Molly, Hirono, Pucky, the whole gang is here. It's a beautiful sight. But I wasn't there for them. I made a beeline for the main event.
The LABUBU Situation: A Reality Check
And there it was. The LABUBU section.
It wasn't as big as I'd hoped. It was a respectable chunk of wall space, maybe a quarter of one aisle, but it wasn't the grand, sprawling shrine I had built up in my mind. This was my first reality check. Pop Mart has a massive roster of characters, and they have to give everyone their moment in the sun.
So, what was actually on the shelf?
As of my visit (a random Tuesday afternoon), they had a healthy stock of The Monsters Camping series and the Kasing Lung-illustrated 'Let's Play' series. Boxes were neat, plentiful, and ready to be adopted. They also had a few of The Monsters Animals series, which was a nice surprise. I saw at least a dozen people grab a Camping box while I was there; it's a solid, evergreen series.
But let's talk about what wasn't there.
The Monsters Toys? Gone. Wiped out. Not a single box. The staffer I spoke to just gave me a weary-but-kind smile and said they sold out within hours of the last restock. No surprise there. That series has some of the best designs in recent memory.
And the big one. The one everyone is losing their minds over. The LABUBU Macaron "Zimomo" series.
Of course they weren't there. I would have bet my entire collection on it. Asking the staff about the Macarons is probably the collector's equivalent of asking a Target employee on December 23rd if they have any PS5s in the back. You know the answer, but you have to ask anyway. The poor guy just shook his head and said, "We've never even seen them in-store."
This is the hard truth of physical retail in the age of insane hype. The most sought-after items will likely never even hit the shelf for the general public. They're either used for special events, sold through the app, or backdoored. It's a global supply issue, and one little labubu mall store in Minnesota isn't going to be immune to it. It's a topic I've covered before; the brutal truth about LABUBU stock is that there's just not enough to go around.
I did notice something interesting, though. There were purchase limits on everything LABUBU. A sign, politely printed, stated "Limit 2 per customer" on the Camping series. This is a good sign. It shows they're at least trying to combat the resellers who would gleefully clear out the entire stock to flip on Mercari for a 100% markup.
Real Talk: Is the MOA Pop Mart Worth the Trip?
So, here's the honest verdict from a seller and collector. Is this the answer to every Minnesotan's question of where to buy labubu minnesota?
Yes and no.
Look, having a physical Pop Mart is amazing. It's a fantastic place to go if you're new to the hobby. You can see the boxes, feel the weight (don't you dare shake them too hard, you monsters), and experience the joy of picking one out in person. It's a wonderful way to discover other artists and series you might not have looked at online. The prices are standard retail, about $14.90 per box for most series, which is great. You save on shipping and you get that instant gratification.
For a casual fan or someone looking for a fun gift, it's a 10/10 destination.
But for the hardcore LABUBU collector hunting for that one specific chase or the latest hyped series? It's a gamble. A big one.
You're battling tourists, resellers, and fellow fans, all converging on one location. The chances of you walking in on a random Saturday and finding a full stock of the brand-new, super-hot series are, to be blunt, close to zero. The experience can be a lot like my hunt for LABUBU in NYC, a lot of walking for potentially little reward if you're laser-focused on one thing.
The store is a fantastic "top of the funnel" for new fans, but it's not a reliable source for the rarest items. And that's okay! We just need to manage our expectations. Don't drive two hours expecting to find a Macaron sitting on the shelf. Drive there for the experience, the fun of the blind box pull, and the joy of being in a space dedicated to our hobby.
A Collector's Pro-Tips for Your Visit
If you're planning a trip, here's my advice:
1. Go on a weekday. Seriously. A Tuesday morning is going to be a completely different, more pleasant experience than a Saturday afternoon. You'll have space to browse and the staff might have more time to chat. 2. Temper your expectations. Don't go with a "Macaron or bust" mentality. Go with an open mind. Maybe you'll discover the Hirono series speaks to your soul. Maybe you'll pull a secret from a series you've never tried before. 3. Be kind to the staff. They don't control the stock. They are dealing with the same five questions about the same sold-out series all day long. A little kindness goes a long way. 4. *Don't be that guy*. I saw a dude with a little digital scale in his pocket. Don't do that. It's tacky, it rarely works on newer series (Pop Mart has gotten wise to it), and it ruins the fun for everyone. The whole point is the "blind" part of the blind box.
The Agony and the Ecstasy
In the end, I couldn't leave empty-handed. It felt wrong. I grabbed two boxes of The Monsters Camping series. I took them to a nearby bench in the mall, the same way I did as a kid with a pack of Pokémon cards.
The first box: The little monster roasting a marshmallow. A common, but a cute one. Solid design. The second box: The monster tangled in fairy lights, holding a lantern. Another common.
Was I disappointed I didn't pull the secret? A little. But that's the rush, isn't it? It's the agony and ecstasy of finding a LABUBU store near you. The possibility is the product.
As I was walking out, I saw a family with a young girl, maybe 8 or 9 years old, absolutely losing her mind with joy over a Dimoo figure she'd just opened. Her parents were clueless but delighted by her delight. And that, right there, is why the store is so important. It creates new fans. It brings people into our world.
So, if you go to the Mall of America Pop Mart and they're sold out of the exact LABUBU you wanted, don't despair. The hunt is part of the fun. And if the hunt in the wild comes up empty, well, you know where to look. That's why I work so hard to keep a curated selection online. Sometimes, the most reliable store is the one that's always open on your screen. If you're still searching for that perfect addition to your shelf, you can always browse our LABUBU collection at PopNya.
The hunt continues. I'll probably be back at the MOA store next week. Just in case.
* Disclosure: PopNya may earn a commission if you purchase through links on this page.
