It was a Tuesday. I remember because our store, PopNya, usually has a predictable rhythm of orders. But that day, the Shopify notification sound on my phone just wouldn't stop. Cha-ching. Cha-ching. Cha-ching. Every single order was for the LABUBU The Monsters Macarons series. My first thought was a glitch. My second was that we were about to sell out of a series that had been sitting comfortably in stock for weeks.
That was the day Lisa from BLACKPINK posted a video of herself unboxing Labubus. And just like that, the world changed.
But if you think that's the whole story of why Labubu is so popular, you're missing the bigger picture. Lisa was the match, but the entire forest was already soaked in gasoline. I've been collecting and selling these figures for years, and I've watched this slow burn turn into an inferno. The real reason is a perfect storm of art, accessibility, and a little bit of monster magic.
The Foundation: It All Started with an Artist and a Story
Before the hype, before the lines outside Pop Mart, there was Kasing Lung. If you want to know who invented Labubu, it's him. Kasing is a Hong Kong-based artist who was born in China and grew up in the Netherlands, and his art is this beautiful blend of European fairy tales and Chinese folklore. He created a whole cast of characters, Zimomo, Tycoco, Pato, and of course, Labubu, who live in a whimsical, sometimes dark, storybook forest.
When was Labubu created? The first Labubu figures appeared around 2015, long before they became these global trend dolls. Back then, they were high-end vinyl art toys produced with companies like How2Work. They were beautiful, but they were also expensive and made in limited runs. You had to be in the know to even find one.
This is the core of it all. The Labubu world isn't just a collection of random designs; it's a universe. Labubu is a mischievous little monster with big, expressive ears and a signature toothy Labubu smile. Some people look at the design and say, "Labubu ugly." And honestly? They're not entirely wrong. Labubu isn't conventionally cute like a Sanrio character. It's "ugly-cute." It has a chaotic, gremlin-like energy that a lot of us find way more relatable than perfect, button-nosed dolls. That mischievous grin feels real.
The la bu bu meaning isn't some deep, hidden secret. It's the name of a character who is curious, a bit naughty, but ultimately good-hearted. He's a monster who isn't scary. For a deeper dive, I've written before about the silly rumors that Labubu is demonic and the character's real, innocent meaning. But the short version is: he's just a little guy exploring his world.
The Pop Mart Engine: Making Monsters for the Masses
The real turning point, before the celebrity explosion, was Kasing Lung's partnership with Pop Mart. This is how did Labubu get popular on a wider scale.
Pop Mart took Kasing's niche art toy and put it into a blind box format for about $15 a pop. Suddenly, you didn't need $200 and a connection to an art gallery to own a piece of his world. You could walk into a store or visit a site like ours and take a chance.
The blind box model is genius and, let's be honest, addictive. You don't know which of the 12 designs you're going to get. You might get the one you want, or you might get a duplicate. And you might, just might, pull a "secret" or "chase" figure, which can be incredibly rare. This system created a rabid secondary market and a vibrant community of collectors who trade, buy, and sell to complete their sets. It gamified collecting.
I see it every day. Customers email me asking if I can "feel" the boxes for a specific character. (Spoiler: for the new series, you can't. The weights and shapes are too standardized now. Don't fall for that old trick.) The thrill of the unboxing is a huge part of the experience. It's a dopamine hit that keeps people coming back.
The Catalyst: The Lisa Effect and the Thai Labubu Craze
Okay, let's talk about the explosion. When did Labubu become popular on a global, sell-out-in-seconds level? It was April 2024. That's when Lisa posted her unboxing video.
The impact was immediate and insane.
As I mentioned, my store's inventory of the Macaron series vanished in hours. A figure that retailed for under $20 was suddenly being listed for $80, $100, or more. Because Lisa is Thai, the Thai Labubu market went nuclear. People were flying to other countries just to hunt for them. It was a cultural moment. Everyone wanted the little keychain creature hanging off their bag, just like Lisa.
But here's my take as a seller: Lisa didn't create the trend. She amplified it by a factor of a million. She was the one who started the Labubu trend for the mainstream, but the dedicated fanbase was already there, quietly building for years. All the groundwork laid by Kasing Lung's art and Pop Mart's distribution system is what allowed it to catch fire so spectacularly. Without a great, accessible product already in place, her post would have been a blip, not a big bang.
*The Secret Sauce: Why It Stays* PopularSo, a celebrity endorsement explains a spike. But why is Labubu still a dominant force in the world of trend dolls months later?
It's because Labubu is more than just a collectible. It's a canvas.
The keychain format of The Monsters series (like Macarons and the new Fall in Wild) was a stroke of genius. Unlike a vinyl figure that sits on a shelf, these go out into the world with you. They hang from your purse, your keys, your backpack. And this has fueled a massive trend of customization.
Go on Instagram or TikTok right now. You'll see people knitting tiny sweaters for their Labubus. They're buying miniature dollhouse accessories to create scenes. They're taking them to cafes and posing them with lattes. This is also why so many people are drawing Labubu; the character is simple enough to be easily replicated but expressive enough to be put into infinite scenarios.
This user-generated content is a marketing machine that Pop Mart could never buy. Each customized Labubu is a personal statement. It deepens the owner's connection to the toy and advertises it to everyone who sees it. The labubu tropes are now a thing: you have "Foodie Labubu," "Skater Labubu," "Office Worker Labubu." People are creating entire personalities for their little monsters.
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Real Talk: A Seller's Honest Opinion
Alright, let me give you the unfiltered take from someone who handles these things every day. Is the hype getting out of control? Yes. A little. When I see a standard Macaron figure going for $100+, a part of me winces. The market is volatile, and you should never buy into a trend expecting to make a profit. Buy it because you love it.
The massive popularity has also led to a huge problem: fakes. The counterfeit market for Labubu is exploding. I've had customers send me photos of fakes they bought elsewhere, and some are scarily convincing. The paint might be a little sloppier, the vinyl might feel a bit lighter, or the box printing is slightly off. It's why I wrote a whole guide on how to spot a fake Labubu, because it breaks my heart to see fans get ripped off.
In terms of quality, it varies. The paint jobs on the recent "Let's Christmas" series were fantastic, really crisp and detailed. But I've noticed on some of the flocked figures, like the ones in the Fall in Wild series, the flocking can sometimes be a bit thin or patchy around the ears right out of the box. It's a minor thing, but it's a detail you only notice when you're inspecting dozens of them for your shop.
My advice? If you're just starting, don't chase the most hyped series. Go for one of the evergreen series that are more readily available. The quality is still excellent, and you can get a feel for the character without paying insane aftermarket prices. You can always browse the LABUBU collection and see which series speaks to you personally, not just the one blowing up on TikTok.
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It's an Emotional Connection
At the end of the day, I think the enduring appeal comes down to emotion. The labubu meaning in English isn't a direct translation; it's a feeling. It's the feeling of being a little bit of a monster in a world that wants you to be perfect.
That toothy grin isn't just a smile. It's a smirk. It's a grimace. It's the face you make when you're about to do something you probably shouldn't. It's relatable. In a world saturated with overly sweet, positive-vibes-only characters, Labubu has a little bit of chaos. It's a tiny monster companion for your own inner monster.
So, how did Labubu become famous**? It was a slow, deliberate build of fantastic art and smart business, capped off by a massive celebrity-fueled explosion. But its staying power comes from that little "ugly-cute" face that people can customize, photograph, and see themselves in.
As someone who packs up these little guys and sends them to new homes every day, I can tell you the magic is real. And it doesn't seem to be fading anytime soon.
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