I get this DM at least five times a week. It's usually a blurry photo of a LABUBU, often still in the box, with the question: "Is this a real La Boo Boo?" My heart sinks a little every time, because half the time, the answer is no. The hype around Kasing Lung's creations is real, and unfortunately, so is the booming market for fakes.
It's confusing out there. People search for "la boo boo," "little boo boo," or even "la fu fu doll," and the internet throws a mess of results at them. So let's clear the air. The character is LABUBU, part of The Monsters family created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung and produced by Pop Mart. And telling the difference between a genuine art toy and a cheap knockoff is a skill every collector needs to learn.
This isn't just about getting what you paid for. It's about supporting the artist and owning a piece of well-crafted design, not a soulless copy. So, grab a drink. I'm going to walk you through everything I've learned from opening hundreds of cases, dealing with suppliers, and helping fellow collectors avoid the fakes.
*The Vibe Check: What Does a Real LABUBU Look Like and Feel* Like?Forget the stock photos for a second. The first test for a real la boo boo* is a physical one. When you hold one, you can just feel* the difference.
The Vinyl Quality: A genuine LABUBU has a satisfying heft. It's not heavy like a rock, but it feels substantial. The vinyl is dense and smooth. Fakes are often made from a cheaper, lighter plastic that feels hollow and brittle. I once held a fake Macaron LABUBU that felt lighter than the official collector card it came with. That's a huge red flag.
The finish is another dead giveaway. Matte LABUBU figures, like many from The Monsters Camping series, have an almost soft-touch, velvety feel. It's not dusty or chalky; it's a deliberate, premium texture. Glossy figures have a deep, consistent shine that looks like it's part of the vinyl itself. Fakes often have a cheap, sprayed-on gloss that can be uneven, tacky to the touch, or have tiny bubbles trapped in the finish.
The Paint and Sculpt: This is where Pop Mart's quality control, while not always 100% perfect, really shines compared to the fakes. On a real LABUBU, the paint lines are generally crisp. Look at the teeth in their signature grin. Each tooth should be clearly defined. On fakes, the white paint often bleeds onto the "gums" or the lines are fuzzy.
The face sculpt is everything. Kasing Lung's design is deceptively simple, which makes it hard to replicate perfectly. The eyes on a real LABUBU are set at a very specific distance and angle, giving them that mischievous, curious expression. Fakes get this wrong constantly. The eyes might be too close together, too far apart, or just slightly asymmetrical, which throws the whole character off. It goes from looking cute to looking… well, creepy.
The Smell Test (I'm Serious): This is a tip that only people who open a lot of these toys will know. A brand new, authentic Pop Mart figure has a distinct but faint "new vinyl" smell. It's the same scent you get from a new high-end doll or action figure. It's not a bad smell at all. Fakes, on the other hand, are a wild card. They either have no smell at all (a sign of very cheap, hard plastic) or they reek of harsh, industrial chemicals. If opening the foil bag makes your eyes water, you probably have a fake.
The Box is Your First Defense
Before you even get to the figure, the packaging can tell you 90% of the story. Counterfeiters have gotten better, but they almost always cut corners on the box. If you're buying from a third-party seller, always demand clear photos of the sealed box from all angles. If they refuse, walk away. Learning to spot a fake box is a collector's superpower.
The Shrink Wrap: Start with the outer plastic. Official Pop Mart shrink wrap is tight, clean, and has a neat, professional-looking Y-fold seam on the top and bottom. It feels thick and durable. The wrap on fakes is often loose, crinkly, and made of a thinner, cheaper plastic. The seams are usually messy, often just a thick, melted line down the back.
The Hologram Sticker: This is your most reliable friend. Every genuine Pop Mart blind box has a silver, holographic anti-counterfeiting sticker. It usually has the Pop Mart logo and other details that shift in the light. On recent series, it's often placed over the top flap's opening. Fakes might try to imitate this, but their stickers are usually just flat, shiny silver paper with no real holographic effect. Tilt the box in the light. A real sticker will show depth and changing patterns. A fake one will just look like a piece of a disco ball.
The Print Quality: Put a real box next to a fake, and the difference is night and day. The artwork on a genuine box is printed in high resolution. The colors are accurate to the artist's intent, the lines are sharp, and the text is perfectly legible, right down to the tiny copyright notice (© Kasing Lung / POP MART).
Fake boxes often use scanned or poorly reproduced artwork. This results in images that are slightly blurry, pixelated, or have weird color saturation, often too bright and garish. Pay close attention to the font. Counterfeiters rarely have the exact font files, so they use a close-but-not-quite substitute. The kerning (spacing between letters) might be off, or the letters themselves will look slightly different if you compare them to an official product photo.
The Unboxing Ritual: Final Clues Inside
So the box passed the test. You're feeling good. But the inspection isn't over. The final clues are inside.
The Foil Pouch: The figure itself comes sealed in a foil pouch. A real one is made of thick, opaque material. It's cleanly sealed and often has the series name or Pop Mart logo printed on it. The printing is, again, crisp and clear. Fake pouches are often made of a flimsy, crinkly material that feels like a cheap potato chip bag. The printing might be smudged or non-existent.
The Collector Card: This is a huge tell. A real collector card is a piece of art in itself. It's printed on thick, sturdy cardstock with a quality finish, many recent series use a nice matte texture. The image of the character is sharp, and the colors are vibrant. On the back, there's often a QR code.
A fake card is a joke. It's usually printed on thin, flimsy paper that feels like a cheap business card. The finish is often glossy and cheap, and the image is almost always a low-resolution, pixelated mess. If the card looks like it was printed on a home inkjet printer from 2005, you have a problem.
The Little Extras: Real blind boxes almost always include a small, white packet of silica gel to absorb moisture. It's a small detail, but it's a sign of professional packaging. Fakes often skip this to save a few fractions of a cent. Also, check the accessories. If your LABUBU is supposed to come with a tiny prop, like the donut from the Wacky Mart series, it should be well-made and painted with the same care as the figure. Fake accessories are often malformed, unpainted, or made of a single piece of cheap, colored plastic.
The Marketplace Minefield: "Is Bubu Boxes Legit?"
I see this question on forums and Reddit all the time. "Is bubu boxes legit?" Here's the deal: "Bubu Boxes" isn't a single company. It's a generic term people are using to ask about the dozens of mysterious, often international, third-party sellers on platforms like eBay, AliExpress, and random websites. The answer is: some are, most aren't.
The only way to be 100% certain you're getting a real la boo boo is to buy from an authorized retailer. This means Pop Mart's official website, their official stores on Amazon or AliExpress (check the seller name!), physical Pop Mart stores, or trusted independent designer toy stores like us at PopNya. When you browse our LABUBU collection, you know you're getting the genuine article, sourced directly and correctly.
If you decide to brave the wilds of eBay or Mercari, you have to be a detective. * Check Seller Feedback: Don't just look at the percentage. Read the actual comments. Look for any mention of "fake," "counterfeit," or "poor quality." * Price is a Red Flag: This is the big one. A single LABUBU blind box retails for around $15-$17 USD. A full case of 12 is around $200. If you see someone selling a "sealed case" for $60, it is 1000% fake. There is no magic supplier selling them for that cheap. You are buying a box of disappointment. * Demand Photos: Never buy from a seller who only uses stock images. Demand photos of the actual item you will receive, including the box, the hologram, and the shrink wrap. If they hesitate, it's because they have something to hide. * Beware of "La Fu Fu": This is a common name used for knockoffs. If you're trying to figure out if you're looking at a La Fu Fu doll or a LABUBU, the answer is that "La Fu Fu" is what you call the fake.
Real Talk
Look, I get the temptation. You see a sold-out series like The Monsters Exciting Macaron going for insane prices on the aftermarket, and then you spot a "deal" on some random site. It's easy to want to believe it's real. But it's not. Supporting counterfeiters hurts everyone. It devalues the art, it steals directly from Kasing Lung, and it floods the community with garbage.
My honest advice? If you're new to collecting, stick to authorized channels. The peace of mind is worth the extra couple of dollars. If you're hunting for an older, rare piece on a third-party site, be prepared to do your homework. Scrutinize every detail. And remember that patience is a virtue. Hype cycles come and go. The prices for the ZIMOMO "I Found You" figure were astronomical at launch, and while it's still valuable, the market has cooled considerably. The same will happen with the current hot series.
Knowing how to tell if a little boo boo is real is the most important skill in this hobby. It protects your wallet, supports the artist, and ensures your collection is filled with genuine pieces of art that will bring you joy for years. Collecting is supposed to be fun, so don't let the fakes ruin it. Be smart, be skeptical, and happy hunting.
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