I got an email last week that I've been getting a lot lately. It had a few blurry photos attached and the subject line was just: "Is this real??"
The pictures were of the brown Labubu from The Monsters Camping series. The person who emailed me had found it on a popular marketplace for $25. "It's a great deal, right?" they asked.
My heart sank a little. I had to be the bearer of bad news.
It was a fake. A pretty convincing one at first glance, but a fake nonetheless. And this isn't a rare story. The market is currently flooded with a shocking number of fake brown Labubu figures, and it's catching a lot of new collectors off guard.
What's wild is that the brown Labubu, affectionately nicknamed "Tiramisu" by fans, isn't even a secret or a chase figure. It's a regular from the Camping series, which retailed for around $15 a box. So why the fakes? Simple economics. This specific design just hit different. It blew up on social media in Asia, and suddenly everyone needed the cute, coffee-colored monster holding his little marshmallow. The secondary market price for this one regular figure shot up to $40, sometimes even $50.
When a regular figure starts selling for 3x its retail price, the counterfeiters see an opportunity. And they jumped on it. Now, spotting them is a crucial skill for any Labubu fan.
The Box: Your First, But Not Final, Checkpoint
Everyone says to check the box, and they're right. But "blurry printing" is lazy advice. You need to know what to look for. I have a real Camping series box on my desk right now. The green is a specific, muted, forest green. The fakes often get this wrong, it's either too bright, like a lime green, or too dark and muddy.
The POP MART and Kasing Lung logos should be razor-sharp.On a genuine box, the cardboard has a smooth, almost waxy matte finish. It feels premium. Many of the fakes I've handled use cheaper, rougher cardboard that feels dry and flimsy. It's a subtle difference, but once you've felt a real one, the fake feels instantly wrong.
Also, check the shrink wrap. Official Pop Mart wrap is tight, clean, and professionally sealed. If it's loose, baggy, or looks like it was re-wrapped with a hairdryer in someone's basement... It probably was.
That "New Toy" Smell (Or Lack Thereof)
This is one of my biggest tests, and something you can't see in an online listing photo. When you open a real Labubu, you open the foil blind bag. The bag itself has a certain quality – it's thick, crinkles satisfyingly, and the tear notch works perfectly. Fake bags are often thin, plasticky, and either tear jaggedly or are a nightmare to open.
But the smell. A real Labubu has... Well, no real smell. It's neutral. It smells like clean, high-quality vinyl.
Fakes, on the other hand, reek. They are almost always made from cheaper, lower-grade PVC, and they off-gas like crazy. When you open that foil bag, you'll be hit with a sharp, chemical, almost gasoline-like odor. It's the smell of cheap plastic and corner-cutting. If your new Labubu gives you a headache, that's a massive red flag. Your nose is one of your best authentication tools.
A Head-to-Toe Inspection of the Figure
Okay, you've got the figure in your hand. This is where the real detective work begins. The counterfeiters have gotten better, but they never get it 100% right.
The Color is Just... Off The genuine brown Labubu is a beautiful, rich, milk-chocolate or mocha brown. It's warm and has a very slight satin finish. The fakes can't seem to nail this color. I've seen them come in a dark, almost black-brown that looks flat and dead. I've also seen them with a reddish, clay-like tint. If you have any other authentic Labubu, hold them side-by-side. The quality and depth of the color on the real one will make the fake look like a cheap imitation.
The "Fur" Texture This is a huge tell for the brown Labubu specifically. The authentic figure has a very subtle, molded texture to imitate fur. It's not flocked or fuzzy, but it's not perfectly smooth either. It catches the light in a very specific way. You can feel it if you run your thumbnail over the surface.
Most fakes get this completely wrong in one of two ways. Either they are perfectly smooth, shiny plastic with no texture at all, which looks cheap. Or, in some of the "better" fakes, they overdo the texture, making it look rough and grainy. The real one is all about subtlety.
Weight and Balance: The "Heft" Test This is something only a collector who handles these daily would know. Pick up a real Labubu. It has a surprising heft to it. It feels dense, solid, and well-balanced. It stands perfectly flat with no wobble.
Now, imagine a cheap, hollow plastic toy from a dollar store. That's what a fake Labubu feels like. It's lightweight, feels hollow, and the plastic is thin. If you tap it with your fingernail, a real one makes a dull, solid "thud." A fake makes a high-pitched, hollow "tink." It feels cheap because it is cheap.
The Face is the Soul Counterfeiters always mess up the face. On a real brown Labubu, the eyes are perfectly symmetrical and have a high-gloss finish that makes them look wet and alive. The tiny white reflection dots are crisp and placed identically on both eyes. The nose is also glossy.
On a fake, the eyes might be slightly misaligned. One might be higher than the other. The pupils might be looking in slightly different directions. Often, the finish is wrong, they might be matte or have a cheap-looking semi-gloss. The mouth is another giveaway. Kasing Lung's line work is clean and precise. On a fake, the painted line for the mouth might be fuzzy, too thick, or slightly crooked. It lacks the artist's touch.
Joints and Seams Hold the figure and gently turn its head and arms. A real Labubu has smooth, firm joints. You can pose it, and it will hold that pose. A fake will either be terrifyingly stiff, like you're about to snap the plastic, or ridiculously loose and floppy.
Now, look closely at the seams, especially around the head and where the ears are attached. Pop Mart's manufacturing is top-tier. The mold lines are minimal and hidden masterfully. On a fake, you'll often find prominent, sharp seams running down the sides of the figure. You can sometimes even feel a rough ridge of plastic. It's a sign of a sloppy, low-quality mold.
The Collector Card Don't forget the little card! The real card is printed on thick, quality cardstock with a matte finish. The image is sharp. The fake's card will feel like a flimsy business card, often with a slight gloss, and the image will be less saturated or slightly pixelated.
And the QR code? A few years ago, a working QR code was a good sign. Not anymore. Fakers have figured out how to clone QR codes that lead to the official Pop Mart site. A working QR code does not guarantee authenticity. It's the quality of the card itself that matters more.
Our Take: Real Talk on the Brown Labubu
Honestly? The hype around this specific brown Labubu is a little out of control. It's a fantastic design, for sure. I love it. But the fact that a regular figure is being scalped and counterfeited to this degree is a symptom of social media hype culture. People see it, they want it, and they'll pay anything to get it, which creates this toxic environment.
There are so many other incredible designs in the Camping series (the Moth Labubu is a personal favorite) and across the entire LABUBU collection that are just as charming and don't have this problem. If you're new to collecting, don't feel pressured to chase the "it" figure. The joy is in finding the one that speaks to you. If that's the brown one, great! But don't overpay a scalper or risk getting a fake when you could get two or three other amazing, authentic figures for the same price.
The community has even started calling the fakes by different names, like the infamous La Foo Foo, which is a whole story in itself. It's a way for us to cope with the flood of knockoffs, but it also highlights how big the problem has become.
"Help! I Think I Already Bought a Fake!"
First, don't beat yourself up. It happens to the best of us, especially when you're just starting out. The fakes are designed to deceive.
Your first step should be to contact the seller and the platform (like eBay, Mercari, etc.) immediately. If you paid with a service like PayPal, file a dispute for "item not as described" or "counterfeit goods." Provide clear photos showing the differences you've identified. Most platforms will side with the buyer in clear-cut counterfeit cases.
If you're stuck with it, don't display it with your real collection. It's not worth it. Some people use fakes to practice customizing, painting, sculpting, etc. It's a way to get some use out of it without ruining an expensive, authentic toy. But for your collection's integrity, it's best to keep it separate. For more general tips on spotting fakes across different series, our guide on Lola Boo Boo vs. Real LABUBU might also be helpful.
The world of authentication can be tricky. I once had a scare where I thought a Labubu head I bought was fake, but it turned out to be a rare, real prototype. It just goes to show how deep this rabbit hole goes.
The absolute best way to avoid this headache is to buy from trusted sources. That means official Pop Mart stores, authorized retailers (like us here at PopNya), and highly-vetted sellers in the community with a long history of positive feedback. If a deal on a super popular figure seems too good to be true, it almost always is. It's worth paying a few extra dollars for the peace of mind that you're getting the real deal. You can always browse LABUBU figures from trusted stock to see what's available without the risk.
Stay vigilant, trust your gut, and don't let the fear of fakes ruin the fun. The hunt is part of the joy of collecting, but a smart hunter knows how to spot a trap.
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