Every single day, without fail, the search bar on our PopNya store lights up with two words: grey labubu. My Instagram DMs are full of it. It's the question I get at every toy convention. It's the one figure that has somehow transcended the collector community and captured the attention of aesthetic-obsessed TikTokers and people who have never bought a blind box in their life.
It's a phenomenon.
But here's the first thing you need to know, and it's the most important: the "grey labubu" has a name. It's Tycoco. And it's from The Monsters Camping series, which dropped back in 2023.
Knowing its name is more than just trivia; it's your first line of defense in the wild world of collecting. It shows you've done a little homework. And honestly, it helps you find what you're actually looking for. So, let's talk about Tycoco. Why this one? Why is a simple, non-secret, non-chase figure causing such a frenzy? As someone who has unboxed, sold, and shipped dozens of these little guys, I have a few theories.
So, What's the Big Deal with a Grey Labubu?
First off, let's be clear: Tycoco is a regular figure in the series. In a standard case of 12 blind boxes, there is one Tycoco. The pull rate is 1 in 12. It is not a "secret" or a rare "chaser" figure, which typically have rates of 1/72 or 1/144.
So why does it feel so rare?
The design is a huge part of it. Tycoco is the epitome of minimalist chic. It's a simple, grey sitting labubu, holding its knees with a slightly pensive, almost melancholic expression. There are no loud colors, no complex accessories. It's just… calm. In a world of increasingly wild and colorful designer toys, this quiet simplicity stands out. It fits perfectly into the neutral, "sad beige" home decor aesthetic that dominates Instagram and Pinterest. It's incredibly photogenic. It looks good on a stark white shelf, a messy wooden desk, or next to a flickering candle. It's an aesthetic object as much as it is a collectible toy.
This visual appeal created a snowball effect on social media. A few viral TikToks showing someone unboxing the coveted gray labubu, or an influencer placing it artfully in their apartment, and suddenly it wasn't just a Labubu anymore. It was the Labubu. It became a status symbol, a gateway figure for a whole new audience. This constant stream of new demand, from people who might not even know who Kasing Lung, the Labubu creator, is, keeps the hype engine running hot.
This leads to the illusion of scarcity. Because Tycoco is so desirable, many sellers (especially on secondary markets) will buy entire cases of The Monsters Camping series, open every box, and pull the Tycoco to sell individually at a significant markup. This practice, called "case breaking," means that fewer sealed, random boxes on the market actually contain a Tycoco. The odds are still 1/12 from the factory, but the odds of you randomly pulling one from a loose box at a reseller shop can feel much lower because the most desired figure has already been filtered out.
Some people even search for the "dark grey labubu," which is the same Tycoco figure. The color is a beautiful, matte charcoal grey that can look darker or lighter depending on the lighting, which likely explains the different search terms. It's all the same monster.
The Price Problem: What Should You Actually Pay?
This is where things get tricky, and where I see a lot of new collectors get taken for a ride.
A single blind box from any standard Labubu series retails for about $15 to $17 USD. That's your baseline. If you get lucky, you could spend $17 and pull Tycoco. That's the magic of blind boxes.
But on the secondary market? It's a different story. At the peak of the hype, I was seeing opened, confirmed Tycoco figures sell for $50, $60, and I even saw a few listings touching $70. That is an absolutely wild price for a regular 1/12 figure. You are paying pure "hype tax" at that point.
So what's a fair price?
As of writing this (late 2024), the market has cooled slightly but the demand is still strong. A fair secondary market price for a confirmed, opened Tycoco with its card and box is somewhere in the $25 - $35 range. If you see it for under $25 from a reputable seller, that's a good deal. If it's creeping up towards $40 or more, I'd personally recommend you pause and think. Is it worth paying nearly three times the retail price of a random box for this one specific figure?
For some, the answer is yes. It saves them the money and disappointment of buying multiple boxes and not getting the one they want. For others, that price is just too high for a non-secret. There's no right or wrong answer, but you need to go into it with open eyes. Before you spend that kind of money, it's worth taking a look at the wider LABUBU collection to see what else is out there. You might find another figure you love just as much for a fraction of the price.
A Seller's Playbook: How to Buy Tycoco and Not Get Scammed
Because of its popularity, the grey labubu is a prime target for both price gouging and counterfeiters. If you're determined to add Tycoco to your collection, here's my personal playbook for doing it safely.
1. The Box Weight Myth: Debunked
I get this question all the time: "Can you weigh the boxes to find Tycoco?"
The short answer is no. For The Monsters Camping series, the weight differences between the figures are minuscule. Tycoco has no heavy accessories. Trying to find it with a scale is a fool's errand and a great way to waste your money. Anyone telling you they have a "weighed" box that is guaranteed to be Tycoco is either mistaken or trying to pull a fast one. Don't fall for it. The only way to guarantee a figure is to open the box.
2. How to Spot a Fake Tycoco
This is the most important skill you can learn. The fakes are getting better, but there are still tell-tale signs that only a collector or seller would notice.
The Feel: This is the biggest giveaway for me. A genuine Labubu has a specific vinyl feel. It's dense, with a slightly soft, velvety matte finish. It feels substantial. Fakes are often made from a cheaper, harder plastic that feels lightweight and looks too shiny or sometimes too* matte, almost chalky.* The Paint Job: Look closely at the eyes and mouth. On a real Tycoco, the lines are crisp and clean. The white of the eyes is a specific shade, and the black pupils are perfectly round. On fakes, the paint can be sloppy, with fuzzy edges, specks of dust caught in the paint, or an uneven finish. The grey color on fakes is also often slightly off, either too light, too blue-toned, or too dark. * The Box and Card: Counterfeit boxes often have blurry printing, lower-quality cardboard, and colors that are slightly washed out. The collector card is another big tell. A real card is thick and has a quality print. A fake card often feels flimsy, like cheap cardstock, and the image can be pixelated.
If you're buying from a marketplace like eBay or Mercari and the price seems too good to be true, it absolutely is. Always ask for detailed, well-lit photos of the actual figure, not just a stock image. If you're ever in doubt, our in-depth guide to spotting fake Labubu has more examples you can compare against.
3. Where to Buy Safely
* Official Retailers (like Pop Mart): This is your best bet for getting a real figure at retail price. You'll be buying a sealed blind box, so it's a gamble, but it's the most "pure" way to collect. * Specialty Stores (like PopNya!): A store like ours will sometimes sell opened, confirmed figures. Yes, you pay a premium over the blind box price, but you are getting a guaranteed, authentic Tycoco without the risk. We check every figure to ensure its authenticity. It's a trade-off between price and certainty. * Marketplaces (eBay, Mercari, Facebook): This is the wild west. You can find deals, but you can also find fakes and scammers. My rules for buying here are simple: check the seller's feedback religiously, never pay using a method that doesn't have buyer protection (ALWAYS use PayPal Goods & Services, not Friends & Family), and if a seller refuses to send you more pictures, walk away.
Real Talk: My Honest Verdict on the Grey Labubu
Look, I get it. I really do. Tycoco is a fantastic figure. Kasing Lung nailed the design. It's cute, it's moody, it's versatile. It deserves a lot of the love it gets.
But honestly? The hype is a bit out of control.
It's become such a phenomenon that it sometimes overshadows the other incredible designs, even within its own series. The Monsters Camping series has a Labubu with a little mushroom hat (Lychee) and one holding a lantern (Soy), and they are both bursting with character, but they often get left behind in the mad dash for Tycoco.
My advice, especially if you're new to collecting, is this: don't let Tycoco be the only Labubu you have eyes for. The real joy of this hobby is the surprise, the thrill of the unboxing, and discovering a figure you didn't even know you wanted. The way people have embraced Tycoco has led to a surge in creativity, with so many people drawing Labubu and creating their own fan art, which is amazing for the community. But don't let the singular focus on one figure burn you out or empty your wallet.
If you absolutely must have the gray labubu, be patient. Don't pay an outrageous price out of FOMO. The market ebbs and flows. A new "it" figure will eventually come along and Tycoco's price may stabilize. Or, better yet, just buy a few random boxes from The Monsters Camping series and see what happens. You might just pull it. And if you don't, you might just fall in love with a different little monster you weren't expecting.
That's the best part of collecting, after all.
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