I remember the day the Exciting Macaron Labubu series dropped. We get new Pop Mart shipments all the time at PopNya, and it's always a fun day of unboxing. But this one felt different. Even before the boxes were fully unpacked, the messages started flooding in. "Do you have Toffee?" "Can you hold a Toffee for me?" "How much for the brown one?"
It was immediate.
Within 48 hours, any Toffee we had was gone. And not just from our store, but from every store. It was a phenomenon I hadn't seen with such intensity since some of the early, super-limited Kasing Lung releases. This one little plush keychain, a simple brown monster with a vinyl face, had become the single most sought-after piece in the designer toy world overnight.
If you're here, you're probably caught in that same whirlwind. You've seen it on TikTok, hanging off a chic handbag. You've seen the insane prices on StockX and eBay. And you're wondering: what is the deal with the labubu macaron toffee?
As someone who has bought, sold, and personally held dozens of these (both real and, unfortunately, fake), I want to give you the real story. Not a sales pitch. Just the honest truth from behind the counter.
What Makes This Little Brown Monster So Special?
First, let's be clear on what we're talking about. The Toffee Labubu is one of the six regular designs (plus one secret) in "The Monsters Exciting Macaron" series by Pop Mart. It's not a full vinyl figure. It's a plush pendant, a small, fluffy keychain with a vinyl face, a little zipper on the back, and a metal clasp.
The official labubu toffee color is a perfect, warm, milky brown. Think of a cup of coffee with just the right amount of cream. It's a neutral, earthy tone that stands out from the more vibrant, candy-colored Labubus that usually fill a series. The plush itself is incredibly soft, but it's the contrast with the smooth, matte vinyl face that really makes it work. The paint on the face is simple: two big, curious white eyes with black pupils, and that signature single tooth poking out.
When you hold a real one, you notice the details. The stitching is tight. The plush doesn't feel cheap or shed. The zipper is functional, opening to a tiny pouch (you can maybe fit a quarter in there, it's purely for show). The clasp is sturdy and has a nice weight to it. These are the little things that separate a genuine Pop Mart Labubu Toffee from the flood of knockoffs.
The Macaron series as a whole was a hit, but Toffee was on another level. For a deeper look at the whole collection and the early signs of its popularity, you can check out my previous post on the Exciting Macaron Labubu series hype. But even that doesn't fully capture the specific mania for Toffee.
The Toffee Labubu Price: A Case Study in Hype Economics
Okay, let's talk numbers. This is where things get wild.
When the series launched, a blind box for the Exciting Macaron series retailed for around $15-$18 USD, depending on the store. If you were lucky, you could pull a Toffee for that price. That's a big "if." With a 1 in 6 chance for any specific regular figure, your odds weren't terrible, but they weren't guaranteed.
The moment it sold out, the secondary market exploded.
* Week 1: I saw the toffee labubu price jump to $50-$60 on collector forums and Mercari. This is pretty standard for a popular new release.
Week 2: The influencer effect kicked in. Photos of it on designer bags went viral. The price shot up to $80-$90. At this point, it was already more expensive than most secret* figures from other series.* One Month Later: This is when it peaked. I personally saw confirmed sales on StockX and eBay for $120 to $150. For a keychain that retailed for under $20.
It was, and still is, completely insane. The price has settled a bit since the initial peak, but as of writing this, you'd be very lucky to find a genuine Toffee for under $80. Most listings hover around the $90-$110 mark.
Why? It's a perfect storm. First, the limited initial stock from Pop Mart couldn't meet the sudden, massive demand. Second, the neutral color made it a "fashion" accessory, not just a toy for collectors. It appealed to a much broader audience. People who had never heard of Labubu wanted one. This is a recurring theme in the toy world; we saw a similar, though less intense, wave of interest with the Have a Seat Labubu V2 series due to its aesthetic appeal.
Real Talk: The Fakes Are Everywhere (And They're Getting Good)
Here's the part that really worries me as a seller and a collector. With that kind of price tag comes the fakes. And for the labubu exciting macaron toffee, the fakes are dangerously convincing. I've had customers unknowingly bring them into the shop, and I've ordered some myself from sketchy sites just to study them.
If you're going to buy a Toffee from anyone other than an authorized retailer (and let's be honest, you'll have to), you need to become an expert at spotting fakes. Forget looking at the seller's rating; you need to scrutinize the product itself.
Here are the dead giveaways I've personally seen on fake Toffee Labubus:
1. The Face is WRONG. This is the biggest tell. On a real Toffee, the vinyl face has a smooth, matte, almost powdery finish. Fakes often have a semi-gloss or shiny face. The paint can also be sloppy. Look at the edges of the white eyes, are they crisp? On many fakes, the black pupil is also slightly mis-sized or off-center. It just looks... Vacant. 2. The Plush Feels Cheap. A real Toffee's fur is dense and very soft. Fakes use a cheaper material that feels thinner, sometimes a little greasy, and can look matted down right out of the package. The labubu toffee color might also be slightly off, either too dark and chocolatey or too pale and beige. 3. Check the Tag. The paper tag attached to the clasp is a goldmine of information. On a real one, the font is sharp, the Pop Mart logo is clear, and the QR code (if present) actually works. On fakes, the font is often slightly blurry or thicker, the colors can be washed out, and the tag itself feels like flimsy cardstock. 4. The Zipper and Clasp. This is a subtle but consistent difference. The zipper on a genuine Toffee is small but sturdy. On fakes, it often feels flimsy and can snag. The metal clasp is the real kicker. A real clasp has a nice, solid weight and a smooth mechanism. Fake clasps are lightweight, feel like cheap aluminum, and often have a weak spring. 5. The "Squish" Test. A real Toffee has a firm but pliable stuffing. A fake one often feels either rock-hard or mushy and under-stuffed.
Honestly, spotting these fakes is a skill in itself. It's one of the biggest risks when buying hyped-up toys, and I cover it more broadly in my honest Labubu Macaron buyer's guide. Please, please be careful. If a deal seems too good to be true ($40 for a "new" Toffee), it is 100% a fake.
Our Take: Is the Toffee Labubu Worth the Hype and Price?
So, the big question. Should you spend the money?
Look, I'm not going to lie. The Labubu Macaron Toffee is beautiful. It's an objectively well-designed, adorable, and aesthetically pleasing piece. When a customer finally gets one, the look on their face is pure joy. It lives up to the pictures.
But is it worth $100? No. Absolutely not.
As a collector, paying 5-8x retail for a mass-produced (even if scarce) plush keychain is just not a good move. The value is pure hype, and that hype can vanish as quickly as it appeared. We're already seeing interest shift to the next big thing. For that price, you could buy an entire case of a different, wonderful blind box series. You could buy a rare, older vinyl piece from Kasing Lung's original lineup.
My advice is this: if you love the design but hate the price, be patient. Pop Mart is known for re-releasing popular designs in different formats. We might see a Toffee-colored vinyl figure or a different plush down the line.
And don't get so fixated on Toffee that you miss out on other amazing designs! The Macaron series has other fantastic figures like Soymilk, Sesame Bean, and the stunning secret, Lychee. Or, if you love the idea of a specific color, explore other options. The craze for a single color is common, but sometimes the less-hyped ones are even better in person, something I discussed in my Pink Labubu buyer's guide.
Don't let FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) drive your collecting. The point of this hobby is to find pieces that bring you joy, not just the ones that are trending on Instagram.
If you're still determined to get a Toffee, be a smart buyer. Save your money, wait for a reputable listing, demand detailed photos, and be prepared to pay the premium. But maybe first, take a moment to browse the wider LABUBU collection. You might just find a different little monster that steals your heart for a fraction of the price and none of the stress.
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