I remember the day the first shipment of The Monsters Tasty Macarons arrived at PopNya. We were cracking open cases to stock the shelves, a ritual I still love. You get that first look at the new series in person. We pulled out the Soymilk, the Sesame, the Grape... And then, there it was. This perfect, dusty-rose pink creature with a vinyl face. The lychee berry labubu. My first thought was, "Oh, this one's going to be trouble."
I was right.
In the world of designer toys, some figures are popular, and some become phenomena. The lychee labubu is a full-blown phenomenon. It transcended our little collector bubble and went mainstream, largely thanks to a photo of Lisa from BLACKPINK with one clipped to her bag. Suddenly, my DMs weren't just from collectors, but from people who had never heard of Pop Mart or Kasing Lung, all asking the same question: "Do you have the pink bunny thing?"
It's not a bunny, but I get the confusion. And that's the first thing we need to clear up. If you're hunting for this specific character, you need to know exactly what you're looking for, because there are a couple of different versions, and the hype is almost exclusively focused on one.
The Two Lychees: Plush Pendant vs. Vinyl Figure
This is the number one point of confusion for newcomers. Both come from the same series, "The Monsters Tasty Macarons," but they are totally different products.
First, you have the Labubu Exciting Macaron Lychee Berry Vinyl Face Plush Pendant. This is the one. It's the keychain, the bag charm, the one that went viral. It's a soft, plush body in that signature lychee-pink color, with a detailed vinyl face. It has a little zipper on the back (for storing... What, a single AirPod? A secret?) and a sturdy clip for attaching it to things. When people are frantically searching for the lychee berry macaron labubu, this is what they mean 99% of the time.
Then, there's the standard blind box figure.It's the same character design, but it's a static, 3-inch vinyl toy, not a plush keychain. It's cute! But it's not the one driving the insane secondary market prices. I've seen people accidentally buy the vinyl figure thinking they were getting the plush, so be careful when you're shopping. Read the description. If it just says "figure," it's probably the vinyl. You're looking for the words "plush," "pendant," or "keychain."
The official labubu lychee berry name is simply "Lychee Berry," but the community and resellers have adopted all sorts of combinations. You'll see it listed as lychee berry macaron, berry labubu, or just "the pink macaron." It's all the same viral plushie.
The Price Explosion: A Case Study in Hype
Let's talk money. Because honestly, that's what most of the conversation is about now.
When the series first launched, these plush pendants retailed for about $17 USD. They were blind-bagged, meaning you had a 1 in 6 chance of getting Lychee Berry (or a 1 in 12 chance if you count the whole set including the vinyls, it's complicated). In the first few weeks, the resale price was reasonable for a popular character, maybe $35-$45. Standard stuff.
Then the Lisa photo dropped.
I am not exaggerating when I say I watched the price on StockX and eBay triple overnight. What was a $40 collectible became a $120 status symbol. At its absolute peak, I saw sales close to $180. It was wild. The demand completely overwhelmed the supply from Pop Mart. Lychee Berry became a code word for "instant sell-out."
As of writing this, the market has "stabilized" a bit, but that's a relative term. A genuine Lychee Berry plush pendant will still cost you between $80 and $120 on most resale sites. If you see one for less, you should be extremely suspicious. Which brings me to the scariest part of this whole situation.
**Real Talk: The Market is Drowning in Fakes
I need to be brutally honest here. The fake market for the Lychee Berry Labubu is out of control. It's one of the most counterfeited designer toys I have ever seen, right up there with the early KAWS companions. These fakes are churned out at an alarming rate and sold on sites like AliExpress, Temu, and sketchy eBay listings for $15-$30.
If a deal seems too good to be true, it is. There is no secret warehouse of cheap, authentic Lychee Labubus. They just don't exist.
As someone who has to authenticate these for my shop, I've learned to spot the fakes from a mile away. Here are my personal tips, things you won't find in a generic guide.
1. The Face is Everything:* A real Lychee has a matte* vinyl face with a very subtle texture to it. It's smooth but not glossy. The fakes are almost always made of cheap, shiny plastic that looks greasy under light. The biggest tell for me is the cheek blush. On an authentic one, the pink blush is a soft, airbrushed gradient. It's delicate. On 99% of fakes, the blush is a hard-stamped, solid pink circle. It looks like a cheap doll.
2. The Fur Test: The plush on a real berry labubu is ridiculously soft and dense. It's high-quality. Run your hand over it. Now, on a fake, the fur is often sparser, rougher, and has a synthetic, scratchy feel. A trick I use is to pinch a bit of the fur between my fingers. On a fake, you can easily feel the stiff fabric backing underneath. On a real one, it's just a cushion of soft fluff.
3. The Tag and Hardware: This is often the laziest part of a counterfeit. The real Pop Mart paper tag is made of thick cardstock with crisp, clear printing. The fake's tag is often flimsy paper with blurry text and off-colors. Check the clip hardware, too. The real clip is heavy, substantial, and has a smooth mechanism. Fakes use lightweight, cheap metal that feels like it will break in a week.
4. The Zipper: Look at the small zipper on the back. Pop Mart uses quality zippers. They feel smooth to operate. Fakes use the cheapest zippers imaginable. They're often jagged, get stuck, and have a flimsy, thin pull tab.
Spotting fakes is a skill, and it's one you'll need if you're hunting for this piece on the open market. The counterfeiters are getting better, but they always cut corners on material quality. If you want more general tips on this, I break down some common issues in The Honest Labubu Macaron Buyer's Guide, which applies to the whole series.
My Honest Opinion: Is the Lychee Berry Labubu Overhyped?
Yes. And no.
Look, I get the appeal. I truly do. The color is a masterclass in millennial/Gen Z marketing, it's not bubblegum pink, it's a sophisticated, dusty rose that looks incredible in photos. It's the perfect accessory. It hits that sweet spot of being cute without being childish. It's a beautifully designed piece, and Kasing Lung is a brilliant artist.
But the hype has warped its meaning. Collecting should be about the joy of the art, the thrill of the hunt, the connection to a character. For many, the Lychee has become about status, clout, and flexing on social media. That pressure has priced out so many genuine fans who just love the design but can't justify spending $100 on a keychain. It also fuels the awful fake market, which hurts the artist and the entire community.
If you just love the pink aesthetic, I'd gently encourage you to explore other options. There are so many incredible pink Labubus that don't carry the "hype tax." For instance, the "Sakura" from the Flower Elves series is absolutely stunning and often more affordable. Even within the Macaron series, "Toffee" is a gorgeous warm color that gets overlooked. If you're curious about the other pink options out there, I wrote a whole piece on them in The Pink Labubu Buyer's Guide.
My verdict? If you have the disposable income and you are head-over-heels in love with this specific design, then go for it. It's a beautiful piece. But please, don't buy it just because it's trending. The best part of collecting is discovering the figures that speak to you, not the ones Instagram tells you to want.
Your Buyer's Playbook: Where to Safely Find One
So you've weighed the pros and cons, you've memorized the fake-spotting tells, and you're ready to start the hunt. Where do you go?
Tier 1: The Safest (But Hardest) Route * Official Pop Mart Stores & Website: This is the only place you'll ever find it for retail price. The problem? It's almost always sold out. They do restock, but it's a lottery. You have to be following their social media, have notifications turned on, and be ready to click "buy" the second it drops. It's a bloodbath.
Tier 2: The Best Bet for Authenticity * Authorized Retailers (like us at PopNya!): Shops like ours get official stock directly from Pop Mart's distributors. We have to follow their release schedules, and our stock is also limited. The advantage is that you're guaranteed an authentic product from a trusted source. We always announce restocks on our newsletter and social media. When we do get them, they go fast, but it's a much safer bet than the wild west of resale. You can always see what we have in our LABUBU collection.
Tier 3: The Resale Market (Enter at Your Own Risk) * StockX: This is a good option for guaranteed authenticity, as they act as a middleman and verify every item. The downside is you're paying the full, peak market price, plus their fees. It's safe, but expensive. * eBay & Mercari: You can find everything here, from fair deals to insane markups to blatant fakes. The key is to buy the seller, not the item. Look for sellers with hundreds or thousands of positive reviews, who specialize in designer toys, and who have clear, detailed photos of the actual item in hand. If they're using stock photos, be wary. * Collector Groups (Facebook, Discord): This is where you can find the best "community" prices. People trade and sell directly to each other. However, the risk is highest here. My one unbreakable rule: ALWAYS, ALWAYS use PayPal Goods & Services. G&S provides buyer protection. If a seller asks you to use Friends & Family (F&F) to avoid the fee, it's a massive red flag. It means you have zero recourse if they send you a fake or nothing at all. Just don't do it.
The hunt for the Lychee Berry Labubu is a journey. It's a perfect microcosm of the designer toy scene in the 2020s, a chaotic, exciting, and sometimes frustrating mix of art, commerce, and community. Whether you end up adding this elusive pink monster to your collection or discover another piece you love even more along the way, remember to have fun with it. For more background on the whole Labubu craze, you can check out The Ultimate Guide to LABUBU Dolls to see what started it all.
Happy hunting.
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