A customer emailed me last week with a screenshot from TikTok. It was a LABUBU, but… wrong. It had rows of needle-sharp teeth, milky white eyes, and what looked like dried blood spattered across its cute, fuzzy ears. "Where can I buy this?" they asked, "I can't find it on the Pop Mart site."
I get this email, or a version of it, at least once a month. And the answer is always the same, and always a little complicated.
You can't buy it. Not from Pop Mart, not from us at PopNya, not from any official retailer.
What you're seeing when you search for "horror labubu" is a collision of two completely different worlds: the official, "spooky-cute" releases from Pop Mart, and the wild, unregulated, and sometimes incredible world of custom-made figures. As someone who lives and breathes these little monsters, I feel like I need to clear the air. Because one path leads to a valuable collection, and the other can lead to a very expensive piece of questionable fan art.
The "Official" Spooky Labubu: Cute with a Hint of Mischief
Let's start with what's real and what you can actually collect. When people look for a spooky labubu, they're usually hoping for an official release from Kasing Lung and Pop Mart. And they do exist, but you have to adjust your definition of "spooky." Pop Mart's aesthetic is overwhelmingly cute. Their version of scary is more like a kid in a Halloween costume than a character from a horror film.
The absolute peak of this theme was The Monsters Happy Halloween Series from 2021. This is the set everyone thinks of. It gave us Vampire Labubu, a little Ghost, a Witch, and the fan-favorite Pumpkin Labubu. They're adorable. The Vampire has a tiny, polite fang. The Ghost is just Labubu with a sheet over its head. It's charming, not terrifying.
But because it's an older, retired series, the aftermarket is the only place to find them now. And prices reflect that. I remember selling the Vampire figure for around $45 a couple of years ago. Today, you'd be lucky to find it under $70. The chase figure from that series, the sitting Pumpkin vinyl plush pendant, is a whole other story. It retailed for maybe $15. I've seen it sell for over $150 on StockX. The demand for official, holiday-themed Labubu is intense.
Then there was The Monsters Mischief Series in 2022. Again, the key word is "mischief." Not "terror." This series had a devil Labubu, a little monster wrapped in bandages like a mummy, and other playful designs. They're fantastic additions to a collection, but they won't give you nightmares. They're designed to be charmingly spooky, fitting into the broader, gentle world Kasing Lung created.For a deeper dive into the basics of collecting, our Ultimate Guide to LABUBU Dolls covers why this consistency and authenticity matters for value.
The bottom line is that official spooky Labubu are limited to a few specific, sought-after series. They are high-quality, hold their value, and are definitively "cute." They are not, by any stretch of the imagination, horror.
The Rise of the Custom Horror Labubu: The Monsters from TikTok
So where are all those blood-soaked, fanged, multi-eyed creatures coming from?
They're coming from basements, art studios, and workshops all over the world. The vast majority of what people call horror labubu are custom, one-of-a-kind pieces made by individual artists. It's a massive gray market, thriving on platforms like Etsy, Instagram, and the Chinese marketplace app Xianyu (Idle Fish).
The process is usually the same. An artist buys a cheap, common, authentic Labubu. Often it's one from a readily available series like the Exciting Macaron Labubu, which are plentiful and inexpensive. They then strip the factory paint, which is a surprisingly tough process, and use it as a blank canvas.
From there, anything goes. I've seen: * Zombie Labubu: With rotting flesh sculpted from epoxy putty and disturbingly realistic paint jobs. * Slasher Tributes: Labubu turned into Pennywise, Jason Voorhees, or Freddy Krueger. * Body Horror: Figures with extra limbs, mouths where they shouldn't be, or eyes covering their entire body. * Gothic & Demonic: Blackened figures with sculpted horns, inverted crosses, and glowing red eyes.
The creativity can be breathtaking. Some of these artists are incredibly talented, pushing the cute form into genuinely unsettling territory. It's a fascinating subversion of the original design. And because they're so visual, they are absolute catnip for platforms like TikTok and Instagram. A 15-second video of a "cute" toy turned into a monster is guaranteed to get views, which is why my inbox keeps filling up.
But this is where my experience as a seller kicks in and the alarm bells start ringing. While these customs are visually striking, they are a minefield for unsuspecting buyers.
Real Talk: My Honest Verdict as a Seller
Okay, let's be blunt. I get the appeal of a gory, zombie Labubu. It's punk rock. It's a cool statement. But as a collector and a seller who deals with these toys every single day, I cannot in good conscience recommend buying them.
Here's why.
First, quality is a total gamble. Pop Mart has industrial-grade materials, safety-tested paints, and rigorous quality control. A customizer has… whatever they bought at the art store. I have seen custom figures arrive with paint that is literally still sticky. I've seen sculpted additions, like horns or teeth, that were poorly glued on and snapped off during shipping. You have no idea if the materials are durable or, more importantly, non-toxic. These are not regulated products.
One customer showed me a custom they bought for $200. The airbrushing was beautiful, but the clear coat the artist used was reacting badly with the vinyl, creating a gummy texture on the ears. The figure was ruined.
Second, you are paying a massive premium for fan art. A talented artist deserves to be paid for their time and skill, absolutely. But let's be clear about what you're buying. A custom horror Labubu on Etsy can easily run you $150 to $300. For that price, you could buy an entire sealed case of a new official series and have a shot at pulling a secret chase figure. The custom has zero official standing in the collector community. It's a modified product, and in the eyes of serious collectors, it's a damaged one.
Third, there is no long-term value. An official, rare Labubu like the Pumpkin from the Halloween series is an asset. It appreciates over time because its scarcity and authenticity are documented. A custom Labubu's value is tied only to the artist who made it, and it almost never translates to resale. The market for second-hand custom toys is virtually nonexistent. You're buying it to own, period. Don't expect to ever get your money back.
So what's the alternative? If you love the horror aesthetic, my advice is to appreciate the art online. Follow the artists on Instagram, enjoy their work, and leave it at that.
Buy an authentic, common Labubu, you can find plenty of options in our LABUBU collection, and try customizing it yourself. It's a fun, rewarding project. You'll have full control over the quality, you'll learn a new skill, and the finished product will be personally meaningful. You'll also quickly realize why artists charge so much, it's hard work!
The world of designer toys is built on the vision of artists like Kasing Lung. The official figures, even the spooky labubu ones, are part of that cohesive vision. They tell a story. The custom horror labubu figures tell a different story, one of fandom, creativity, and sometimes, a buyer's regret.
So the next time you see a Labubu with a dozen eyes and a bloody grin on your For You Page, you'll know the real story. It's not a secret chase you've been missing out on. It's a one-of-a-kind piece of art, born from the imagination of a fan. Admire it for what it is, but when it comes time to spend your hard-earned money, my advice is to always bet on the real deal.
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