Early this year, a niche doll distributed by Pop Mart grew to become a global sensation, thanks to BLACKPINK’s LISA – one of the biggest K-pop singers in the world – sharing an Instagram post featuring several of the plushy dolls.
The small toy monster, which retails for $30, then permeated pop culture so heavily that it landed the company’s founder a $21.4 billion jackpot. But like all good things, this one is about to wave its goodbye, despite the company’s best efforts.
Don’t get me wrong, it was fun to see Rihanna and David Beckham rocking Labubus, and we had a great laugh from all the TikTok videos that made the toothy monsters the center of attention. However, the hype appears to have entered its chill phase.
Pop Mart Records Lows Just Weeks After Reaching Record High Gains
You can admit that the Labubu craze is far from being one of those blink and you can miss it moments. It actually sustained for weeks on end to the extent it became newsworthy when “Taken” actor Liam Neeson revealed he didn’t know what a Labubu is.
The most popular form of the collectible is the bag charm, which is sold in a mystery “blind box” so the buyer doesn’t know which kind they’ll get.
Thanks to this, it drove fans to hunt down rare models for the sake of having the complete set, which in turn drove sales through the roof. Resellers have even made a small fortune through customers’ need to collect specific types.
Driven by the surge in Labubu’s global sales, Pop Mart International Group Ltd. recorded a 204% jump in revenue in the first half of 2025. This put the Chinese company way ahead of its American competitors Hasbro and Mattel.
The success of the collectibles helped the founder and chief executive officer secure a spot in the top 10 of China’s richest people, knocking Jack Ma – the founder of Alibaba – a step down the rung.
On Sept. 14, JPMorgan Chase & Co conducted a Pop Mart outlook that revealed that demand for the dolls have slowed. This effectively took out a quarter of its value from the recorded high three weeks ago.
What Are Labubus
The concept of the dolls is based on a magical character from a book series called ‘The Monsters Trilogy’ by Hong Kong-born illustrator and toy designer Kasing Lung.
Its defining features include tall, rabbit-like ears and wide, expressive eyes framed by fierce brows. The most prominent aspect of its personality is the wide mischievous grin that exposes nine pointy teeth.
Labubus fall into Pop Mart’s ‘Monsters’ line, with the toy manufacturer offering other ranges of toys and collectibles. Each line, however, maintains a distinctive style and theme across its offerings.
Be sure to catch up on everything happening with Labubu right now. Come back here often for all Labubu spoilers, news, and updates.
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