In the week, the Customs Service had ten cases with a total of 2,308 stopped Labubu dolls. Since the first seizures in May, the Customs Service sees a large increase in the fake monster dolls. Only in August, 1,885 copies were stopped.
We believe that it will increase much more, entirely different volumes than it has been so far. There is a great demand among children and families, says Sukhwinder Kaur, customs inspector at the Customs Service.
Hazardous chemicals
Apart from the fact that counterfeit copies are illegal to sell in Sweden, analyzes from the Chemicals Inspection show that copies more often contain hazardous chemicals.
If it concerns counterfeit toys, the risk is almost always greater that hazardous chemicals occur. In the short term, you can get skin rashes, in the long term, heavy metals can be carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting, they can affect one's ability to have children. They can also cause damage to the liver and nervous system, says Sukhwinder Kaur.
The Customs Service also warns of suffocation risks for children, since parts such as the head and feet can come loose from the dolls.
False or genuine?
The copies are becoming more and more like the originals, at the same time the demand for monster dolls continues to be high.
– As a parent of small children, you want to give the child what they want, but my tip is to be a little on your guard and be skeptical. Be careful what you buy, says Sukhwinder Kaur.
If you want to learn to distinguish between genuine or false, customs inspector Sukhwinder Kaur has a few tips.
At the top right on the back of the box, there is a QR code. When reading, you should end up directly with Pop Mart, which is the rights holder of the Labubu brand. Genuine Labubu dolls always come in both box and bag, in counterfeits, we have sometimes seen that the suppliers skip the bag, says Sukhwinder Kaur.
Vera Leijonklo/TT
Fact: False or genuine Labubu? The Customs Service's nine tips
TT
Genuine Labubus always have nine teeth. False ones can have a different number of teeth.
The fur should be soft and of good quality. False ones can have coarse or rough fur.
The ears sit close to each other on genuine Labubus. Copies can have a greater distance between the ears.
A genuine Pop Mart logo should be on one of the feet, with correct spelling.
A label should be on the side or at the waist. False dolls can have the label in a different place.
False Labubu dolls can feel unstable, for example, that the head can be turned without problems. Genuine Labubu dolls' heads can also be turned, but are slower.
The box should have a QR code at the top right on the back that leads to Pop Mart's official page.
Genuine Labubus lie in a bag when unpacking. False ones can lack the bag.
Check the spelling on the box, labels, and logos. Copies can have spelling errors.
- Genuine Labubus are CE-marked on the bottom of the box. Copies can have false CE markings.
Source: Sukhwinder Kaur and Andreas Maggi, the Customs Service.
