The Labubu dolls are selling out as soon as they reach the store shelves. When a new batch was released in April, the queues were long outside the stores in the USA. Both the company's website and app crashed due to the pressure, and when they were functioning again, the dolls were sold out.
When the Swedish store Kawaii recently received a shipment, they sold out in no time.
We received new ones yesterday and they sold out even faster. It's hard to meet the demand, says Kawaii's owner Jenny Lindgren.
A Strategy
The fact that the dolls are hard to get is part of the company Pop Mart's strategy, she believes.
I've been to several of their stores. When I was in Bangkok, there was a huge queue, but when you finally got in, they were sold out.
Labubu is a small monster with sharp teeth. It was created in 2015 by illustrator Kasing Lung, who sold the rights to Chinese Pop Mart in 2019. In 2023, they were launched as keychains, and the sales got a real boost. Then Lisa from the K-Pop group Blackpink shared Labubu in her events on Instagram.
The trend has spread through social media, and stars like Rihanna, Dua Lipa, and Kim Kardashian have been seen with fluffy monster dangling from their designer handbags.
Obvious Copies
The demand has driven up prices on sites where Labubus are resold, and more or less well-made copies are in circulation. They have even got their own name – Lafufu.
Some are obvious copies, but others, it's practically impossible to see the difference. It's hard even for us as buyers, says Jenny Lindgren.
The copies are usually cheap, but the price doesn't seem to be a problem for those who want a genuine Labubu. Even the dolls that cost over 800 kronor sold out quickly, says Jenny Lindgren.
For Pop Mart, the dolls have been a cash cow like no other. In 2024, the company made a profit of 1.8 billion dollars, a more than 100 percent increase from the previous year. Only the sales of Labubu dolls increased, according to New York Times.
Labubu was created by Hong Kong-born illustrator Kasing Lung as one of several monsters in a series of books inspired by Nordic mythology.
Labubu was initially more of a side character in the series but became quickly popular.
It is described as "a small, kind-hearted creature with pointed ears and sharp teeth that always means well, but often in a clumsy way fails to help."
