Creation
Labubu, along with the rest of the characters in the “The Monsters” series, was created by Hong-Kong based artist Kasing Lung, some time around 2015. They were inspired by Nordic folklore that Lung had enjoyed as a child.
Shortly after, the character was picked up by toy company Pop Mart to create ‘art toys’ (really detailed figurines not meant for play) of the characters.
There are over 300 individual “The Monsters” figures from Pop Mart to date with more on the way.
Popularization
While “The Monsters” was always one of Pop Mart’s more popular characters, the toys, and Pop Mart as a whole, saw a new level of popularity when Lalisa Manobal–also known by her stage name Lisa– of BLACKPINK shared a photo featuring a Labubu plush keychain on her Hermes bag.
Many of her fans took to social media to showcase their collection and desire for the toys, leading to a nationwide Labubu hunt.
With high demand, the cute monster figurines have sold out across multiple shopping platforms, including Popmart. Some people have decided to resell their collection or duplicate Labubu (which come in a surprise blind bag form) for a profit, upcharging them extensively. This has caused many people to pay prices anywhere from $40 to $60 for a figurine that costs around $20 at face value. Many places such as Amazon, Aliexpress, and collectible shops have also taken to selling fake Labubu plushes and figurines.
Most social media users have coined fake merchandise as “Lafufus” due to their inferior quality and value.
Avoiding Lafufus
After spending so long attempting to track down your Labubu, the last thing you would want is to find out you spent your money on a fake. But have no fear because there are a few key ways to check that your Labubu is a Popmart official and verify that you’re not getting scammed.
The easiest way to check your Labubu before even leaving the store is to check the box. A real Popmart box should be smooth and matte with a light pastel color. The box should also have a holographic QR code sticker on the back that leads to the Popmart website. According to Snkrdunk magazine, a website that focuses on providing information on collectible toys and figures, any fakes might lead to a fake website or a website that might not exist so make sure to check the url!
If you’re not sure after these few steps, there’s also another cool and surefire way to check whether or not you are in possession of a Lafufu.
How to Purchase a Labubu
There are a bunch of places you can buy a Labubu, the easiest being Popmart’s website. However, Labubus are almost always sold out on Popmart’s official site and in stores, Another place you can try and get a Labubu is on the Urban Outfitters website. Every Thursday they are restocked for $22.00.
Labubu blind boxes are sold on Popmart in two different ways: through a lottery system or just normally adding it to your cart.
The lottery game requires you to scroll through empty box displays until a blind box appears, and you have to add it to your cart as quickly as possible. When you purchase the blindboxes, you can opt to see what monster you got right away even before it ships out to you.
Now you know what the hell a Labubu is. Girl, go buy one!
