Even counterfeit Labubu makers can't keep up with demand
THE Labubu plush toy is so popular that even factories making counterfeits are unable to produce them fast enough to meet demand, reported China Press.
As the newly released Labubu Version 3 is sold out in many parts of the world, fans of the doll are turning to bootlegs.
An employee who works at a factory making counterfeit dolls claimed that just two weeks ago, they were still able to ship out orders in a few days.
The factory in Dongguan, Guangdong, received so many orders in the past week that it has started rejecting them, saying it can't make the dolls fast enough.
It is understood that the factory makes a one-to-one replica of genuine Labubu dolls and sells them at just 38 yuan (RM22).
A lawyer, who wished to remain unnamed, said such large-scale counterfeiting is a blatant infringement of intellectual property, urging China to clamp down on such practices and issue heavy penalties to offenders.
Labubu, a monster with serrated teeth and pointy ears, was created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung.
The collectible figure by Chinese toy company Pop Mart shot to fame after Blackpink's Lisa was seen carrying one in 2024.
Labubu's popularity led to Pop Mart earning 13.04bil yuan in 2024.
> A 28-year-old groom-to-be in Shandong, China died of liver failure shortly before his wedding, the daily also reported.
The deceased, with the surname Ma, returned to his hometown in Jinan city in April to prepare for his wedding, which was supposed to take place on May 8.
He soon developed a fever but recovered after taking antibiotics.
However, he was later rushed to hospital after experiencing bloating, fatigue and confusion.
Ma was then diagnosed with liver failure and hepatic encephalopathy, and was admitted to the intensive care unit, requiring more than three litres of blood transfusions per day.
Despite 16 people donating blood, he died of complications from liver failure on May 15.
The above article is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with this ' >'sign, it denotes a separate news item.
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