Labubu-led frivolity a fable of modern China
T here's a generational row brewing in China. At its heart is a fluffy, anthropomorphised monster with a mischievous, buck-toothed smile called Labubu. In keychain form, it has been seen adorning the designer bags of A-listers like Rihanna and David Beckham. Among the young and trendy in China (and increasingly globally), there's a frenzy to collect the latest or rarest iteration.
Labubus are not expensive, retailing from 69 yuan each (the equivalent of £7, though in the UK they start from £13.50). But limited stocks and the fact they are sold in 'blind boxes' — you don't know which Labubu you'll get until after purchase — has driven hype and a febrile second-hand market.
Earlier this month, a human-sized Labubu sculpture sold for more than one million yuan (£110,000) at a Beijing auction. Shares in Pop Mart, the Hong Kong-listed company behind it, have more than quintupled since the beginning of last year and its stores are the scenes of long queues and occasional fights.
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The Review Geek
2 hours ago
- The Review Geek
Good Boy – K-drama Episode 8 Recap & Review
The Aimless Bullet Episode 8 of Good Boy begins with Han-na narrating how some days feel like a stray bullet. That stray bullet has well and truly pierced Han-na's heart though, as she and Dong-ju wind up kissing, which obviously is where the last episode closed out. Han-na lets Dong-ju stay the night but he winds up sleeping in while she heads out to work. Han-na has a big day ahead of her, given it's the community day with the police at the Insung Metropolitan Police Agency. The whole team are there, doing what they can to entertain the kids. The commissioner is still pissed though, but he's doing a little better thanks to Dong-ju giving him a massage. As a result he gets a 30 day suspension. In that time though, the team decide to take this one step at a time, rather than going right for the big players. Tio begin with, they're going to focus on the drugs and the supply route of materials seized from Bbong-pil. However, Yeon-ha and the others are starting to grow impatient with Ju-young. The ships leave in a week and they need their gear out on the streets but right now, there's a transport delay. Ju-young is arrogant and claims he likes seeing Dong-ju and the others squirm, but his cockiness could be his undoing. As he heads to Insung Port to oversee the ephedrine, the team figure out its location too. Now, Man-sik has been itching like crazy and they also figure out that he's been bitten by red fire ants. These ants were found at the port last year too. The ants came in with the cargo that passed through Russia, which is the same route the Ephedrine came in. Given the risk, they call in an extermination team to do a quarantine sweep. The team show up dressed as quarantine workers, but they're not alone. Yeon-ha is here too and the group quickly handcuff her. She tries to wind up Jong-hyeon and even begins seizing on the ground too. Yeon-ha manages to get away, while the group find the ephedrine in her absence. Unfortunately, Jong-hyeon winds up bitten but he's allergic to the bites. Jong-hyeon is crazed and begs them not to inject him (given he's scared of needles) so Dong-ju knocks him out and they inject him all the same, in a rather humorous turn of events. The team show up back at HQ with the drugs and get a celebratory meal out of it, but there's no after-party for Dong-ju. Jong-hyeon lets Dong-ju stay in his spare room, with boxes piled high. As he looks through the boxes though, Dong-ju finds old newspaper clippings of Jong-hyeon's career and how it ended thanks to an eye injury during fencing. The stick went right through his face and into his eye, which happens to be the same side that Dong-ju punched him on. Ju-young is pissed when he finds out what's gone down, and the group look to him for inspiration over what to do next. He decides to try and get it back, intercepting the drugs en-route to the secured facility. Meanwhile, we find out that Lee Gwang-se isn't actually dead. The hair transplant guy is still alive, given the shot missed him. Leo received a call from his mama at the time and promised her he wouldn't go against her wishes. Ju-young though is not so righteous as he tasks Gwang-se to tell the team exactly what's been said at this meeting. He does as instructed, and the team are now convinced that Min has a mole inside the agency so they need to figure out who that is. Unfortunately, Ju-young is playing 4D chess here. The Commissioner gave the order to pull the riot police away to city hall to quell a protest, leaving the transport severely under protected. With only a light team to protect it, the transport heads through Jungdong Tunnel, and is prompted ambushed. The group come under attack, one after another, and they all find themselves forced to fight. Jae-hong's car is flipped upside down, while the others all have their own battles to contend with. Although Dong-ju manages to come out on top VS a whole gang of motorcyclists, the fate for everybody else is still unclear, leaving everything on an agonizing cliffhanger. The Episode Review The fight at the end of Good Boy is easily one of the best moments of the whole K-drama. Seeing the team each fighting their own battles, with slightly different weapons or styles, works so well to show their own growth and how these misfits have come together. That is a brutal cliffhanger to end this week's double-bill of episodes on though and after yesterday's rather slow chapter, this one absolutely floors it with a pulsating episode of comedy shenanigans, plot progression and action. Seeing more context around Jong-hyeon's past is a nice touch too, while Ju-young's plan appears as if it's going to come off without a hitch… but things are a bit different this time. Not only has Dong-ju managed to come out of his fight on top, he looks ready to jump in and help the others too. However, I'm not sure if everybody will make it through to the other side. Maybe it's a bit of a wild prediction here but the show feels like it needs one of the team members to be killed off to really ratchet up the tension to the highest level possible. Whether the writers actually would go this far or not though, is debatable. However, even without that, Good Boy has been a super enjoyable watch and that ending makes next week's double-bill a must-watch. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Yolanda Hadid reaches out to Victoria Beckham amid claims she grew 'concerned' about Nicola Peltz's age-gap romance with son Anwar Hadid and held crisis talks with him over her 'strong personality'
Nicola Peltz's fallout with her husband's family highlighted an unlikely alliance this week as Yolanda Hadid reportedly showed support for Brooklyn's mother Victoria. The actress, 30, dated Yolanda's son Anwar for around a year when he was 17 and she was 22 but their age-gap apparently concerned his family. In a show of support amid Nicola and Brooklyn's rift with the Beckhams, Yolanda, 61, shared a love heart underneath David's knighthood announcement. While there is no public history of a relationship between the two matriarchs, it is possible she understands what the family is going through after she suffered her own 'strained' relationship with the Bates Motel star during her romance with Anwar. The bond got off to a strong start, with Nicola joining Anwar's famous sisters on the red carpet and posing for sweet selfies with Yolanda on Instagram. It initially seemed Yolanda approved of Nicola, as they posed with blue towels wrapped around their heads and hung out on a 'rainy east coast summer day.' The actress, 30, dated Yolanda's son Anwar for around a year when he was 17 and she was 22 but their age-gap apparently unnerved his family (pictured at the time) In a show of support amid Nicola and Brooklyn's rift with the Beckhams, Yolanda, 61, shared a love heart underneath David's knighthood announcement Model Anwar also shared the star-filtered snap with his own caption: 'My ladies.' The Dutch native had posted several snaps of the PDA pair using hashtags like '#TooCute, #HappyKids, and #HappyMommy.' However, according to a Mail Plus report by Katie Hind, relations seemingly declined over time and they were left with 'no good feeling' between them as Nicola proceeded to unfollow the whole family on social media. Yolanda, who was the stand-out star of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills at the time, and her famous children proved to be a huge boost to Nicola's social standing. Before her relationship with Anwar, Nicola had also been linked to other famous faces including Justin Bieber and The Last Ship actor Cameron Fuller. Speaking about her relationship with Anwar and his family with WWD, Nicola said: 'We're hanging out. Honestly, he is an angel. He's such an amazing person. 'He comes from such an amazing family. Gigi and Bella are so, so sweet. I just love his family so much. They're feminine, strong girls. To have that around is amazing.' They had nepotism in common, having both come from incredibly wealthy, prominent fathers (General Eletric billionaire Nelson Peltz and real estate mogul Mohamed Hadid) married to model mothers (Claudia and Yolanda). Model Anwar also shared the star-filtered snap with his own caption: 'My ladies' There are striking similarities between the two relationships, including the links to two incredibly well known families and the age-gaps in both. While Brooklyn, 26, and Nicola are reportedly no longer on speaking terms with his family, sources told Katie Hind that Anwar's family were worried he was increasingly unhappy in his relationship and they were keen for him to get out of it quickly. A source told Katie Hind: 'The age difference bothered them. And so did Nicola's strong personality. It had started so well but they later began to no longer think the relationship was the best idea for Anwar. 'That led to some conversations between Anwar and the family. They feared he was struggling, going out with a woman who was older than him at such a formative time in his life.' On Wednesday, Victoria received unexpected support from Yolanda as the fashion designer, 51, and her husband David, 50, navigate a growing rift with their eldest son, and his actress wife, Nicola, after the couple were notably absent from David's recent 50th birthday celebrations. Following Brooklyn's most recent snub on Father's Day, Yolanda has reached out to Victoria after news broke of David's upcoming knighthood. Although Victoria and Yolanda aren't known to be close, the latter responded to the fashion designer's post about David receiving his knighthood with a public show of support last week. Yolanda posted a love heart on social media as Victoria gushed how David had 'always been my knight in shining armour…but now it's official.' Gigi and Bella are no strangers to Victoria, as they walked her catwalk show for Paris Fashion Week in 2022. Nicola previously dated their younger brother, Anwar, for 18 months before the pair split in 2018. Despite speculation, sources close to Nicola insisted there is no bad blood between her and the Hadid family despite her unfollowing the family after their split. It comes after David told his children 'I will always be there, no matter what' in an emotional Father's Day Instagram post on Sunday amid their ongoing family fallout. He shared pictures of Victoria and their four children Brooklyn, 26, Romeo, 22, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 13, laughing and looking cheery in happier times. Subtly reaching out to his eldest son, David insisted he will always be around to support Brooklyn even if times get tough. He wrote: 'My most important & favourite job in life is being a dad... I'm so proud of all of you and like daddy ( sorry boys ) tells you every single day I will always be here for you no matter what... 'Mummy thank you for doing the most important part and making me a father there is no greater gift in life than making me a dad... Happy Father's Day... I love you kiddies more than you could imagine.. @victoriabeckham @brooklynpeltzbeckham @romeobeckham @cruzbeckham #HarperSeven @tedbeckhamdavid' Cruz responded to his father on the post, writing: 'You mean the world to us and inspire us every single day dad I love you'. Victoria's Father's Day tribute to husband David was filled with nods to their son Brooklyn as she reached out to her eldest child. Posh Spice - who became Lady Beckham as her husband led the King's Birthday Honours list - ensured Brooklyn was in the majority of the pictures in her post, despite the eldest failing to acknowledge his dad's knighthood this week. But their was no sign of their bitter rift on Sunday, as she wrote: 'Happy Father's Day to the best daddy there is! 'You always lead with love and our four beautiful children are a reflection of that. We all love you so so much!! @brooklynpeltzbeckham @romeobeckham @cruzbeckham #HarperSeven xxx' The former England captain proudly led in the King's Birthday Honours list after being in the running for more than a decade. Congratulating her husband, Victoria shared a loved-up photo to Instagram and wrote: 'You've always been my knight in shining armour, but now it's official. Sir David!!! What an honour, I couldn't be prouder of you. 'Your dedication to the things that matter most — your country, your work, your passion, and most of all, your family — has never wavered. 'The way you've touched so many lives over the years with kindness and humility speaks volumes about the man you are and continues to inspire us everyday.' She concluded: 'But above all else, I'm so, so proud to call you mine. I love you so much xxxx' David declared himself 'immensely proud' as he finally received a knighthood after years of being snubbed. He said he 'never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour', as his Spice Girl wife Victoria also becomes Lady Beckham.
Times
4 hours ago
- Times
Labubu-led frivolity a fable of modern China
T here's a generational row brewing in China. At its heart is a fluffy, anthropomorphised monster with a mischievous, buck-toothed smile called Labubu. In keychain form, it has been seen adorning the designer bags of A-listers like Rihanna and David Beckham. Among the young and trendy in China (and increasingly globally), there's a frenzy to collect the latest or rarest iteration. Labubus are not expensive, retailing from 69 yuan each (the equivalent of £7, though in the UK they start from £13.50). But limited stocks and the fact they are sold in 'blind boxes' — you don't know which Labubu you'll get until after purchase — has driven hype and a febrile second-hand market. Earlier this month, a human-sized Labubu sculpture sold for more than one million yuan (£110,000) at a Beijing auction. Shares in Pop Mart, the Hong Kong-listed company behind it, have more than quintupled since the beginning of last year and its stores are the scenes of long queues and occasional fights.
