Unassuming $30 toy is sending shoppers into a FRENZY... as A-listers pay more than TRIPLE the price to buy one
A seemingly unassuming $30 toy made by Chinese toy company Pop Mart is sending shoppers into overdrive as even A-listers are shelling out thousands of dollars for the limited-edition dolls.
The toys, which originated in Hong Kong, are called Labubus - plush, furry little dolls that are described as 'elvish creatures,' with big teeth and elf-like ears.
The Labubu is part of a larger collection from Pop Mart, called The Monsters, created by Belgium-based designer Kasing Lung. The Monsters were first created in 2015 as an illustrated story, and then became a series of toys around the 'iconic character,' Labubu.
However, in recent months, the toys have taken off in popularity, with kids and adults alike clamoring to get their hands on the plush accessories. Not only are there lines wrapping around the outside of shopping malls across America, but in the UK, Pop Mart has had to pause sales of Labubus in-store to protect customer safety.
Adding to the hype, Pop Mart will often drop limited-edition versions of the Labubu, like their most recent 'Big Into Energy' collection, which featured the toys in different Ombre colorways.
Some of them also come in a 'blind box,' which means that what kind of Labubu you get is a total surprise, contributing to the appeal and excitement.
They're now being seen as a status symbol, with wealthy women and men hanging them off their pricey Hermès Birkin bags and $2,000 Goyard totes.
'LABUBU's growth became especially noticeable in Q2 of 2024, with sales surging to four times that of Q1 – and continuing to grow,' Emily Brough, Head of Licensing at POP MART North America, explained to DailyMail.com.
'The demand for LABUBU is extremely high, with products selling out online within minutes and in stores the day of launch, and reselling for double and even triple the original price,' she continued.
Brough shared that the character's 'adorable design' and overall versatility can be attributed to its viral popularity.
It's even caught on with A-listers and celebrities, like Lisa of Blackpink, Dua Lipa and Rihanna, who have been seen carrying the plush, driving up sales and searches for Pop Mart.
'Celebrity visibility has played a key role in amplifying LABUBU's reach,' Brough explained.
'We don't pay for these placements — these organic moments have helped position LABUBU as a true It-Girl accessory and collector's item,' she shared.
Of these A-listers include Bravo star and SiriusXM radio host Jeff Lewis, who has been going to great lengths to secure various Labubus for his eight-year-old daughter, Monroe.
Lewis was first introduced to the toys by former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Crystal Kung-Minkoff, who filled him in on the trend.
'It's crazy, but I'm using my radio platform to find Labubus, I've got people now reaching out to me in Arkansas, saying, "I've got three, do you want me to buy them and send them to you?"' Lewis told DailyMail.com exclusively.
'The listeners will DM me, and it's a little bit of blind trust, because people are like "Venmo me $350 for 32 Labubus,"' he continued.
So far, it's been hit or miss for Lewis, who says he has been getting a minimum of five messages a day from his followers about the plush toys.
In one instance, the Flipping Out star did send $350 to someone, but instead of getting 32 full-sized Labubus, he received tiny keychains.
He ran into an even more unfortunate problem recently, when he paid $1,200 to a complete stranger for 10 Labubus, only to find out that they were totally fake - a 'Lafufu,' as some call it.
However, he has secured some real ones, getting in touch with store owners in places like Hawaii to source them.
'I've got these scouts, like, all over the country,' he said.
As he has begun collecting the toys for his daughter, Lewis has given some away to his friends and nieces, and even donated some to the local hospital.
'We all want what we can't have, and the fact that they're very difficult to get, it creates a very fun challenge and a competition,' he told DailyMail.com.
Lewis added that he and Minkoff are now 'competing' against each other over who can find the latest and best Labubu.
For her part, Minkoff learned of the dolls after a friend pointed them out to her in an airport, and then again when her daughter, Zoe, eight, became interested in them.
Before their family spring break trip to Spain, Minkoff recalled letting her daughter scroll on social media to find some places she would want to go on vacation.
And what she found? A little store in Madrid that sold Labubus.
While that shop didn't end up selling them, they stumbled across another store in Madrid that did - and they subsequently bought 18 of them.
'Ever since then, everyone has looked at me, like some sort of ambassador for them because I started talking about it,' Minkoff told DailyMail.com exclusively.
And last month, her husband, Rob Minkoff, was on a trip to China, and bought even more of them for their kids.
However, Minkoff and her husband have only let their kids open about six of the toys so far.
'Because of Jeff [Lewis'] show, I get probably 10 to 20 direct messages a day, and people want me to authenticate their Labubus,' Minkoff said.
'My whole world has become psychotic because of it, but these DMs that I'm getting are hysterical,' she added.
But it's become something that her kids and even the entire family enjoys, as Minkoff will decorate her Hermès and other designer bags with the toys.
'Me, Max and Zoe, we have them kind of like, all over the house now, and we throw them on backpacks,' Minkoff said of her and her children.
'It's like, whatever we feel like throwing them on. No one has their own now, it became sort of like a collective family toy, where it's like, oh, I'm gonna hang these ones on mine.'
Minkoff believes that there are a few variables that are making Labubus go viral.
Not only does she credit the fun unboxing factor, but also the scarcity of the products and its price point.
'I think the price point makes it easy to become a collector, right?' Minkoff explained. 'You're not talking about collecting Birkins, even an $1,000 thing.'
'It's a fun thing to search for without being crazy expensive, and it becomes a present.'
However, although they're cute for now, Minkoff knows the craze won't last forever.
'I also tell my kids, you know, at some point it's gonna go away, you're gonna go to the next fun thing.' Minkoff shared.
But for now, Labubu's are in full demand - and the craze is showing no signs of slowing down.
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