Part toy, part fashion, the arrival of the viral Labubu was a long time in the making
Labubu, the plush toy from China's Pop Mart is a social media darling, but the toothy little monsters are far from an overnight success. Having appeared a decade ago, Labubus may have finally cemented their place in the collectible toy market for years to come.
The Labubu, by artist and illustrator Kasing Lung, first appeared with pointed ears and pointy teeth, in three picture books inspired by Nordic mythology in 2015.
In 2019 Lung struck a deal with Pop Mart, a company that caters to toy connoisseurs and influencers, to sell Labubu figurines. But it wasn't until Pop Mart started selling Labubu plush toys on key rings in 2023 that the toothy monsters suddenly seemed to be everywhere, including in the hands of Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and NBA star Dillon Brooks. K-pop singer Lisa of Blackpink began posting images of hers for her more than 100 million followers on Instagram and on TikTok, where Labubu pandemonium has broken out.
There are 1.4 million #Labubu TikTok posts and counting, videos of fans unboxing them, showing styles inspired by them, and of course, Labubu cosplay.
Fans have latched on to Labubu's mashup of play and fashion, making them accessories on handbags, backpacks and belts, or hanging them from car mirrors.
'The character has evolved into a collectible and style symbol, resonating with fans who connect with its quirky aesthetic and unique backstory,' Emily Brough, Popmart's head of IP licensing in the Americas, said.
Labubu has been a bonanza for Pop Mart. Its revenue more than doubled in 2024 to 13.04 billion yuan ($1.81 billion), thanks in part to its elvish monster. Revenue from Pop Mart's plush toys soared more than 1,200% in 2024, nearly 22% of its overall revenue, according to the company's annual report.
Aside from their ability to pique the interest of toy aficionados and fashionistas, Labubu latched on to the blind box phenomenon, where the purchaser doesn't know exactly which version of the plush toy they'll get.
And Pop Mart made sure there is a Labubu for everyone, regardless of income. Most are priced in a wide rage between $20 and $300, with certain collaborations or limited editions priced higher, according to Brough.
Unlike many toys, Labubu devotees include a large number of adults. Buyers ages 18 and over drove a year-over-year increase of more than $800 million in the U.S. toy market in 2024, according to market research firm Circana. Adult shoppers, mostly female, bought the toys for themselves. In 2025's first quarter, toy sales for those ages 18 and over rose 12% from the prior-year period. At $1.8 billion, adults also accounted for the highest spending among all age groups in the quarter.
Like many retailers, Pop Mart is actively monitoring negotiations between the U.S. and just about every one of its trading partners as prices may be impacted. The situation with China is at the forefront, with President Donald Trump saying on Friday that the country 'violated' an agreement with the United States on trade talks.
Right now Pop Mart, whose products are manufactured across Asia, says that it is continuously scaling production and expanding distribution across its online shop, retail stores and blind box vending machines to meet increasing demand.
Short supply has led to long lines at stores and at least one physical fight at a shopping center in the United Kingdom. Pop Mart said in an Instagram post late last month that it was temporarily suspending all in-store and blind box machine sales in the U.K. Peter Shipman, head of Europe, said in a Facebook post that the company is currently working on a new method to distribute toys to stores.
Resellers have become problematic and many Labubu fans are still willing to pay exorbitant price markups.
Kena Flynn was at The Grove shopping center in Los Angeles recently when she stumbled upon some Labubus being sold at a kiosk. Flynn said in a TikTok on Sunday that the prices were 'really bad,' but her boyfriend bought two anyway.
'At a certain point, you can't buy them,' Flynn said in her video. 'I just want a Labubu and I cannot buy one from Pop Mart, so here we are.'
Looking to keep up with the overwhelming demand, Pop Mart says it's on track for 50 more retail locations in the U.S. by the end of the year. That'll give shoppers more chances to hunt for Labubus, as Pop Mart says it's planning multiple new Labubu releases tied to seasonal moments and holidays throughout the rest of the year.
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Business Insider
21 minutes ago
- Business Insider
The stars of 'Stranger Things,' ranked by success
14. Priah Ferguson Ferguson, who plays Lucas' sassy (and almost always correct) little sister Erica Sinclair, is the youngest member of the main cast at 18. She was 11 when she joined "Stranger Things" in season two. Impressively, while she was shooting the show, she was also balancing her studies — she graduated from high school this year. She wrote to her 3.6 million Instagram followers that "balancing an adult career — on and off screen" while maintaining an above-average GPA at her public high school was a "unique journey." Besides playing Erica, Ferguson had roles in the films "The Oath" and "The Curse of Bridge Hollow" (another Netflix joint). She's also had voice roles in animated series "Hamster & Gretel" and "My Dad the Bounty Hunter." Now she's done with school and has more time to focus on her career, we expect Ferguson will appear in more scene-stealing roles. 13. Charlie Heaton Heaton, 31, plays Jonathan Byers, Will's devoted older brother who will do anything to help Will and his mom. He was 22 when the show began, playing a high school sophomore. The British actor hasn't done much outside the show. He was in the calamitous final 20th Century Fox "X-Men" movie, " The New Mutants," in 2020, which essentially doesn't exist. He also stared in the indie movie "No Future," which never had a wide release, and "The Souvenir Part II," which was critically beloved but not a big box-office hit. On the TV front, he only appeared in an episode of the 2020 anthology series "Soulmate." And while he has 5.3 million followers on Instagram, that number doesn't compare to some of the follower counts of his fellow cast members. We'd argue that Heaton's biggest claim to fame is his real-life relationship with Natalia Dyer, his on-screen love interest. 12. Natalia Dyer Speaking of Dyer, 30, she's next up on the list. She plays Nancy Wheeler, Mike's older sister with an investigative streak. Nancy was also involved in a love triangle with her first love, Steve, and Jonathan. She eventually picked Jonathan, but some moments in season four made it seem like a possible "Stancy" reunion is in the cards. Dyer, who was 21 when the show began, has the edge on her boyfriend, Heaton. She's appeared in multiple short films during her "Stranger Things" tenure, and had supporting roles in films like "Velvet Buzzsaw" and "Things Heard & Seen" (both Netflix films). She also had a lead role in the coming-of-age indie "Yes, God, Yes," released in 2020. But it's been five years, and she hasn't been able to parlay that into more leading roles. In 2023, she starred in the first season of the Peacock series "Based on a True Story" alongside Chris Messina and Kaley Cuoco. 11. Eduardo Franco Franco joined the cast in the fourth season of "Stranger Things" as Argyle, Jonathan's stoner best friend in California. Before even joining the show, 30-year-old Franco was well on his way to becoming a zillennial "that guy" — he's had recognizable roles in projects like " Booksmart," "Superintelligence," "Self Reliance," "American Vandal," and "Y2K" just last year. Franco also has had successful voice roles. He starred in "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken," and has been playing DJ Catnip on the hit children's show "Gabby's Dollhouse" since 2021. A feature-length "Gabby's Dollhouse" film is set to premiere this year, with Franco reprising his role. His social media is what takes him down a bit, with 533,000 followers on Instagram. 10. Dacre Montgomery Montgomery was 23 years old when he joined "Stranger Things" in season two as Max's older stepbrother, Billy Hargrove, who made it his personal mission to bully Max, her friends, and even Steve. Now 30, Montgomery has been steadily working, but hasn't gotten his true big break. The same year he joined "Stranger Things," he starred in the ill-conceived "Power Rangers" movie as the Red Ranger. Since then, he had a small role in "Elvis" and starred in the underrated 2020 rom-com "The Broken Hearts Gallery." However, Montgomery has big things coming soon. He has three movies on the docket: "Faces of Death," which costars Barbie Ferreira, Josie Totah, Charli XCX, and Jermaine Fowler; "Dead Man's Wire," which will be directed by Gus Van Sant and costars Bill Skarsgård, Colman Domingo, Myha'la, and Cary Elwes; and "The Engagement Party" which will also be Montgomery's directorial debut. But since those projects haven't come out yet, he can't be too high on this list. 9. Noah Schnapp Schnapp, 20, has played Will Byers, who was originally taken to the Upside Down (a dark parallel universe) in the show's first episode, since he was 12. Pre-"Stranger Things," Schnapp had a small role in "Bridge of Spies" and played Charlie Brown in "The Peanuts Movie." Since playing Will, Schnapp had a small role in "Hubie Halloween" (a Netflix movie) and starred in the indie film "Waiting for Anya," both in 2020. In the five years since, he's had just one other role, appearing in the 2023 thriller "The Tutor," which was a flop critically and financially. There's a reason for his slowdown in work, though — since 2022, he's attended the University of Pennsylvania. He's also leveraged his fame to become a business owner (he started the company TBH, which is a healthier alternative to spreads like Nutella) and YouTuber. He has 4.56 million subscribers on the site, even though he hasn't posted in years. He also has a huge Instagram presence, with 21.4 million followers. Schnapp has mainly been in headlines for his views on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Per Entertainment Weekly, after he made posts supporting Zionism in 2023, some fans called for a boycott of season five (which was then in production) or for Schnapp to be fired. In a January 2024 TikTok post, he said, "I feel like my thoughts and beliefs have been so far misconstrued from anything even close to what I believe." He continued, "I think anyone with any ounce of humanity would hope for an end to the hostility on both sides." 8. Caleb McLaughlin McLaughlin has played Lucas Sinclair, the more levelheaded and skeptical member of the core group, since season one, when he was 15. Now 23, McLaughlin has arguably undergone the biggest transformation — he even has a beard! Like many of his costars, McLaughlin has continued to work with Netflix. He appeared in "High Flying Bird" (directed by Steven Soderbergh), "Concrete Cowboy," and "The Deliverance," all Netflix originals. He had a role in the 2023 biblical comedy "The Book of Clarence," which was a box-office flop but critically well-liked. He also played former NBA player and current college coach Dru Joyce III in "Shooting Stars," a Peacock film about a young LeBron James. "Stranger Things" isn't the only TV show he's done, either. He played Ricky Bell in the BET miniseries "The New Edition Story," and has had voice roles in "Summer Camp Island," "Ultra City Smiths," and "The Boys Presents: Diabolical." 7. Gaten Matarazzo Matarazzo, 22, plays the lovably geeky Dustin Henderson, who formed a bond with older kids Steve and Eddie. He was 14 when the show began airing. Matarazzo has since built himself a very well-rounded career. In addition to his movie roles ("Honor Society," "My Father's Dragon," "Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain" and the upcoming "Animal Farm" remake) and theater roles ("Into the Woods," "Parade," and the original cast of the "Sweeney Todd" revival), Matarazzo has also made himself a TV personality; he executive-produced and hosted the Netflix hidden-camera series "Prank Encounters." 6. Maya Hawke Hawke, 26, joined the show in season three in 2019, when she was 21. 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She began starring in the Broadway play "John Proctor Is the Villain" in 2025, which earned her a Tony Award nomination for best actress in a play. Sink is rumored to have an undisclosed role in the 2026 film "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," per Deadline. Now, we can't talk about Sink without mentioning her role as, essentially, the Taylor Swift self-insert role in " All Too Well: The Short Film," the music video for the 10-minute version of "All Too Well." If Swift picks you to play a fictional version of herself, you know you've made it. 2. Joseph Quinn If you were on TikTok in the summer of 2022, it was impossible to miss the sound of Quinn's voice screaming for Chrissy to wake up. Quinn, 31, joined the cast in season four as a high school (super) senior named Eddie Munson, a heavy-metal-loving, Dungeons-and-Dragons-playing sweetie who bonds with Dustin. Quinn's this high on the list because, in the three years since he was on the show, his career has soared. 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Elle
36 minutes ago
- Elle
Beyoncé Effortlessly Recovered From a Slight Wardrobe Mishap During Her London Tour Stop
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Yahoo
an hour ago
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