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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
5 Labubu Dolls That Sold for Shocking Prices
A Labubu isn't some high-end collectible made from rare materials. It's a bug-eyed toy with nine teeth that sells for as little as $15. However, certain versions have ended up fetching five or even six figures at auction. Explore More: Read Next: A few of these were part of fashion or pop culture crossovers, but others were just big, weird or lucky enough to result in a bidding war. Here's a look at the Labubu dolls that sold for prices no one expected. Mint-Green Life-Sized Labubu Sold for: over $150,000 Although one might expect to pay considerably more than average for a life-size version of a Labubu, they probably wouldn't fathom a six-figure price tag. However, a mint-green version of the doll — over four feet tall, with pointy teeth and gremlin features — went for $150,275.51 at a Yongle auction in Beijing, according to Reuters. To be fair, it was a one-of-a-kind, first-generation Labubu. For You: Don't Hear, Don't See, Don't Speak Labubu Set Sold for: nearly $26,000 This three-figure Labubu set originally sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong for HK$203,200 (around $25,888 USD), per Prestige Hong Kong's Instagram account. It had an estimate of HK$40,000 to HK$80,000 ($5,096 to $10,192 USD), but ended up fetching well above what you'd likely expect for an arguably creepy-cute set of sculptures inspired by a Confucian quote. Brown Life-Sized Labubu Sold for: over $114,000 It didn't get as much attention as the green one, but a brown life-sized Labubu, at 63 inches tall, still commanded $114,086 at the Yongle International Auction in Beijing, according to ABC17NEWS. The figure isn't one-of-a-kind, however; it has about 14 clones across the globe. Labubu and Vans Old Skool Plush Sold for: range starting around $3,200 The Labubu and Vans Old Skool plush is about 15 inches tall and looks like it just cruised out of a skate shop. The doll wears a graphic pullover, blue-and-orange cap and brown sneakers, and comes with a tiny skateboard. The face still has that sharp-toothed, gremlin look fans expect. Resale prices average around $3,200, with some listings over $5,400. Sacai and Seventeen X Labubu Sold for: $31,250 This Labubu blind box drop ran during Pharrell Williams' JOOPITER auction from June 8-18, 2025. The boxes were sealed, and buyers didn't know which figure they'd Labubu had acid-green fur and came dressed in a beige Sacai x Carhartt WIP outfit (except for one secret version with a different outfit, per Stereogum). The dolls sold at auction for between $18,750 and $31,250 each, according to Women's Wear Daily. More From GOBankingRates 3 Luxury SUVs That Will Have Massive Price Drops in Summer 2025 4 Affordable Car Brands You Won't Regret Buying in 2025 These Cars May Seem Expensive, but They Rarely Need Repairs This article originally appeared on 5 Labubu Dolls That Sold for Shocking Prices Solve the daily Crossword
The Star
14-06-2025
- Science
- The Star
Chinese astronomers recorded details of dying star's explosion in 1408: study
Just after sunset on an October evening in 1408, six years into the reign of the Ming dynasty's Emperor Yongle, Chinese court astronomers spotted a mysterious new star glowing high in the southern sky, near the heart of the Milky Way. 'It was about the size of a cup-shaped oil lamp, with a pure yellow colour, smooth and bright,' according to Hanlin Academy scholar Hu Guang, in a formal report to the emperor that interpreted its appearance as a heavenly endorsement. 'We, your ministers, have encountered this auspicious sign, and respectfully offer our congratulations ... This splendid omen is truly a sign of an enlightened era,' Hu wrote, praising the ruler whose sweeping ambition had launched Zheng He's treasure fleets and extended China's reach as far as Africa. 'The star remained stationary and calm over 10 days of measurement and observation,' he noted, in a rediscovered memorial that has settled a long-standing debate among modern astronomers about the true nature of the 1408 event. While earlier records were too brief to draw firm conclusions, this official account confirms that the phenomenon was a nova – the slow, temporary brightening caused by a dying star – rather than a comet or meteor flashing through the sky. The discovery was reported last week by researchers from China, Germany, and Chile in peer-reviewed The Astronomical Journal. The unprecedented details, including the star's size and brightness, also helped the team to narrow down the star's possible position. The astronomers' analysis pointed to a stellar remnant named CK Vul, located between the modern constellations Cygnus and Vulpecula, as the most probable aftermath of the 1408 nova. Co-author Suzanne Hoffmann, from the University of Jena in Germany and the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, said the team hoped the paper would spark the interest of observational astronomers. None of the authors currently has access to telescope time, so they are unable to follow up on CK Vul and other candidate objects, to confirm whether their assessment is correct, she explained. Hoffmann said that such collaborations are common in science, pointing to the discovery of Neptune in 1846 as an example. French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier predicted its existence and calculated the position, but had no telescope. Le Verrier sent his calculations to the Berlin Observatory, where astronomers spotted Neptune, within just 1 degree of the predicted location – about the width of two full moons side by side in the night sky. According to Hoffmann and her colleagues, the star that caused the 1408 nova would have lived on as a white dwarf – the hot, dense core left behind by the death of a star like our Sun. More than 250 years later, it is likely to have merged with a companion star, in a dramatic event that led to the 1670 eruption now associated with CK Vul, the researchers wrote in the paper. However, CK Vul is hidden inside an opaque shell of dust and remains difficult to observe. Hoffmann said astronomers could still search for faint traces of the ancient eruption –such as expanding gas shells or glowing filaments – using infrared or X-ray telescopes. Over a span of more than 2,000 years, astronomers in ancient China carefully recorded celestial events, tracking everything from 'guest stars', as temporary bright objects were termed, to comets and eclipses with remarkable accuracy. One of the best known examples is the Crab Nebula, the remnant of a supernova explosion recorded by Chinese astronomers in 1054 as a brilliant 'guest star' that shone even in daylight for weeks and remained visible at night for nearly two years. Nearly a thousand years later, modern telescopes linked that ancient sighting to a glowing cloud of debris 6,500 light years away, showing how centuries-old records can still guide today's astrophysics discoveries. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
Daily Express
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Express
Labubu hype hits new heights with RM600k mega sale
Published on: Wednesday, June 11, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jun 11, 2025 By: Reuters Text Size: The human-sized Labubu figurine is displayed before the auction. – Tingshu Wang | Reuters BEIJING: A Beijing auction house sold a human-sized Labubu figure for 1.08 million yuan (RM636,792.20) on Tuesday, setting a new record for the "blind box" toy as it moves from craze to collectible. The event held by Yongle International Auction, which traditionally specialises in modern art as well as jewellery, marked the first ever auction dedicated to Labubu, toothy monster figurines that are mainly sold by China's toy company Pop Mart, opens new tab and have been at the centre of a global frenzy for the past year. Advertisement The auction offered 48 lots for sale and was attended in person by roughly 200 people, while over a thousand bidders put down offers via Yongle's mobile app, the auction house said. The starting price for all the items started at zero and it eventually raised a total of 3.73 million yuan. The highest grossing item, a mint green, 131 cm (4.3 feet) tall Labubu figure, received several bids to sell for 1.08 million yuan. The auctioneer said it was the only one available in the world. A set of three Labubu sculptures, about 40 cm tall and made of PVC material, sold for 510,000 yuan. The set, from a series called "Three Wise Labubu", was limited to a run of 120 sets in 2017 and another one sold for HKD 203,200 (RM109,707.30) at Sotheby's most recent auction in Hong Kong. Labubu was created a decade ago by Hong Kong artist and illustrator Kasing Lung. In 2019, Lung agreed to let them be sold by Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company that markets collectable figurines often sold in "blind boxes". A buyer of a blind box toy does not know exactly what design they will receive until they open the packaging. The starting price for Labubu blind box toys sold in Pop Mart's stores is around 50 yuan. The character's popularity skyrocketed after Lisa of the Korean pop music group Blackpink was spotted with a Labubu and praised the doll in interviews and online posts. Many celebrities followed. In May, British football star David Beckham shared a photo on Instagram of his Labubu attached to a bag. One Yongle auction bidder, a restaurant owner who only gave her surname as Du, said she had planned to spend a maximum of 20,000 yuan but walked away empty handed as the final prices were too high. "My child likes it so every time when Labubu released new products we will buy one or two items. It is hard to explain its popularity but it must have moved this generation," she said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
NBC News
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Life-size Labubu doll sells for over $170,000 at Beijing auction amid global frenzy
HONG KONG — A life-size Labubu figure has been sold in China for more than $170,000, a record for the highly sought-after toothy monster toy boosted by celebrities. The 4-foot-tall mint green doll, whose price included a 15% commission, was traded in Beijing on Tuesday at what was billed as the world's first auction dedicated to Labubu collectibles. Event organizer Yongle Auction said the life-size doll, which is made of hard plastic PVC, is the only one of its kind. The auction sold all 48 lots for total sales of 3.73 million yuan, or about $520,000, with nearly 1,000 collectors making bids either in person or online, Yongle said in a statement Wednesday. The event came amid a global frenzy over Labubu, which is sold in 'blind boxes' by Chinese toy company Pop Mart. The 'intense' bidding showed the 'growing momentum of pop art in the auction market,' Yongle said, adding that it will start holding Labubu auctions 'regularly.' The Labubu item that received the second-highest bid was another life-size figure that sold for more than $130,000 and measured 5 feet tall. Coming in third was a set from a series called 'Three Wise Labubu' — one doll crossing its arms, one making a peekaboo gesture, and one covering its mouth — that sold for more than $80,000 including commission. The success of Labubu at auction reflects the 'growing presence' of art toys in the market and the progress of Hong Kong and mainland China in setting trends in contemporary culture, said Felix Kwok, a registered auctioneer of China and the founder of Art and Culture Exchange. 'In a somewhat stagnant art auction market, this development is both stimulating and indicative,' he told NBC News via messaging app. Created in 2015 by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung, Labubu is one of 'The Monsters' in his children's book series inspired by Nordic mythology. With high, pointed ears and serrated teeth, the small monster is 'kind-hearted and always wants to help, but often accidentally achieves the opposite,' according to Pop Market. Labubu dolls are often sold in 'blind boxes,' sealed packages whose contents are revealed only upon opening. In the U.S. store, one blind box from a recent collection retails for $27.99, while a set of six costs $167.94, though prices can more double on resale sites such as eBay. The dolls have also been popularized by celebrities such as Rihanna and Lisa from the South Korean girl group Blackpink, both of whom have been spotted sporting Labubu charms on their handbags. Despite the global trade disruptions caused by U.S. tariffs, fans have continued to line up at Pop Market shops across the world to buy Labubu dolls. Last month, the Chinese retailer even paused Labubu sales in all 16 shops in the U.K. to avoid safety issues following reports of disorderly lines and fights. In the first three months of this year, Pop Market's overseas revenue rose almost 480% overall compared with a year earlier, and nearly 900% in the Americas, according to its quarterly report. according to Forbes.
Asahi Shimbun
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Asahi Shimbun
Labubu human-sized figure sells for over $150,000 at Beijing auction
A man poses for pictures next to a life-sized Labubu figurine displayed before an auction in Beijing on June 6. The figurine was later sold for 820,000 yuan at an auction by Yongle International Auction on Tuesday. (REUTERS) BEIJING/SHANGHAI--A Beijing auction house sold a human-sized Labubu figure for 1.08 million yuan ($150,275.51) on Tuesday, setting a new record for the 'blind box' toy as it moves from craze to collectible. The event held by Yongle International Auction, which traditionally specializes in modern art as well as jewelry, marked the first ever auction dedicated to Labubu, toothy monster figurines that are mainly sold by China's toy company Pop Mart and have been at the center of a global frenzy for the past year. The auction offered 48 lots for sale and was attended in person by roughly 200 people, while over a thousand bidders put down offers via Yongle's mobile app, the auction house said. The starting price for all the items started at zero and it eventually raised a total of 3.73 million yuan. The highest grossing item, a mint green, 131 cm (4.3 feet) tall Labubu figure, received several bids to sell for 1.08 million yuan. The auctioneer said it was the only one available in the world. A set of three Labubu sculptures, about 40 cm tall and made of PVC material, sold for 510,000 yuan. The set, from a series called 'Three Wise Labubu,' was limited to a run of 120 sets in 2017 and another one sold for HKD 203,200 ($25,889.64) at Sotheby's most recent auction in Hong Kong. Labubu was created a decade ago by Hong Kong artist and illustrator Kasing Lung. In 2019, Lung agreed to let them be sold by Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company that markets collectable figurines often sold in 'blind boxes.' A buyer of a blind box toy does not know exactly what design they will receive until they open the packaging. The starting price for Labubu blind box toys sold in Pop Mart's stores is around 50 yuan. The character's popularity skyrocketed after Lisa of the Korean pop music group Blackpink was spotted with a Labubu and praised the doll in interviews and online posts. Many celebrities followed. In May, British football star David Beckham shared a photo on Instagram of his Labubu attached to a bag. One Yongle auction bidder, a restaurant owner who only gave her surname as Du, said she had planned to spend a maximum of 20,000 yuan but walked away empty handed as the final prices were too high. 'My child likes it so every time when Labubu released new products we will buy one or two items. It is hard to explain its popularity but it must have moved this generation,' she said. ($1 = 7.8487 Hong Kong dollars) ($1 = 7.1868 Chinese yuan renminbi)
