Latest news with #dolls
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
What's in the box? Fans gamble (again) for Labubu love at San Diego Comic-Con
Labubu was created by a Hong Kong artist and is based on Nordic mythology Labubu dolls have been popularized by celebrities, including Lisa from Blackpink People at Comic-Con lined up to buy Labubu dolls from Pop Mart SAN DIEGO, July 29 — San Diego Comic-Con is the latest location where the ugly-cute dolls named Labubu have been trending, with fans carrying the plushies globally popularized by celebrities Rihanna, Lizzo, Dua Lipa, and Lisa from the K-pop group Blackpink. The wide-eyed and grinning doll was created in 2015 by Hong Kong artist and illustrator Kasing Lung. In 2019, Lung allowed them to be sold by Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company that sells collectible figurines, often in 'blind boxes'. 'Blind boxes' are sealed boxes containing a surprise item that is usually part of a themed collection. Naomi Galban, from San Diego, waited in line on Sunday at the Pop Mart booth in the San Diego Convention Center for a chance to get her first Labubu. 'Every time I go to a Pop Mart store, they're sold out,' the 24-year-old told Reuters. She hoped to buy one for her little sister. Emily Brough, Pop Mart's Head of IP Licensing, spoke to Reuters on Thursday about Labubu fans at Comic-Con. 'We love to see how fans are personalizing it (Labubu) for themselves,' Brough said next to the Pop Mart booth. While Brough noted that there were many people with a Labubu strapped to their bags and backpacks at Comic-Con, the doll's popularity did not happen overnight. Labubus had a huge boost in 2019 after Pop Mart began selling them, and in 2024, when Blackpink's Lisa, who is Thai, created a buying frenzy in Thailand after she promoted Labubu on social media. Pop Mart saw sales skyrocket in North America that same year, with revenue in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2025 already surpassing the full-year U.S. revenue from 2024, Pop Mart said. When he created Labubu, Lung gave the character, who is female, a backstory inspired by Nordic mythology. He called her and his other fictional creatures 'The Monsters.' Diana Goycortua, 25, first discovered Labubu through social media, and before she knew it, it felt like a 'game' to try and collect the dolls. 'It's a little bit of gambling with what you're getting,' the Labubu fan from San Diego said on Sunday while waiting at the Pop Mart booth, concluding that her love for the character made it worth trying blind boxes. Goycortua already has three Labubus, and was hoping to score her a fourth one at Comic-Con. — Reuters
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Can't Sell, Must Sell viewers jump out of their skin as woman reveals VERY unusual collection of ornaments in 'cluttered' home - gasping 'it's my idea of hell!'
Can't Sell, Must Sell viewers jumped out of their skin as a woman revealed her very unusual collection of ornaments - gasping 'it's my idea of hell!' The Channel 4 programme sees property developers Scarlette, 38, and Stuart Douglas, 47, help guests transform their unsellable homes to become market ready. The fourth episode of the new show, which aired on Wednesday night, had the siblings visit two homeowners in Kent who had been struggling to shift their houses. They first headed to the seaside town of Margate where they met retired cleaner Gail, 68, who had lived in her four-bed home for 36 years. But in that time, she acquired a taste for some very unsettling collectibles - a series of life-like dolls, which cluttered every room in her house. Viewers found the eerily realistic toys very creepy, taking to social media to say it would have stopped them snapping up the property too. One said on X, 'Gah f***ing hate dolls', adding: 'There's a hotel in Broadstairs [in Kent] that's full of porcelain dolls and lots of lace. 'My parents say it's lovely (apparently the rooms aren't dated, just the hallways etc) but it's my idea of hell.' Another commented on the social media platform: 'Look like dead babies!' Someone else wrote: 'To be fair, I'd never buy that house in case the dolls came back.' In keeping with this, Gail - who was struggling with living alone amid various health struggles - had been advertising her property for seven months without success. She had managed to secure four viewings but had received zero offers. Presenter Scarlette invited some local property experts along to see the house, to figure out what might be putting buyers off. They said the jumbled house felt too 'busy' and like it had 'no space' - an assessment Gail was not impressed by, calling them 'rude'. She toured the camera crew around her doll collection too, explaining: 'They're very heavy because they're weighted, like babies... I just love them.' The homeowner even pointed out two particularly strange dolls in her collection of some 22, named for some notorious gangsters: 'They're Ronnie and Reginald Kray.' Speaking with her daughter on the programme, Gail said: 'Nobody's coming through my front door and I don't understand it. It's not a bad house.' Her daughter replied: 'It's not a bad house but it's very cluttered.' The mother shot back: 'It may be cluttered for you but I don't think it's cluttered for me.' Despite her determined defences of the current state of her home, Gail eventually embraced the renovation process. She liked a fair few of the changes the Douglases made, even jokingly asking the hosts whether they would like to move in to enjoy the transformed home with her. When the show caught up with her two months after the renovations, she was enjoying continuing decluttering and was feeling hopeful about making a sale. Speaking with her daughter on the programme, Gail said: 'Nobody's coming through my front door and I don't understand it. It's not a bad house' Her daughter replied: 'It's not a bad house but it's very cluttered' Elsewhere in the episode, a woman named Nicky was trying to sell the property she inherited after her father passed away. She put it on the market shortly after his death but 18 months later, there had not been any enthusiastic interest, with only 12 viewings in that time. Nicky choked up as she told of how difficult this period had been: 'Everything is starting to hold me back.' But everything changed after her appearance on the show, with the renovations pulling in more viewers - and even a possible buyer. It comes after Scarlette spoke out some of the most memorable moments from filming Can't Sell, Must Sell - which included discovering Gail's doll collection. The property expert, known as a presenter on Channel 4 house hunting programme A Place In The Sun from 2015 to 2022, just launched the show earlier this month. She co-hosts the first series' six episodes with her retired footballer-turned-property expert brother Stuart. It follows the pair's presenting collaboration on Channel 4 renovation programme Worst House On The Street. The property expert (left, with her brother and co-host Stuart), known as a presenter on Channel 4 house hunting programme A Place In The Sun from 2015 to 2022, just launched the show earlier this month Before the new show's release, Scarlette recalled working on Gail's house. 'One lady was very attached to her house and its Victorian style - she has lots of dolls', she said. 'When you walked in, everything felt oppressive. It was dark, dingy and scary. Even her daughters were trying to get her to sell it. She didn't want to listen.' It was not the only tricky project Scarlette found herself helping with, having also worked on a quaint cottage that unfortunately stank of dogs. The presenter explained: 'I love dogs but you can become nose-blind to them. 'One of the properties was a really beautiful cottage but the minute you walked in, it smelled of dog. 'They were so used to the smell that they couldn't get their head around it. Those are things you're not going to see but they affect a sale.' Stuart recalled fondly how happy the renovation made the guest: 'What made it important for me was how important it was for the owner. Before the new show's release, Scarlette (pictured on Lorraine in June last year) recalled working on Gail's house 'She was a really lovely lady. The transformation of the house itself was amazing but the transformation in her was memorable. She was so grateful.' Filming got even more emotional when the siblings visited a widow, whose home was stuffed full, overflowing with memorabilia, particularly china plates. Scarlette explained how this had happened: 'Her husband did the DIY. She couldn't do anything around the house. 'She was so grateful at the end, I was an emotional wreck.' The siblings also emphasised that throughout the shoot, no one on set, including them, was afraid to get their hands dirty. 'We're not just walking in, saying our piece and walking out. We really do get involved, even off-camera', she said. Her brother agreed: 'We had great teams. But we needed lots of hands on deck to complete the transformations. 'Even the cameraman took things to the skip. Everyone chipped in.' Scarlette added: 'That level of involvement was essential, given the scale of the jobs – and the tight turnaround. It was hard and stressful. 'We started around 8am and wouldn't finish until about 11pm. We cover two houses in a week. But the end result made it all worth it.'
CNN
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
China cracks down on fake "Lafufu" Labubus
Fake Labubu plush toys, dubbed "Lafufu," have gained popularity due to shortages of the original dolls made by China's Pop Mart.
CNN
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
China cracks down on fake ‘Lafufu' Labubus
Fake Labubu plush toys, dubbed "Lafufu," have gained popularity due to shortages of the original dolls made by China's Pop Mart.
CNN
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
China cracks down on fake ‘Lafufu' Labubus
Fake Labubu plush toys, dubbed "Lafufu," have gained popularity due to shortages of the original dolls made by China's Pop Mart.
