China’s latest and hottest consumer craze has got so big, it’s now a “cultural export”.
It’s the Labubu (拉布布) — an ugly-cute kind of scary small toy with a round face, and nine teeth.
Produced by Pop Mart (泡泡玛特), a Hong Kong-listed Chinese toy brand, Labubu and its fellow “Monster Elves” have generated 3 billion RMB (nearly $420 million dollars) in revenue for the company in 2024 alone. In 2025, thanks to the Labubu’s viral appeal, Pop Mart’s Q1 revenue grew by 100% year-on-year in China, while overseas revenue soared by 480%.
The runaway success has propelled Pop Mart founder and CEO, Wang Ning (王宁), to become the richest person in his home province of Henan, and he’s now one of the wealthiest people in China.
Originally the creation of Hong Kong artist, Kasing Lung (龙家升), Labubu first appeared in one of Lung’s picture books in 2015.
But its popularity as a toy only really took off in 2024. And since early 2025, images of Labubu, usually sold as small pendants, have filled social media feeds and become a must-have item for millions of fans and collectors in China.
The second-hand market is also booming.
On resale platforms like Goofish (闲鱼), Qiandao (千岛), and Dewu (得物), Labubu pendants originally priced at 99 RMB ($14 dollars) often resell at double the price.
Limited-edition co-branded Labubu, such as with VANS trainers, have sold for between 13,000 and 16,000 RMB ($1,800 — $2,200 dollars), which is far beyond the original sales price of 599 RMB ($83).
Related
One of the most popular ways to buy Labubu is in “blind boxes” (盲盒), where the buyer doesn’t know which designs they’re getting.
The official price for a blind box is 99 RMB, but on second-hand platforms, prices often double. Some of the more rare designs go for over 300 RMB, and “hidden rare editions” (隐藏款), which are very rare designs, can sell for over 3,000 RMB ($420) or more as one collector explains:
"After buying one, I end up wanting another even more — every time a new release comes out, I just can't resist it. In order to collect popular models like “Strawberry Cookie” and “Skeleton”, I have not only bought the entire range, but also paid high prices on second-hand platforms for rare editions — with a single transaction reaching over 5,000 yuan."
“买完这一款就会看上更想要的，只要一出新品就忍不住想得到。为了集齐“草莓脆饼”和“骷髅”等热门款，我不仅成箱端盒，还高价从二手平台收稀有款，单笔交易最高超过5000元。 [3]
The speculation is led to the Labubu being referred to as “plastic Moutai” (塑料茅台).
And as with any cult product in China, counterfeits have quickly followed.
Nicknamed “Lafufu”—you guessed it: "f" stands for "fake"—these obvious knock-offs can come in different colours to the originals, with deviant features like distorted shapes, uneven eyes, crooked smiles, tilted heads, misshapen foreheads, and even in some cases with their heads installed upside down.
But a strange thing has happened with some of these mutant Labubus. Ironically, because of their weird forms, some have gone viral as internet memes, and become highly sought after items which collectors pay high prices for.
The Chinese authorities and Pop Mart are trying to stamp out the counterfeit supply chain.
According to media reports, in 2024 alone, Pop Mart was involved in 288 new civil lawsuits related to counterfeit products. In December last year, authorities seized nine batches (totalling 140,000 items) of products suspected of infringing on Labubu’s copyright.
But because of the popularity of some mutant Lafufu, stopping the fakes is proving to be tough. Until now the price of genuine products has remained high due to scarcity. The improving quality of fakes, and the entertainment value of some Lafufus, means many customers prefer the uglier alternatives.
Fake or real, Labubu or Lafufu, the toys are still flying off the shelves. One popular new phrase captures the madness of the trend:
Labubu, one of Pop Mart’s toys, is so popular that it's “impossible to get one”.
泡泡玛特旗下系列的一员，LABUBU已经火爆到“一娃难求”。
However, things may be shifting again. At the time of writing, second-hand prices for Labubu dolls had dropped by up to 45% after Pop Mart increased supply in June.
So while the Labubu market is chaotic for consumers, it’s a goldmine for Chinese language connoisseurs like you and I—brimming with neologisms, internet slang, and colourful but confusing idioms.
So that's what we’re exploring this week!
🎧RTM Podcast Preview
This week on the RTM Advanced podcast, we explain two must-know advanced idioms to express the huge popularity of the Labubu.
But there’s a catch: even Chinese people can’t agree on the pronunciation or meaning of them:
“Far ahead, leave others in the dust” (一骑绝尘 yí jì jué chén)
“Highly sought-after, in hot demand” (炙手可热 zhì shǒu kě rè)
Tune in at 7 minutes where we break down what they mean, how native speakers use them, and how you can use them in real conversations.
Favourite Five
1. 端盒 duān hé
full box purchase
于是她彻底“入坑”，第一次购买就“端盒”了（“端盒”指买一整套一系列的盲盒），一共12只，花了708元 - So she was completely hooked. On her first purchase, she spent 708 yuan on the whole set of blind boxes and bought twelve in total. [1]
More: 盲盒 máng hé - blind box
2. 山寨 shān zhài
imitation, knockoff
如今的仿品市场已经不再是简单的“山寨”概念 - Nowadays, the counterfeit market is no longer just selling simple knockoffs. [3]
Related:
精仿 jīng fǎng – high-quality knockoff
盗版 dào bǎn – pirated copy
倒爷 dǎo yé – profiteer, speculator
黄牛 huáng niú – scalper, tout
3. 一娃难求 yì wá nán qiú
hard to get a Labubu
火爆到“一娃难求”的LABUBU是泡泡玛特旗下“THE MONSTER”系列的一员 - Labubu is part of Pop Mart’s “THE MONSTER” series, which has become so popular that it’s impossible to get one. [1]
Related:
一BU难求 yí bù nán qiú – hard to get a Labubu
4. 鱼龙混杂 yú lóng hùn zá
a mix of good and bad
价格相对便宜但鱼龙混杂，普通买家很难辨别真伪 - They are relatively cheap but not all of them are genuine, which makes it hard for non-experts to tell apart. [3]
5. 情绪消费 qíng xù xiāo fèi
retail therapy
LABUBU的爆火将“情绪消费”这一趋势再次推至人们眼前 - The explosive popularity of Labubu has once again brought the concept of consumption as a form of emotional therapy to the spotlight. [1]
Related:
心理慰藉 xīn lǐ wèi jiè - emotional comfort, psychological relief
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