Labubus should just be keychains. I think people are taking the trend too far and miss the point that these are kid toys.
Labubus are weirdly cute creatures that have gained a massive amount of popularity this year due to celebrities’ interest, with celebrities like Lisa from Blackpink, Rhianna, Dua Lipa and Kim Kardashian appearing with them.
Labubus are cool to have as collectibles, but I do think this micro trend will die down soon. They originated from a 2015 book series called “The Monsters,” with illustrations created by artist Kasing Lung. Lung made a toy series for the characters in the book, but they didn’t catch on until teaming up with Pop Mart, a popular Chinese-based store selling collectables.
Labubus became popular in China during the pandemic and just recently became globally idolized after many celebrities recently were seen putting them on designer handbags. You got to give it to these celebrities: they do look cute on bags.
As someone who has loved collectibles since Shopkins were popular, I do see why they have grown in popularity. But, like every trend there is always a rise and a fall as new trends come to be.
I think that for Labubus to be a steady trend they need to make more exclusive characters, maybe even team up with different TV shows or movies.
What I like about the recent Labubu trend is that you can customize them by getting clothes to make them your own, and I think that’s why most people like them so much. It’s almost like a Build-a-Bear or an American Girl Doll.
What I don’t like about this trend is the resellers and people just buying so many.
Labubus are sold by Pop Mart with the most common prices being between $28 and $40, which is a crazy price for a keychain.
Often resellers will buy them in bulk, leaving them out of stock. When they are out of stock, the only other way to buy one is from resellers that mark up prices.
I can’t blame people for buying fakes, or as the Labubu fandom calls them, “lafufus.” Fake Labubu keychains should be just as socially accepted as fake Sanrio or anime keychains.
Even with the prices, some Labubu superfans can’t help but to buy these, even buying multiple, like an addiction.
The Labubu fandom struck some controversy recently when a TikToker by the name @lizbullzofficial made a video bragging about owning the only KSI Labubu in the world that she made. What shocked viewers was that she painted the Labubu black. She is now facing controversy by people accusing her of blackface. She quickly deleted the video and apologized saying she didn’t intend to offend anyone.
