Labubu's Bootleg Cousin 'Lafufu' Is Janky, Cheap, and Weirdly Irresistible

Labubu's bootleg cousin 'Lafufu' is janky, cheap, and weirdly irresistible

A real Labubu on the left has some key differences — like a regular hairline — compared to the fake "Lafufu" on the right.Aditi BharadeI bought a Lafufu, a cheap, counterfeit, somewhat creepy version of the viral Labubu toy.People around the world are shelling out money to buy Lafufus — it's becoming a retail phenomenon.Lafufu lovers told BI they love the toys for how ugly they are, not in spite of it.As soon as I ripped open the packaging of my…

The cult and community of Labubu

With a round, furry body, pointy ears, and a set of sharp teeth curled into a mischievous grin, Labubu looks like a tiny elven creature pulled from Jim Henson's Creature Shop. She’s not traditionally cute like most plush toys — more of an ugly-cute gremlin with chaotic charm. And yet, this little monster has become the ultimate accessory for Gen Z and millennial collectors.Once a niche character from China-based toy brand Pop Mart, Labubu is now…

Labobo is an innovative stuffed doll that has recently spread virally in youth communities, so what is the labobo that invaded the world?

Labubu: How it became a marketing icon

Labubu is no ordinary toy; it's a miniature masterclass in how capitalism can play with nostalgia, scarcity, and social media successfully. Fans queue for hours or pay triple-digit resale prices just to get their hands on a Labubu. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Although a thing since 2015, it is not until this year that Labubu became so popular. Labubu went viral not on toy shelves, but in the hands of... Click to ex…

Labubu Mania Hits Pause in the UK as Pop Mart Struggles to Contain the Cute Chaos

With their mischievous little potato faces and wide, vacant eyes, Labubu dolls—yes, those “ugly-cute” plush soft toys everyone’s mysteriously obsessed with—have become the latest obsession for collectors and chaos-seekers alike. But now, Pop Mart UK has called a timeout on the toy frenzy, temporarily halting in-store and roboshop sales of The Monsters plush series, citing (what else?) safety concerns due to overwhelming queues. On May 19, Pop Ma…

Labubu Trend: Learn how the key chains became a social media trend and conquer collector's hearts by storm