24K Labubu

Anatta Blue Chankhunthod

August 22, 2025

Small, fuzzy, and accompanied by a wicked smile, the Labubu doll has been the talk of the nation since the beginning of the year. Continuing our discussion on “performative males” from last week, the Labubu doll accompanies matcha in terms of being seen as a performative accessory. But where does the Labubu doll even come from?

Influenced by Nordic folklore, Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung created the character Labubu as part of his illustrated story series “The Monsters” beginning in 2015, alongside other characters such as Mokoko, Tycoco, Pato, and many others. Labubu came out as a mischievous, elf-like creature with pointed ears and an iconic toothy grin. The Labubu figurines were initially produced by How2Work in 2015, but in 2019, Pop Mart acquired the rights and packaged the Labubu dolls in a blind-box format. This marketing style would soon prove to be key to the popularity of Labubus in the following decade.

In April 2024, Lisa of BLACKPINK, a K-pop band, was spotted with a Labubu keychain, turning the dolls into a viral fashion accessory. Following this initial appearance, A-list celebrities in America, such as Rihanna and Dua Lipa, also flaunted them, adding more fuel to the already raging fire. After the beginning of this trend, social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram were filled with Labubu-centered content revolving around the unboxing appeal, intensifying the craze and driving the demand through the roof.

As stated above, Labubus are usually sold in sealed blind boxes, heightening the excitement of randomness, as well as utilizing FOMO psychology, which is the “Fear of Missing Out”. This sense of scarcity and unpredictability ignited something of a dopamine loop for people who sought to collect every variation of Labubu, encouraging them to repeat purchases in hopes of getting a different Labubu each time. Through this idea of uniqueness and rarity, entire communities and social media fandoms have been formed around collecting variants, with some rare editions even fetching tens of thousands of dollars at auctions.

As of 2025, Pop Mart has released 300 variants of Labubu with different sizes and designs, ranging from $15 mini figures to a 4-foot “mega” Labubu auctioned off for $170,000 in Beijing. This surge in popularity also paved the path for collaborations with other pop-culture phenoms, procuring Labubus such as a Coca-Cola-themed series, a One Piece crossover collection, and exclusive releases at venues such as the Louvre museum in Paris, France. 

So how did this character from a decade ago become associated with “performative” culture? In short, the Labubu doll has evolved from a niche designer toy into a status symbol and social identity marker, where owning, displaying, or even unboxing a Labubu has more to do with signaling than with genuine personal interest in the toy itself. Owning and posting on social media about the Labubu is now a way to display a “taste” in niche or alternative culture. This mirrors fashion flexing or sneaker culture: owning the right one says something about you more than about the object itself. People utilize the doll to construct an image of belonging within a subculture, hence the name “performative”, as people perform and pretend to have an interest in certain topics to be more appealing to others.

While I personally have no love or interest in Labubu dolls, I understand the appeal to them, as well as the crazed rush to obtain them, although you would never catch me waiting in line to buy one.