Labubu: the phenomenon explained

You may have read the news that viral sensation Labubu has landed in the UK, but just as quickly as it arrived, it has been pulled from the shelves due to aggressive behaviour from fans and customers. Reports of fights and brawls have come out, causing Pop Mart to announce that they will be pulling the toy from UK shelves until further notice "to ensure the safety and comfort of everyone".

But what exactly is Labubu? And why is it the phenomenon it is today? Some have declared it an overnight sensation, others have put it down to celebrity endorsement.

The reality is way more strategic. Read on to find out Mpowering's take on the viral trend.

Who is Labubu?

Labubu is a character created by Hong Kong-born, Netherlands-raised artist Kasing Lung, who created a wider picture book story called The Monsters, in which Labubu is one of the characters.

Ugly. Cute. Mischievous. These are a few of the words that have been used to describe Labubu. With her furry body, bunny ears, (exactly nine) sharp teeth curled in a naughty grin and a (literal) twinkle in her eyes, she is a character that combines Asian cartoon characteristics with Nordic folklore.

But she is not alone. She is part of the ensemble cast that makes up The Monsters, and there are plenty of other characters alongside her, such as her boyfriend Tycoco (who is apparently a vegetarian skeleton-looking monster) and Zimomo, the leader of The Monsters.

If we revert back to the real world for one second, Labubu and friends were introduced in 2015, and in 2019, Lung signed a licensing deal with Pop Mart to create collectibles for the story. And the rest is... well, the phenomenon we're seeing now.

The Secret to Cartoon Success

The best cartoon characters, the ones that resonate with fans the most, are those who have a back story, a dedicated universe to draw people in. The Monsters have followed in the footsteps of beloved animated characters such as Hello Kitty and Pokemon in the sense that he has created a story and a world, which creates an emotional bond with the readers and fans.

Like Hello Kitty, who has Dear Daniel as her boyfriend, Labubu has Tycoco. Like Pikachu who has his gang of different Pokemons, Labubu has her tribe of Monsters, as they live their various adventures. By creating storylines and entire universes, these characters are more than cartoons; they are a form of escapism.

Some ultra-fans may even see themselves in the characters, as they all have their personalities: Labubu is described as kind-hearted, helpful and somewhat chaotic; Zimomo is curious but adventurous; Tycoco is shy and gentle, despite his somewhat-scary skeletal appearance.

Lisa's Celebrity Endorsement

Labubu already had quite the cult following in Asia, but she burst onto the mainstream scene when Blackpink's Lisa uploaded a photo of her Labubu bag charm. With a staggering 106 million followers on Instagram, it is then no surprise that as soon as Lisa's post went up, Labubu's popularity shot up with it.

Overnight, Labubu became the must-have accessory du jour. Celebrities such as Lisa's Blackpink bandmate Rose, Dua Lipa and Rihanna were seen with Labubu bag charms, further cementing Labubu's A-list status. Now that it had hit the Western mainstream, fashionistas and trend-seekers were (and still are) clambering over each other to get their hands on this furry monster.

But to put Labubu's success purely down to Lisa's celebrity stardust is a big disservice to the work Pop Mart have put in behind the scenes. While Lisa’s endorsement undoubtedly helped, the reality is Labubu became the success due to 2 very conscious decisions by Pop Mart: trend forecasting and marketing strategy.

Trend Forecasting

Bag charms were all the rage in 2024, with fashion publications such as Vogue declaring them the must-have accessory of the year. But if you look at the timing at which Pop Mart released the bag charms, you will realise that it was no fluke; they have done their homework in the form of trend forecasting.

(Disclaimer: we are using UK data on Google, so this may not be entirely true to Pop Mart's Labubu journey as Pop Mart are Chinese, but it illustrates our point).

The graph shows that the searches for "bag charms" actually gained slight traction in 2021, before experiencing a huge pick-up in volume by mid-2024 (when the trend really took off).

As with any large retailer, Pop Mart likely kept an eye on upcoming trends, bag charms included, because the Labubu range in 2019 initially consisted of plush toys and vinyl collectible figurines. It was only in 2023 when they introduced the toy keychains, marketed as bag charms.

In other words, they conducted their market research and trend forecasting, saw an opportunity to add to the Labubu range, and capitalised on it. Was there a guarantee that it would work? No, there are no guarantees in life, and certainly not in retail. But at least they were ready, should the trend truly take off.

It may have taken 1 or 2 years, but here we are today, and their foresight into this future trend certainly paid off.

Marketing Strategy

Another key reason for Labubu's success is Pop Mart's blind box strategy. This means that customers don't actually know what colour or style of Labubu they've bought until they open the box. Some commentators have said this works well with the Gen Z's love for unboxing and accompanying videos. While this is no doubt a factor, this is not the reason for the blind box strategy.

Instead, blind boxing creates hype and anticipation. Fans go through a roller coaster of emotion and excitement when purchasing and opening the box. And if they don't get the one they want? They might just go purchase another box (if they can), and see if they get lucky then. With the story and characters of The Monsters, it also taps into the innate human desire to collect and complete collections. After all, it is why the Pokemon slogan "Gotta Catch 'Em All" resonates till this day.

This strategy of tapping into our desire to complete collections is not new: arguably, the original version is Beanie Babies in the 90s, where again, Ty created a range of toys with names, personalities and scarcity, fuelling fans' desire to collect them all.

Overnight Successes are rarely overnight

The combination of research and strategy are 2 key reasons why Labubu is as successful as it is today. To put it down to lucky celebrity endorsement is a huge disservice to the hard work Pop Mart have done to create the success it has today.

Of course, not every product punt pays off. There are plenty of toy manufacturers and retailers who have tried and not been able to achieve the current success of Labubu. It is undeniable that luck and circumstance play a part; having a celebrity fan like Lisa definitely did not hurt. But Labubu's success is not a fluke; it's the result of foresight, research, data and tactic.

Because when it pays off, it pays off: The Monsters line generated 3 billion yuan (approximately $419 million) in revenue last year for Pop Mart, a massive 726.6% increase year-over-year

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