How these little elves became a global fever

In the early hours of Friday, at 4:45 am, a line of hundreds of people was already in front of the Pop Mart store in Los Angeles. Financial planner Korin Reese, 42, came to think he was advanced – but was surprised to see people camped since 10 pm the night before, armed with folding chairs, snacks and water bottles.

Everyone wanted to ensure a copy of the new labubu collection, cute doll keychains sold exclusively by Pop Mart, Chinese retailer specializing in collectibles. The Labubu, part of the series The MonstersIt is the spiritual successors of icons like Hello Kitty, Sonny Angel and Gudetama – and have already won legions of fans around the world.

Cute, cross and highly collectible

The Labubu are hairy Nordic elves, with pointed ears and shredded smiles with crooked teeth. According to Emily Brough, Pop Marti’s licensing director in North America, they are all “well-meaning”-even when they get in confusion. Created by the Hong Kong Kang Lung artist, the characters started as children’s book figures and, in 2019, became design toys after a partnership with pop Mart.

Since the launch of the first line of keychains, Exciting Macaronin October 2023, each new series runs out in minutes in online stores. The price is around $ 30, but limited editions are resold by much higher values. The dolls not only became the object of worship between collectors, but also turned into fashion accessories, with apparitions on designer bags such as Louis Vuitton.

Rihanna, Dua Lipa and a global explosion

The “boom” of the Labubu happened in 2024, when they crossed the niced universe of collectors to the mainstream. Blackpink’s singer Lisa, a labubu hanging from her Luxury Instagram bag, which further boosted interest. Then Rihanna and Dua Lipa were also seen with the dolls, and actress Emma Roberts published a story showing her new four toils to Britney Spears.

Pop Mart challenges crisis and invoices billions

Pop Mart stood out as a “recession proof” company. In 2024, the company earned $ 1.8 billion, a jump of over 100% over the previous year. Only the products of the Labubu and The Monsters line yielded about $ 400 million, with growth of 726% in a year-becoming one of the most lucrative lines of the company, according to the Bloomberg.

Part of the success comes from the sales strategy for “Blind Box” – that is, buyers do not know which version of the doll are acquiring, which maintains the factor surprise and the feeling of challenge. “This is what keeps fans engaged,” says Joshua Paul Dale, author of Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World.

Communities, fashion and even airports

The fever generated parallel micro -industries on platforms such as Etsy and Aliexpress, with clothes, bags and even car seats tailored to the dolls. The demand is such that it led to the collapse of the Pop Mart website at the launch of the new collection: with traffic above than expected, the app went down and the products rapidly depleted after the return. In forums such as Reddit, users reported frustration and “emotional war” because they could not guarantee a unit.

Musician Martin Navarro Nibungco, 22, was even stopped by US airport security agents after returning from Thailand with 12 Labubu dolls in his suitcase. The case shows the level of attention (and strangeness) that the collection awakens.

More than collectible: an emotional refuge

For many fans, like Navarro, the doll is more than a fashion item – is a source of comfort amid global instability. “It’s pure escapism,” he says. “People are willing to wait and pay $ 20 or 30 for a cute doll, despite everything that is happening in the world. That says a lot.”