The Labubu craze is getting out of hand

Who would have believed that a little toothy monster would become such a big fashion craze? Not me!

In today’s day and age, there’s dedicated trend setters for the ample amount of products and services that hit the market everyday. They are ones who unintentionally — and sometimes intentionally — decide whether to blow up a certain product or to keep it niche. 

People get enthusiastic and nostalgic about the hype that social media creates, especially video platforms like YouTube and TikTok. 

This year, we’ve got small monsters, famously referred to as Labubus, blowing up in popularity the same way that Squishmallows, Beanie Babies, and Naked Sonny Angels blew up last year. 

The amount of people waiting to get their hands on one of these little doll creatures is unimaginable. Labubus are sold by Pop Mart, a Chinese retailer, often in a blind box. 

Labubu is a Chinese brand collectible and plush toy monster designed by Kasing Lung, an artist who was born in Hong Kong in 1972 but soon moved to the Netherlands with his family. It was there that he became fascinated with Nordic folklore, which served as the inspiration behind Labubu and The Monsters. 

Pop Mart is known for its collectibles. Customers of the retailer often buy random boxes without knowing the colour or design of the collectible they’re going to get. The toys retail for $27.99 USD each or $168 USD for a pack of six. 

With huge demand comes exorbitant prices, and one would expect that supply for such a trendy item would probably go down at the amount at which its being consumed, but this does not seem to be the case with the Labubu. Consumers who want to buy the toy are already up on sites like eBay, buying the collectible at double the price just because they are selling out immediately and widely. 

A human-sized Labubu doll was sold for a record $150,324 USD this June, according to a Chinese auction house, The Economic Times reported. The four-foot collectible was sold at the Yongle International Auction in Beijing. 

Everyone seems to be carrying around these somewhat ugly, but ultimately cute, creatures, which often cling to people’s designer bags, backpacks, belts, and more. Labubus seems to be replacing accessories and might have already become a daily essential of some people’s style. 

It’s the ultimate fashion accessory in the market at the moment, especially amongst TikTok influencers. Labubu unboxing videos are all over the internet, and I’m pretty sure this is the only thing that pops up the most while you scroll on social media — be it any platform. 

These days, it’s hard to tell when a niche collectable can turn into a global craze just because it met the right audience at the right time and matched the perfect algorithm. Without TikTok, I don’t think we would have known about Labubus. Would we have cared as much? Maybe a little, but not like this.

The fear of missing out — better known as FOMO — is a big deal these days, and everyone just wants to stay ahead of each other and be the first ones to hop on a trend. Unlike the fidget spinner, which quickly lost its appeal and probably ended up in a lot of landfills, the Labubu trend raises a key question: Will the Labubu meet the same fate or is it here to stay? 

If buying an expensive toy brings joy to anyone, they should go for it. But personally, I have decided not to fall victim to the Labubu mania since not every trend is worth chasing.

At the end of the day, all trends tend to slowly fade, and people barely remember them.