In the past month, the Hong Kong-based brand POP MART has dominated social media and the resale market with the latest craze, Labubus. So where do these monsters come from, and who’s after them? Well, everyone apparently.
Background
The Lababus are originally characters from artist Kasing Lung’s series of storybooks, The Monsters. Born in Hong Kong, Lung moved to the Netherlands at the age of 7. The Monsters was inspired by his love of Nordic folklore, and featured a tribe of female elves known as the Labubus.
After Lung launched his book series in 2015, he soon followed up with a collection of artistic toys based on his characters. Then, in 2019, Lung partnered with POP MART to market the toys, and from there, the Labubus exploded.
POP MART, Celebs, and the Blind Box Craze
Since the partnership between Lung and POP MART took off, the Labubus have been worn on the outfits of stars including Rihanna, Dua Lipa, and BLACKPINK’s Lisa. But beyond the celebrity endorsements, there’s another huge factor driving the hype: the Blind Box.
To put it simply, you’ll never know what you’re gonna get. The Blind Box model isn’t just a wellspring of nostalgia for the Gen Y/Z audience, but it’s elevated Labubus to a status akin to peak trading cards or Beanie Babies. Sneakerheads are no strangers to this model either. Think back to Off-White’s Lot Dunks or KITH’s recent Marvel collabs. While there seems to be a lot of love going around for all the Labubus, the possibility of getting a rare character is what keeps the hype train going.
RESALE
The Labubu has gone from toy to luxury fashion accessory, fueled by the Blind Box craze and constantly selling out in retail drops. You know what that means: these monsters are taking over the retail market. Not only are they fetching prices in the hundreds, but here at KLEKT, we’ve already catalogued over 450 Labubus in a matter of days. If you want to see the hype for yourself, head over to our app and check out our new POP MART category.
