{"id":4324035,"date":"2025-08-12T19:44:18","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T17:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/?post_type=article&p=4324035"},"modified":"2025-08-14T21:17:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T19:17:26","slug":"fluffy-feral-whats-behind-the-labubu-mania","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/en-nl\/insight\/fluffy-feral-whats-behind-the-labubu-mania\/","title":{"rendered":"Fluffy & feral: What\u2019s behind the Labubu mania?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/mask><\/g><\/svg>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tInsights\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\tFluffy & feral: What\u2019s behind the Labubu mania?<\/h1>
\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t
\n\t\tMaria Prokopowicz\t\t
\n\t\tContent Marketing Manager\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tDate\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tAugust 12, 2025\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n\n\tA sharp-toothed, wide-eyed plush gremlin with bunny ears isn\u2019t what you\u2019d expect to be summer\u2019s it-girl. But Labubu is.\u00a0<\/p>\n\tWhat started as an indie art toy in China jumped borders and demographics to become a global fixation: sell-outs, overnight queues, and a flood of \u201cshelfies,\u201d bag charms, and unboxings. From late-night legends<\/a> to pop culture podcasters to just about every local news anchor, everyone is talking about (and trying to understand) this little monster phenomenon.\u00a0

Read Labubu as a cultural signal, and you see a stack of 2025 truths: a taste shift toward weird-cute aesthetics, an appetite for self-soothing objects, and a fandom economy that turns buying into belonging.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\tThe Bubu backstory<\/h2>\n\tNot sure if you\u2019ve seen a Labubu in the wild? Their faces are unmistakable: soft fluff and long ears meet nine tiny teeth and a mischievous grin. From keychains (or, as the cool kids call them, bag charms) to $170,000 life-sized figurines<\/a>, Labubus come in a wide variety of sizes and styles. And they\u2019re equally adorably ugly whether spotted on a Birkin bag or an L.L. Bean backpack.\u00a0

Labubu was born from the imagination of Hong Kong-based artist Kasing Lung, originally introduced through a picture book called The Monsters<\/em>. Beijing-based toy company Pop Mart partnered with Lung to transform the character into a blind-box collectible around 2018.

What started as a niche release quickly snowballed. New themed series, regional exclusives, and artist collabs kept the momentum going, while Pop Mart\u2019s distinctive retail model\u2014high-design shops, capsule vending machines, and social media-fuelled drops\u2014helped cultivate a collector\u2019s culture that felt more like sneakerheads than toy fans. And as Labubu made its way to Europe, the US, and beyond, it brought with it a new kind of cultural influence: unapologetically weird, fiercely limited, and totally irresistible.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\tUgly-cute and emotionally complex<\/h2>\n\tThe tenderness and chaotic tension of our little Labubus is part of what makes them so special and ironically approachable. Traditional, polished cuteness can feel too safe, too performative, or simply boring. This aesthetic rebellion is a rejection of the Instagram-perfect era, a signal of authenticity and personality.

While Labubu isn\u2019t necessarily crusading against beauty standards, her character and aesthetics feel layered, and that\u2019s what the people are into. It\u2019s why offbeat icons like M3GAN<\/em>, Sanrio\u2019s gloomy Badtz-Maru, and even TikTok\u2019s obsession with \u201cferal girl\u201d humour resonate. Labubus\u2019 adorable ugliness communicates a sense of playful nonconformity, a wink to others who \u201cget it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\tFrom fandom to frenzy<\/h2>\n\tLabubu might\u2019ve started as a quirky designer toy, but its rise into global obsession didn\u2019t happen in a vacuum. It happened in Discord servers, TikTok hashtags, Reddit threads, and fan-organised events\u2014one blind box, unboxing video, or trade offer at a time. Pop Mart created a character, but fans like DEPT\u00ae Senior Product Designer and Labubu influencer Shea Michals built the culture around it.

Michals\u2019 connection began with TikTok unboxings, videos in which creators celebrated or commiserated over which figurine they pulled before running back to buy another\u2014what they call the \u201ccasino effect.\u201d That unpredictability, combined with scarcity drops, is genius marketing: part game of chance, part social ritual. You\u2019re buying a Labubu, but you\u2019re also buying into the chase.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n
\n\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/iframe>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t\n\tFor Michals, that chase evolved into community-building. They now host sculpting workshops, where fans create clay versions of their favourite Labubus, as well as events like Labubu Palooza<\/em><\/a>\u2014a Chicago market where collectors buy authentic figures, shop handmade accessories, and even give their toys tattoos or piercings. It\u2019s a fan ecosystem where creativity and connection are as important as the toys themselves.

Part of the appeal is the hunt itself. Pop Mart\u2019s blind-box model means you never know which version of Labubu you\u2019ll get, and that uncertainty becomes social currency. Fans and collectors post their pulls, mourn their duplicates, celebrate the \u201cchase\u201d variants, and swap with others to complete their sets. Collecting becomes an experience shared with the people who are just as obsessed as you are.

This is the real engine of the craze. Scarcity and smart retail tactics may get people in the door, but it\u2019s the grassroots engagement\u2014the markets, workshops, and constant online exchanges\u2014that transform passive consumerism into participatory culture. And in a time when connection often feels fragmented, that shared emotional investment is the most valuable product Pop Mart sells.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n
\n\t\u201c<\/span>\n\tThe growth happened organically, and I\u2019m so thankful to bring fans together. It\u2019s polarising\u2014some people don\u2019t get it\u2014but for fans, it\u2019s about fun, quirkiness, and smiles. Everyone wants to be connected, but still unique.
<\/p>\t
\n\t\u201d<\/span>\n\n\tShea Michals<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\tSilly rabbit, Labubus are for kidults\u00a0<\/h2>\n\tFrom the packaging (which specifies Labubus aren\u2019t for people under 15) to the price point to the people lining up for 3 AM shop drops, these figures aren\u2019t targeted toward the typical toy audience. Like Jellycats and Mini Brands, Labubu is part of a growing movement where adults are embracing toys and soft toys not just as collectibles, but as cultural objects with meaning, mood, and personal resonance.

\u201cWe are specifically hitting that Gen Z kidult customer, so they\u2019re more collectible items than anything else, and so they\u2019re definitely not marketed for children,” Emily Brough, Pop Mart\u2019s head of licensing, said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

Nostalgia is a part of this (especially when it comes to the resurgence of childhood favourites such as Barbie and Beanie Babies), but it\u2019s not the only factor. People are desperately seeking control, identity, and tangible joy in a world that often feels relentlessly digital and overwhelmingly negative. A plush with a mischievous grin becomes a small rebellion against algorithmic sameness.\u00a0

The numbers don\u2019t lie: According to research firm Circana, toy sales for adults 18+ were up\u00a012% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the previous year.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\tA creature of its time<\/h2>\n\tLabubu is a bag charm, a comfort object, a pop culture craze\u2014some are even calling it its own asset class<\/a>. And it\u2019s a reflection of the aesthetics people crave, the gaps they\u2019re trying to fill, and the kinds of communities they want to be part of.\u00a0

The rise of Labubu is a reminder that products don\u2019t compete on price or features alone, but also meaning, participation, and emotional pull. Pop Mart\u2019s success blends scarcity marketing, collectible culture, and grassroots fandom into a flywheel that brands in any sector can study:<\/p>\n\n\t
  • Design for distinction.<\/strong> Labubu is instantly recognizable and endlessly remixable. Whether you sell toys, tech, or travel, unique visual identity is a growth engine.<\/li>
  • Engineer the chase.<\/strong> Limited drops and \u201cblind box\u201d unpredictability keep people engaged, talking, and sharing.<\/li>
  • Empower the fan economy.<\/strong> Labubu events and community-led customisations show the value of creating space for customers to extend your brand themselves.<\/li><\/ul>\n\nPop Mart\u2019s playbook of scarcity drops, blind-box \u201ccasino effect,\u201d and constant variation has resulted in a product that\u2019s almost impossible to buy just once. But the real magic happens after the purchase, when fans bring their Labubus into public spaces, dress them up, trade them, and turn them into tiny, portable membership cards in a global club. Labubu is a case study in what happens when fandom, feeling, and design align. You don\u2019t need to own one to understand why it matters\u2014just visit a Lafufu<\/a> market and join the fun.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n
    \n\tON OUR Mind<\/span><\/h2>\n\tALL INSIGHTS<\/a>\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t
    \n\t\t
    \n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tInsight\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t
      \n\t\t\t\t\n\t