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Celia He
Walk through any shopping mall in Melbourne or scroll through social media in China, and you are likely to see a mischievous creature with long rabbit ears and a toothy grin. This is Labubu, one of the most popular figures in the booming world of collectible toys known as “art toys.” Its rise has been driven by Pop Mart, a Chinese company that turned the “blind box” model into a global business.
Labubu was created in 2014 by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung as part of his “Monster Forest” series. With its quirky design—cute yet slightly eerie—Labubu captured the imagination of young people who wanted something different from mainstream cartoon characters. In 2016, Pop Mart signed an exclusive deal with Lung, transforming Labubu from an underground art figure into a mass-market icon.
Founded in 2010, Pop Mart has become China’s largest designer toy company. Its core business is the “blind box”—a small sealed package containing a random toy from a series. Buyers never know which figure they will get, creating both excitement and frustration. This model has made Pop Mart one of the fastest-growing cultural brands in Asia, with stores now opening across Europe, North America, and Australia.
Labubu’s appeal is linked to several factors. Blind boxes create a sense of surprise and risk, similar to a lottery. Social media has also helped turn Labubu into a “social currency,” with collectors trading figures online. Limited editions and hidden designs often sell out quickly and appear on resale platforms at several times the original price.
The craze has also raised concerns. Some young consumers admit to spending thousands of dollars chasing rare versions. Critics say the model encourages addictive spending and blurs the line between art and mass production. Others question whether the appeal lies in creativity or in a marketing strategy designed to fuel endless demand.
As Labubu continues to appear in shopping centres and on collectors’ shelves worldwide, the debate around it reflects a larger question facing today’s youth: where does creative culture end, and where does consumerism begin?
