The Labubu Takeover

It's hard to imagine that in only a few short years, something as simple as a little keychain would make such an impact on the economy, but here we are, isn't it wonderful? I'm sure by now you've seen/heard the TikTok, you know the one: "What the fuck is a Labubu?" that ends with the TikToker holding more than their fair share of Keychains, but you're not here to read a TikTok, so what the fuck is a Labubu?

Labubus are an artistic invasion created by Hong Kong artist, Kasing Lung. They are Elf-based monsters based on the Nordic folklore "Nyph" from Eastern Europe. These elf-based Nordic creatures generally refer to the alfer, magical beings with powers and supernatural beauty, who thought they were able to help or hinder humans. Labubus aren't the only creatures that stem from these mythical beings either; there are Zimomo, Mokoko, Pippo, Tycoco, Spooky, and Pato. Whether you wear them naked or buy them clothes, the labubu strikes up a conversation in it of itself, with its cute button nose and sharp pointy teeth, these surprisingly adorable creatures have become an everyday topic around the internet.

As of May 2025, Labubu had earned 1.8 billion dollars, skyrocketing PopMart's value at 33.6 billion dollars. That's 4 billion dollars since 2019, when the franchise rose in popularity and PopMart made a licensing deal with the franchise. By April 2024, after a Korean pop artist named Lisa from the band Blackpink made famous the little keychain created in 2023, a boom in sales swept the Asain nation. By August of that year it had done 8.7 million dollars in sales.

And it was only just the beginning for the little monster brand. Not even a few weeks after Lisa was seen sporting a fashionable new Labubu on her purse and calling it her favorite little monster, did people like Kim Kardashian and Rihanna start sporting the little pink creature on their purses and in their social media feeds. Because it was a keychain, it got millions of dollars in free promotion. What does that look like?

It looks like a TikTok Meme, a YouTube unboxing video, and most surprisingly of all, seeing them out and about in the streets, at the mall, and even Disneyland! Just yesterday, I watched a TikTok of someone who strapped their Labubu on the back seat of the rider in front of them on California Screamin' at California Adventure Park in Anaheim California. It was a ten-second clip that looped the invasian; as it did what the rollercoaster does, it created in me, as a viewer, a sense of FOMO.

FOMO is the fear of missing out, and me, just like many like me, had wanted to experience what was going on in that video. And I like most viewers who have been over exposed to the little monster end in and end out for a little over a year wanted to go out and buy one. But what does it take to buy one?

Here, in my neck of the woods, some places sell Labubu and their off-brand factory mistakes, Lafufu for above market value, and then there are the PopMart kiosks and pop-up stores that are located at the mall and outdoor venders like The Block at Orange. Because these little creatures sell out so quickly a lot of my purchases had been the kiosks at the mall. My fear of missing out was more so a missed connection amongst my friends who have time and energy to wait outside the PopMart kiosk and store to open to get their Labubu fix. And at the end of the day, where the value inside of the mystery box is a 1/6 chance, or if you're bold enough to hunt a 1/76 chance it is just that, a fix.

Like gambling, we all get that little dopamine rush when we first see the color of the Labubu fir. We feel connected to the hype, much like when our pennies get fed into the slot machine. An emotional state develops around the sound of the music coming from a slot machine, as Jackpot hits is the same rush of excitement you get when you get the Labubu you want. So it's best to be careful as you indulge in this new trend. One made infamous and noteworthy by Y2K, the 2008 recession, and even the pandemic.