How Pop Mart’s creepy-cute toy became TikTok’s favourite collectible and launched the global Labubu unboxing craze
Walk the streets of Milan or scroll through TikTok, and you might feel like you’ve entered a parallel universe where tiny monsters dominate the fashion scene. This isn’t some design school project or the latest runway gimmick; it’s Labubu, and it’s everywhere right now. You'll find it on tote bags, hanging from Balenciaga crossbodies, and even glued to iPhones with pop sockets. Fashion students are obsessed with it, and it’s easy to see why.
From Niche Collectible to Viral Style Statement
This bunny-eared, sharp-toothed creature with a mischievous grin has taken over social media, Milanese sidewalks, and the minds of Gen Z style-setters. The lines outside Pop Mart stores? Endless. The resale prices? Wild. The fandom? Cult-like.
@graceglazee Labubu bag charm unboxing🧸✨🤍🌷 #labubu #bagcharm ♬ original sound - summer songs<333
So how did this creepy-cute collectible turn into TikTok’s most sought-after toy and a fashion statement?
Who Is Labubu? The Pop Mart Character Behind the Craze
Labubu is the brainchild of Hong Kong-based illustrator Kasing Lung, who first introduced it in 2015. Inspired by European fairy tales, the creature resides in a magical universe filled with a variety of other strange yet adorable characters.
Distributed by the Chinese art toy giant Pop Mart, Labubu was launched through their now-iconic blind box model, which adds an element of surprise for buyers, as they don’t know which figure they’ll get until they open the box. That randomness? Gen Z loves it.
Unlike conventionally cute characters such as Hello Kitty or a Sanrio plush toy, Labubu has fangs and a distinctive attitude. It looks like it might bite you, but in a playful way. That offbeat energy resonates perfectly with a generation that thrives on niche trends, internet in-jokes, and a sense of curated chaos. The weirder, the better.
The Best Labubu Figures to Buy in 2025
Milan’s Gen Z crowd has taken the Labubu obsession to new heights. You’ll spot Labubu figures clipped to Prada bags, worn as brooches on trench coats, or dangling from denim loops. It’s no longer just a collectible. It’s a badge of fashion fluency—a cheeky wink to high-low style mashups.
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Labubu meets luxury—serving looks on Hermès bags like a true icon.
Pop Mart’s flagship store on Corso Buenos Aires has seen fans queue from dawn ahead of major drops. The latest Labubu collection, Big Into Energy, featuring neon-glow and glittery finishes, sold out in under an hour. Limited-edition “secret” figures, which only appear with a 1.5% probability, are now being resold for hundreds of euros on platforms like Depop, Vinted, and eBay.
Fake Fashion, Real Obsession
Naturally, the Labubu trend has spawned its own ecosystem, extending beyond accessories to include full-on Labubu fashion. And not for people—for the toys themselves. Search “Labubu fit check” on TikTok, and you’ll see users dressing their dolls in miniature outfits that reflect the latest fashion trends.
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Labubu continues to ride the trend wave—cute, collectible, and everywhere.
There’s even a booming micro-industry producing knockoff designer outfits for them. Fake Prada, Chanel, and Miu Miu mini-ensembles are stitched and shipped across the globe. One TikToker proudly remarks: “Labubu is always in couture, even if it’s fake.”
This playful take on luxury perfectly captures Gen Z’s ironic consumerism: playful, performative, and slightly subversive. While they may not be able to afford a real Prada dress, their Labubu toy definitely can (kind of).
Labubu Unboxing Fever: TikTok’s Favourite Monster
The Labubu unboxing trend has taken TikTok by storm. If you search for hashtags like #LabubuUnboxing or #LabubuTheMonsters, you will find a plethora of videos showing figure reveals and fans reacting to rare finds. Labubu is now a content gold, with the hashtag #Labubu gathering over 1.4 million posts on TikTok.
Naturally, the Labubu craze has also given rise to a unique language within its community. Alongside unboxing videos, clips featuring Labubu of the Day outfit inspirations and toy styling ideas have gone viral.
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The latest Labubu V3 from The Monsters “Big Into Energy” Series.
One notable moment in this trend featured celebrity jeweller Johnny Dang unveiling a custom Labubu figure wearing a diamond grill. The caption read, “Drip so hard even my toy iced out.” This video garnered over two million views, solidifying Labubu’s place at the intersection of toy culture and luxury flex.
Labubu has clearly moved beyond just being a toy. It has become a way to express identity and a reference point for post-ironic humour. It is the Beanie Baby of 2025, only this time with street credibility.
From Counterculture to Capital Gains: Pop Mart’s New Economic Power
But this isn’t just a quirky trend. It’s big business. Pop Mart’s revenue soared by 107% last year, with the Labubu Monster line accounting for nearly $420 million in sales. CEO Wang Ning saw his fortune climb by $1.6 billion in a single week, now worth over $16 billion.
The Labubu line accounts for 23% of Pop Mart’s total income, and it’s not slowing down. Collaborations with fashion houses, artist editions, and streetwear partnerships are in the works, with rumours of a Labubu x Off-White drop potentially arriving later this year.
Why Ugly-Cute Is the New Aesthetic
What’s most interesting about the rise of Labubu is how it reflects a shift in our understanding of beauty, status, and taste. The “ugly-cute” aesthetic has become a hallmark of the Gen Z toy trend; this generation doesn’t care about picture-perfect. They don’t want polished. They want weird, niche, and full of vibes.
Labubu isn’t just a design; it’s a personality toy—a creepy-cute collectible with fangs and feelings that resonates deeply with the Internet generation.
It’s no coincidence that Labubu’s popularity has surged during a period of global uncertainty. In times of instability, people tend to seek emotional comfort objects. For Gen Z, that comfort doesn’t come in the form of a teddy bear. It looks like Labubu: weirdly cute, emotionally expressive, and totally memeable.
This viral collectible figure is more than a toy; it’s a statement, a mood, and a monstrous coping mechanism for an increasingly hyper-connected world.
Angelo Ruggeri
Journalist and Master, Styling, Business, Design Courses Tutor, Milan