What the Hell Is a Labubu—and Why Is It Beating Your Brand at Marketing?
Something wild is happening.
Adults are lining up at dawn. Resale prices are surging past Taylor Swift tickets. Influencers are flexing plush goblins like they’re the new Birkins. A gremlin-looking, snaggle-toothed monster with no movie, no backstory, and no mainstream media machine behind it has hijacked the internet.
Welcome to Labubu Summer.
It’s giving Beanie Baby panic. It’s giving Tamagotchi-core chaos. It’s giving iPhone launch energy—except with goblins. Fuzzier, freakier, and fully global. And behind the chaos is something every marketer should be paying close attention to.
Because Labubu isn’t just a TikTok trend. It’s a masterclass in fandom, community, and how analog weirdness can win in a digital-first world.
First: What the Fuzzy Hell Is a Labubu?
Labubu is a plush monster designed by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung and produced by Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company known for blind-box drops and fandom-fueled hype.
Think: if a Furby joined a punk band, did mushrooms, and went viral on TikTok.
Labubu originated from a whimsical fantasy world Lung created called “The Monsters,” which draws inspiration from European folklore—particularly Scandinavian mythology. Labubu itself was first introduced as a mischievous woodland creature inspired by Nordic goblins, trolls, and fairytale tricksters. In Lung’s world, it’s a curious, unpredictable creature who lives in the forest and causes just enough chaos to stay lovable.
Labubu dolls come in dozens of mysterious variants, sold in blind boxes you can only open after you buy them. Some are dressed as frogs. Others as pirates, ghosts, or ghouls. There’s a whole undead aesthetic. The point is: you never know what you’re gonna get—and that’s the thrill.
They don’t talk. They don’t have an animated series (yet). But they have a jingle. A viral TikTok sound (that will haunt you for days). A resale market. And a vibe.
This summer, Labubu mania hit like a plush meteor. Rihanna, Dua Lipa, and BLACKPINK’s Lisa all showed them off. Fans camped outside Pop Mart stores. A Miami drop turned into a near-stampede. NPR called it "the weirdest thing to go viral this year."
Even pop star Benson Boone asked the question we’ve all had: “What the actual hell is a Labubu?”
The answer? A marketing phenomenon with 32 tiny teeth and a billion-dollar valuation behind it. Pop Mart’s CEO, Wang Ning, is now worth over $1 billion, thanks in part to the global success of this plush antihero.
And while fans continue to line up for the real deal, a darker market has emerged: Lafufu—the faux Labubu—has entered the chat. Like any cultural juggernaut, Labubu has inspired fakes, clones, and wannabes. But nothing matches the real thing.
I’ve Seen This Before. But Not Like This.
As someone who’s worked in brand strategy for decades, I’ve seen the cult moments: Beanie Babies, Tamagotchis, Cabbage Patch riots, early Apple launches. I’ve seen communities build around things that felt like a movement, not just a product.
But this one is different.
Labubu isn’t about a cartoon or a franchise. It’s not being sold with a 360 campaign. It emerged from the internet, yes—but it thrives in real life. People aren’t just liking posts. They’re showing up. Swapping dolls. Lining up at stores. Singing the jingle with their toddlers. Forming clubs, alliances, rivalries. Getting tattoos. Starting resale businesses.
One night, I watched a Labubu YouTube video with my two-year-old. Within seconds, she was wide-eyed and glued to the screen. Now she demands the song on repeat. The same fuzzy demon that’s captivating influencers is also hypnotizing toddlers. That’s range.
It’s cute. It’s chaotic. And it’s a roadmap.
What Brand Market Can Learn
Let’s put on our HBR blazer for a moment and break it down. Because while this might look like plush chaos from the outside, the underlying dynamics are strategic gold.
1. Surprise is the New Scarcity
Blind-box drops aren’t just about limited quantity. They’re about mystery. Dopamine hits. Repeat behavior. It’s the psychological cousin of the swipe. Labubu turned supply unpredictability into a collector's obsession.
Your move: Stop trying to be everything to everyone. Create exclusivity through unpredictability.
2. Digital Fuels the Fire, But Real Life Builds the Flame
Yes, Labubu went viral online. But the phenomenon exploded because of in-person connection. Fans waited in line. Swapped duplicates. Created rituals. The same reason Apple launches used to matter—it wasn’t just about the product. It was about being part of the line.
Your move: Don’t just chase impressions. Design for IRL obsession.
3. Brand As Personality, Not Perfection
Labubu isn’t cute in a Disney way. It’s got jagged teeth and weird energy. That’s the point. It’s a character, not a mascot. And in an era of corporate beige, people are craving strange with a soul.
Your move: Stop sanding off the edges. Weird is sticky. Weird scales.
4. Community-Led Brands > Content-Led Brands
There is no multi-million-dollar ad campaign behind Labubu. There is only fandom. That fandom makes the content. Drives the trade. Creates the rules.
Your move: Give your community tools. They’ll do the storytelling for you.
5. Story > Product
Labubu doesn’t need to tell you what it is. The fans do that for you. They create the backstory. They give it lore. In a world of infinite choice, stories are the glue.
Your move: Stop selling features. Start building folklore.
Final Thought: This Is About All of Us
Labubu Summer isn’t just a Gen Z thing. It’s a human thing.
It’s about the joy of surprise. The thrill of belonging. The way a weird little goblin can spark a shared story in a time when everything else feels algorithmically isolated.
We don’t read the same newspapers anymore. Our feeds are fragmented. Our attention is scattered. But Labubu? Somehow, everyone got the message.
And they showed up. In person. Together.
There’s a lesson in that for all of us.
Not every brand needs a plush monster.
But every brand should be asking: Would anyone wait in line for what we’re building?
