Kasia Davies
Research expert covering global shopping behavior market
Labubu - statistics & facts
Labubu has become somewhat of an overnight sensation. For those not familiar with the name they are furry bag charms with vinyl monster-like faces. They are produced by the Chinese company Pop Mart which is known for its blind box collectibles. This means that when making the purchase shoppers do not know which plushie they will get. Furthermore, there are also secret Labubus which consumers have a 1-in-72 chance of getting when they open their box. As these toys are produced by a Chinese company, they were also subject to the tariffs imposed by President Trump’s administration. Thus, when the new line of Labubus was released in April 2025, U.S. consumers had to pay almost 28 U.S. dollars per blind box as opposed to 22 U.S. dollars, which was the price of the previous series. Shoppers in other countries were not subject to these price increases. However, it is worth noting that the price hike did not seem to deter people as the accessories still sold out in minutes.
Although Labubu has seen massive success over the past months, like with most viral trends they usually come and go relatively quickly, so it is likely that the hype will fade in time. However, there is an emerging trend of collectible toys being sought after by Millennials and Gen Z in particular so it is likely that trends such as Labubu charms will make a reappearance in the coming years.
Social media storm
There are currently over 1.3 million videos on TikTok under #labubu which is just an indication of their popularity. The blind box element gives an almost interactive element to the videos where the viewer feels like they are finding out with the creator what Labubu they got. The hype on social media has been mainly driven by younger consumers. One reason perhaps as to why they are so popular among Gen Zers is the limited quantity, most Labubus are sold out online and many stores have queues of people outside trying to get their hands on blind boxes. The exclusivity is perhaps also what makes the toys such a hit on social media as those who are not able to buy them can only partake in the trend by watching videos of the lucky ones who managed to get them before they sold out.Financial success
The success of Labubu is not just seen on social media but is also reflected in the financial figures from Pop Mart. Although the company had seen steady revenue growth in the past years there was a drastic increase from around 6.3 billion yuan in 2023 to over 13 billion in 2024 (the latter equates to roughly 1.8 billion U.S. dollars). When looking at the breakdown it’s clear that the product type that made the company the most money was ‘THE MONSTERS’, which is the IP under which Labubus were created. This category saw a 725 percent increase in sales from 2023 to 2024 which is just an indicator of the impact that social media has had on these bag charms.Although Labubu has seen massive success over the past months, like with most viral trends they usually come and go relatively quickly, so it is likely that the hype will fade in time. However, there is an emerging trend of collectible toys being sought after by Millennials and Gen Z in particular so it is likely that trends such as Labubu charms will make a reappearance in the coming years.
