The 'Labubu phenomenon' crowns Pop Mart and Chinese toy companies

Shanghai/Beijing.- The global success of the Labubu dolls, a collector's item and trend on social media, has elevated the company that produces and markets them, Pop Mart, also giving a new victory in terms of cultural export to China, whose toy companies are forced to reinvent themselves. Pop Mart's products, a company founded in Beijing, include designer figures, collectibles, and toys, as well as collaborations between creators and major brands that generate significant fervor among collectors and franchises with each new release.

Among them, Labubu stands out, a mischievous monster with pointed ears and a devilish smile inspired by Norse mythology. Designed in 2015 by Hong Kong artist Lung Ka-sing, Pop Mart identified its potential and added it to its product line, launching the first collectible figures in 2019.

Its popularity took off worldwide in recent months, partly thanks to the company's particular marketing strategy, consisting of launching limited editions of these toys, which has made them coveted objects of desire.

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Lam Sisi, a 38-year-old woman, explains to EFE that Pop Mart collectibles provide her with "emotional comfort value", which is why she regrets that some people hoard them to resell them at high prices: "It's sentimental damage". She has just paid 588 yuan (82 dollars, 72 euros) for a box of six Labubu series three dolls.

Forced to reinvent themselves

"For years, Chinese brands have sought to globalize by exporting heritage (cultural) and stories. But Labubu has broken that script. It doesn't try to explain China, just be adorable. They are telling a success story about China without even mentioning China," explained Chris Pereira, founder of the consultancy iMpact. Thus, the local press described the toy company as a major "exporter of soft power" for China, a country that for many years figured in Western minds as a producer of goods - for example, technological - at low cost but which has been achieving recent successes in cultural exports such as the video game 'Black Myth: Wukong' (2024). Labubu's success doesn't bring "special pride" to Lam, but he does believe it's a good way for "more quality Chinese brands to reach more people and be well-received."

Now, the Chinese toy sector, the largest in the world in terms of production and export, wants to reinvent itself, and Labubu leads the way: it is no longer enough to sell 'anonymous' products, the goal is to develop brands recognized globally.

Part of the blame also lies with tariffs, which have complicated the strategy of manufacturers that supplied large brands from countries like the United States, the destination of almost a quarter of Chinese toy exports.

Collectibles and AI, the Bet

"From surprise boxes to building blocks, from dolls to plush toys, popular brands have become an important force for the development of the sector," stated this summer the official news agency Xinhua, which highlighted the rise of "fashion and collectible" toys in China.

And the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), which has one of its great exponents in the Asian country, will help: in China, some are already starting to go viral, such as a sunflower that talks to children, creates stories for them, or answers their questions. For now, Labubu already has a 'nemesis': in recent months, another series of dolls called Wakuku - marketed by the popular retail chain Miniso - went viral in China, although it seems that for the moment it has not managed to achieve its fame internationally. And, following in the wake of Pop Mart, what the PandaYoo portal calls a "revolution in the toy sector" has emerged in China, with emerging brands like Top Toy - a subsidiary, precisely, of Miniso - seeking to become the next big success story.