(Flickr)
If you’re like me and you live under a rock. You might be questioning the sudden rise to fame Labubus have experienced.
In this article I’m going to do a deep dive into Labubus to attempt to find out these four questions.
Where? What? Why? And how?
So, what is a Labubu? If you’ve managed to come this far without knowing at least visually what a Labubu is then congratulations, you live under a heavier rock then I do.
A Labubu is a line of collectible toy plush featuring the character “Labubu” a monster with sharp teeth, rabbit ears, and scruffy exterior. A design that can only be described as ugly cute.
(Unsplashed / David Kristianto)
Now where did this terrifyingly monstrous marketable plush come from? It all began back in the 2015 as a character designed by Kasing Lung as part of the “monsters” figurines collection produced by How2Works.
Following a collaboration with PopMart the toy would go on to gain further recognition before finally the event that skyrocketed the popularity through the roof.
In April of 2024, Lisa a member of the K pop group Blackpink was spotted with a Labubu keychain on her bag. This incident sparked the “Labubu Mania” we see today.
EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK, Labubu. Randomly shopping in the mall, Labubu. Taking a stroll around your neighborhood, Labubu. There is no escape you open Instagram, Labubu. Labubu had taken over the world but, how?
Many factors contribute to the success of Labubus ranging from simple marketing tactics to celebrity endorsements. The more I investigated it the more interesting it became as a case study for marketing. I won’t bore you with the details, however it is truly interesting if you like that kind of stuff.
So, how is it so popular. Well, the biggest factor being the celebrity endorsement, it brought Labubus onto a global scale, being loved by a global superstar certainly helps spread the word.
However, saying that just celebrity endorsement did all the work would be discourteous to the marketing magic that were deployed to popularize them.
First, Labubus are created in limited supply, once one is gone it’s gone for good, this instills people with the fear of missing out or FOMO. This is a very common strategy and works to prey on peoples fear of missing out as the name suggests.
Second, Labubus come in surprise boxes. If you don’t know what a surprise box is, it is a concept where products you buy come in a box which prevents you from knowing which specific one you got which in a way can be seen as gambling. What this does is tricks our monkey brains into feeling dopamine when we succeed or feeling the need to try again when we fail. Regardless of result it makes you more invested into the product and ensures it stays in your mind.
And with that, I hope you have a better understanding of the global phenomenon known as Labubu.
Written By: Matthew Lin
Contact: mlin114@my.bcit.ca