Wondering what that ugly-cute creature is dangling from the handbags of stylish passersby? Intrigued by the lines forming outside of Pop Mart stores all over the world? Those mischievous-looking plush toys-turned-fashion accessories are Labubus! And they are a global phenomenon — think Beanie Babies for the smartphone generations. We used our social listening and analytics solution to understand just how big the Labubu trend is, where it’s headed, and what marketers can learn from the craze.
What is Labubu?
Labubu is a line of plush toys based on characters originally created in 2015 by Hong Kong artist Kaising Lung. The elf-like creatures, including Zimomo, Tycoco, and the eponymous Labubu, come from Lung’s children’s book series The Monsters. In 2019, he partnered with Chinese retailer Pop Mart to create and exclusively sell the plush dolls, planting the seeds of the next global toy sensation. Pop Mart introduced keychain versions of Labubus in 2023, which leveraged the growing bag charm trend and boosted the brand’s popularity. And like so many things these days, the current mania around Labubus is directly tied to Lisa of Blackpink. In April 2024, she posted a picture of her hugging a Labubu doll. It and other photos of her sporting Labubu accessories supercharged the toy’s visibility and global demand. After having swept Asia, Labubu-mania firmly took hold in North America and Europe by the end of 2024. Today, it is arguably the biggest consumer trend in the world.
The toys, sold in “blind boxes” that conceal which version you are getting, have an enticing element of surprise to their buying experience (akin to Pokémon trading card packs, another current toy craze). That quality — along with the exclusivity, customizability, nostalgia, and community engagement — have helped fuel Labubu obsession.
How popular is Labubu in 2025?
Mentions of Labubu across all channels from January 1 to May 20, 2025.
From January 1 to May 20, 2025, there were about 876,000 mentions of Labubu across traditional and social media channels, including digital news, broadcast television, X, Reddit, Sina Weibo, Douyin, Pinterest, YouTube, Bluesky, and more.
The first significant spike of this year was on April 24, caused by the launch of the Labubu “Big into Energy” collection at Pop Mart. However, the biggest spike of 2025 so far was on May 13, when the collection was restocked. Labubu discussion has been going strong along with public pressure and demand, which has led to Pop Mart UK stores temporarily pausing sales.
Still, mentions in this first part of 2025 are about 11% lower compared to mentions in the same time period (139 days) prior.
Mentions of Labubu across all channels from May 19, 2024 to May 20, 2025.
This decline in overall volume is due to a 33x spike in mentions that occurred last year, on September 18, 2024, when social media discussion suddenly took off thanks in large part to two viral posts on X. Mentions also spiked 13x higher than average on November 22, 2024, following the launch of Thai jewelry brand RAVIPA’s Labubu Baby collection, a collaboration with The Monsters.
However, this slight decline in 2025, doesn’t mean that the Labubu trend is over. Not by far!
Reach and engagement of Labubu mentions across all channels from January 1 to May 20, 2025.
In 2025, mentions of Labubu are still trending upward. Plus, from January 1 to May 20, 2025, reach was up 76% and engagement was up 137% compared to the same time period (139 days) prior.
Collectively, these stats indicate that the Labubu craze has reached a new level of hype this year.
How do people feel about Labubu?
Sentiment of Labubu mentions across all channels from January 1 to May 20, 2025.
To the skeptics out there wondering, Do people really love Labubu, our sentiment analysis says yes. The overwhelming majority of non-neutral traditional and social media mentions from January 1 to May 20, 2025, were positive.
Are Labubu dolls more ugly than cute or more cute than ugly?
Mentions of Labubu and keywords "ugly" and "cute" across all channels from January 1 to May 20, 2025.
Labubu dolls are often referred to as ugly-cute, but which quality shines brighter? You heard it here first: The word “cute” is mentioned more often than “ugly” alongside mentions of Labubu. From January 1 to May 20, 2025, there were about 19,800 mentions of “cute” in discussions of Labubu, compared to about 4,000 mentions of “ugly.”
Who are some of the top Labubu influencers?
Some of the most engaged Labubu content this year has come from influencers around the world serving a wide range of audience interests. For example, video game and toy influencer Lana Rae’s Labubu unboxing YouTube short from February drew 1.2 million views in about three months. Meanwhile, travel influencer Baochi Travel’s March YouTube video about customizing a Labubu at a store in Spain drew over five million views in just two and a half months.
Over on Instagram, nonagenarian influencer chef Guadalupe Fiñana is a noted Labubu fan. One of her unboxing videos from February, in which seeing her new oversized Labubu doll brings her to tears, has nearly 700,000 likes. Tagging Pop Mart’s global and Spanish accounts, it generated about $880,400 in Estimated Media Value (EMV).
And perhaps most surprisingly, celebrity tattoo artist @crybabyhunter has emerged as a leading Labubu influencer (yes, he tattoos people as well as the dolls themselves). One post from February tagging Pop Mart’s US account, in which he shows off his extensive Labubu collection, has more than 1.2 million likes and generated about $1.5 million EMV.
Takeaways for marketers
There are infinite lessons to be learned from the Labubu trend, but here are a few that marketers should keep an eye on:
- Toys are HUGE across multiple age groups. Labubu’s popularity among adults and kids alike aligns with the nostalgia-kidult trend we’re seeing across consumer goods sectors. From Labubu to Pokémon to Squishmallows, nostalgic items that let shoppers tap into the carefree spirit of childhood are booming, and they’re not going anywhere.
- Viral trends connect communities. From tattoo artists to grandmotherly chefs, the wide range of audiences Labubu is resonating with shows just how important it is for marketers across sectors to stay tapped into viral moments and the narrative landscape around them. You may think your brand doesn’t have any connection to the latest big thing, but closer analysis can reveal opportunities for new partnerships and activations. Using social listening is key for detecting trends early and understanding how, and if, to join in.
- Scarcity and surprise are attractive. Limited availability and uncertainty transform shopping from an isolated non-event into a communal experience. Limited collections, gamified buying, and one-time events get viewers off of infinite scroll and into line for the latest drops.
