Chinese 'Labubu' Dolls Cause Global Craze
Original Price: 128,000 Won... Resale Value Surpasses 1.3 Million Won
Pop Mart Korea Temporarily Halts Sales Due to Safety Concerns
Recently, as the popularity of the Chinese character series 'Labubu' (LABUBU) has surged worldwide, some offline stores in South Korea have suspended sales due to safety concerns.
Girl group BLACKPINK members Lisa (left) and Ros? are smiling while holding Labubu dolls. Captured from Labubu and Ros? Instagram.
Labubu is a character doll created by the Chinese toy company Pop Mart, characterized by its fluffy fur, rabbit-like pointed ears, nine sharp teeth, and mischievous expression. These dolls are sold in random box format through Pop Mart. Since buyers do not know which doll they have purchased until they open the box, they must keep buying in order to obtain the one they want. Thanks to its unique appearance and rarity, Labubu has sparked a global collecting frenzy.
Recently, celebrities such as BLACKPINK's Lisa and Ros?, as well as pop star Rihanna, have been seen carrying Labubu dolls attached to luxury bags, elevating the dolls to the status of high-end accessories. Some rare models are traded at more than ten times their original price. On June 18, the limited edition trading platform KREAM announced that the transaction volume for Labubu in June had surged by 121% compared to the previous month and by 7,711% compared to the same period last year, making it one of the most popular items on the platform. In particular, the 'Labubu X Pronounce Fantasy Wing Doll', a collaboration with a fashion brand, has a retail price of 128,000 won, but its resale price on KREAM has exceeded 1.3 million won. At the Yongle 2025 Spring Auction in China, a 131cm limited edition Labubu doll was sold for 1.08 million yuan (about 200 million won), further proving its popularity.
As Labubu's popularity has rapidly spread and 'open runs' have occurred at domestic stores, raising safety concerns due to overcrowding, Pop Mart Korea decided to temporarily suspend sales. In a recent official statement, Pop Mart Korea said, "Due to concerns about safety incidents at recent offline sales locations, we have decided to temporarily suspend offline sales of the entire Labubu series, prioritizing customer safety above all else." The company added, "We will do our best to provide even more satisfactory service," and apologized for any inconvenience caused. However, there was no specific mention regarding the status of online sales or the schedule for resuming sales.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
