Whether you believe that they are cute, ugly or just strange, likely you have heard about the cute doll that has become a global sensation – Labubu.

The birth of a demon, a creature like Yogini from Chinese toy manufacturer Pop Mart is now a viral purchase. And there is no shortage of celebrity advocates: Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian and Lisa of Blackpink. Ordinary folk is just obsessed with – from Shanghai to London, long queues are in the headlines to snap the doll, Sometimes they get into a quarrel,

“When you are able to achieve it in the midst of such a fierce competition, you get a sense of achievement.”

The world’s attraction with Labubu has almost three times the profits of pop mart in the last one year – and, according to some, even the Chinese soft power has affected, which has been incited by an epidemic and a stressful relationship with the West.

So how did we get here?

This is a question that still bothers many people – and even those who know the answer are not sure that they can explain the craze.

Labubu is a fictional character and a brand. The word does not mean anything. It is the name of a character in the “The Monsters” toy series created by Hong Kong -born artist Cassing Lung.

Vinyl face are attached to the luxurious body, and come with a signature – pointed ears, big eyes and a mischievous smile that shows exactly nine teeth. A curious internet yet cannot decide whether they are adorable or bizarre.

According to the official website of his retailer, Labubu is “kind and always wants to help, but often accidentally receives the opposite”.

Labubu Dolls have appeared in many series of “the Monsters”, such as “Big in Energy”, “Have a seat”, “exciting macaron” and “fall in wild”.

The Labubu brand also has other characters in their universe, who have inspired their popular dolls – such as tribal leaders Zimomo, her lover Tycoko and her friends MCOCO.

For untrained eye, some of these dolls are difficult to separate from each other. The connoisseur people will know, but Labubu’s fame is definitely rubbing, flying from the shelves with other family samples.

A major part of pop mart sales was the so -called blind boxes – where customers only came to know what they opened when they bought the package – for a few years when they tied with a casting lungs for Labubu’s rights.

This was 2019, when Entrepreneur Wang Ning opened pop mart as a type of shop in Beijing as a type of shop. When the blind boxes succeeded, Pop Mart launched the first series in 2016, selling sculptures like a child made by Molly Dolls – Hong Kong artist Kenny Wong.

But it was Labubu sales that promoted the growth of pop mart and in December 2020, it began selling shares at Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In the previous year, those stocks have increased by more than 500%.

Pop Mart itself has now become a major retailer. It operates over 2,000 vending machines worldwide, or “Roboshops” worldwide. And now you can buy shops, physical or virtual in more than 30 countries from the US and Britain to Australia and Singapore, although many of them have recently stopped sales due to heavy demand. The sales outside the mainland China contributed about 40% of their total revenue in 2024.

In the indication of how popular Labubas had become, Chinese customs authorities said this week that they had seized more than 70,000 fake dolls in recent times.

However, the demand did not increase throughout the night. It took a few years to break the alphine demons in the mainstream.

His fame was limited to China before the world was discovered. According to Ashley Dudrenok, founder of China-centric research firm Chojan, he became a hit as a country from epidemic in late 2022.

She says, “Post-Pandemic, many people in China felt that they wanted to escape emotionally … and Labubu was a very attractive but chaotic character. “It embodied that anti-opposing.”

The Chinese Internet, which is huge and competitive, produces lots of viral trends that do not go global. But it did one and its popularity quickly spread to Southeast Asia.

Fiona, who lives in Canada, says that she first heard about Labubu from Filipino friends in 2023. When she started buying them – she says she finds them cute, but her growing popularity is a major draw: “The more popular it becomes, the more I want it.

“My husband does not understand that in the 30s, why a person will be cured on something like this, such as what color to get.”

It helps that it is also inexpensive, she says. Although the rising demand has increased prices on the second -hand market, Fiona says that the original price, which was “acceptable” for most people, ranging from $ 25 canadian dollars (£ 18; £ 14) to 70 Canadian dollars.

She says, “It is too much how much the cost of a bag accessory will be the cost these days, most people will be able to tolerate it.”

Labubu’s popularity increased in April 2024, when Thai-born C-Pop superstar Lisa began posting photos on Instagram with various Lebubu dolls. And then, other global personalities converted the doll into an international event this year.

Singer Rihanna was photographed in February with a Labubu toy shutting from her Louis Witon Bag. Influencer Kim Kardashian shared the collection of 10 Labubu dolls with his Instagram in April. And in May, former England football captain Sir David Beckham also took to Instagram with a picture of a Labubu given by his daughter.

Now the doll feels universal, regularly seen not only online but also on friends, colleagues or passers -by.

Simply say, we do not know. Like most viral trends, it is difficult to explain Labubu’s appeal – the result of time, taste and randomness of the Internet.

Beijing is definitely happy with the result. State news agency Xinhua says that Labubu reflects the appeal of Chinese creativity, quality and culture in a language that the world can understand “, while everyone gets a chance to see” quiet China “.

Other examples of Xinhua are “Chinese Cultural IP Global” Show: Video Game Black Myth: Wukong and Hit Animated film Neja.

Some analysts wonder that Chinese companies – from EV manufacturers and AI developers to retailers – are very successful despite Western disagreement on Beijing’s ambitions.

Chris Perera, founder and chief executive officer of the consultancy firm Impact, told BBC News, “Beed, Dipsek, all these companies have a very interesting thing, including Labu.”

“They are so good that no one cares with China. You cannot ignore them.”

Meanwhile, Labubu continued social media followers with millions of people, in which the new owners were watching their prized purchases. One of the most popular videos posted in December, the security personnel of the eager American airport revolving around the uncontrolled Labubu box of a passenger, which dolls are inside.

That element of surprise is a major part of the appeal, Desmond Tan, a long -time collector says, as he revolves around a pop mart store in Singapore, which strictly shakes the blind boxes before deciding which one to buy. This is a common vision in pop mart.

The Desmond “Chaser” collects the characters, a special version from the various toy chains of pop mart, including Labubu. On average, Desmond says, he finds one in one of every 10 boxes. This is a good strike rate, he claims, compared to specific obstacles: one of the 100.

“Being able to get the chaser from shaking the box, learning to feel the difference …”, “It is deeply satisfactory for him.

“If I can get it in just one or two attempts, I am very happy!”