Labubu Dolls- the little creature with crooked teeth and haunted eyes has crashed the internet overnight. Over 1 million TikTok posts with these dolls and a million unboxing and shelfie videos over YouTube, Instagram and other social media platforms have broken the internet. Do you know, over 300 distinct designs of these dolls have been released as of mid-2025 and in the resale market, they have sold over $150,000?
Half of the internet is obsessed with Labubu, especially Gen Z. Celebrities to influencers are showcasing their obsession with Labubu over different social media platforms. So, what’s behind this obsession?
The Labubu Dolls and their origin
What are Labubu Dolls? You might be thinking that there is a hidden meaning behind the creation of these dolls in China. But to your surprise, these dolls have no meaning. Labubu are just some normal dolls with ugly faces. Kasing Lung has created these dolls from the wild imagination of The Monsters series. By collaborating with the toy giant of China, POP MART, these dolls have been created.
According to the creators, they are good-hearted characters. They always want to help people, but somehow, screwing things up in the process. No elaborate backstory. No heavy symbolism. It is just ugly-cute. Then what is the reason behind this craze?
Despite having no real meaning, Labubu has sparked a global trend. Some global celebrity faces like Rihana, Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian and Blackpink’s Lisa endorsed these dolls, and suddenly a global race started to own this doll.
Moreover, these trends have spread more when Urvashi Rautela goes to attend a Wimbledon match with four different Labubu Dolls, which cost around $430. Social media is trying to create a trap that if you are not following the trends, then you are not cool.
The Power of Mystery Boxes and FOMO Marketing
POP MART is not selling toys; they gamified the entire experience. Just imagine, you are buying a product and do not know which one you will get. This is called the Blind Box model. POP MART used to send mystery packages to people, where they didn’t know which doll they would receive. They have reported to gain 75% of their revenue from this model, through mystery shoppers.
To deep dive into the blind box business model of POP MART, it’s necessary to understand their design strategy. They used to seal each doll in a mystery box. You might get a normal doll, or you might get a super rare and limited-edition figure by unboxing the box. It is the main thrill, the psychological gold to sell a simple product, which is not even in demand and does not address any problem.
But you know one surprising factor about the dolls? POP MART used to sell the dolls for $6, but in the resale market, a human-sized Labubu doll can be sold for around $150,000. The rarest Labubu Dolls can resell online for up $1000 or more, based on their exclusivity. This happened because of the hit of dopamine from unboxing mystery boxes and a little dose of FOMO.
POP MART use FOMO marketing by creating limited editions of the dolls and doing emotional gambling through Blind Box Mystery. They use the social media flex culture as their weapon, where influencers used to flex their rare finds on TikTok, Instagram and X. Hence, by not selling just the dolls, but also the feelings, the company geniously used the FOMO marketing.
Gen Z’s Aesthetic Rebellion
Perfection? Over it. Glossy influencer aesthetics? Boring. Gen Z is embracing way more real trends over flawless filters. They are following the ugly-cute revolution on social media. Labubu are the cornerstone of it.
Labubu resonates with Gen Z because of its weird, toothy and a little unhinged appearance. Gen Z have an affinity for ugly things. But where does that affinity come from? Gen Z grew up in digital playgrounds like Penguin to Webkinz. Here they learned about the process of accessorising their avatar to determine their social status. Then, Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp give us the right to professionally customise our avatars ourselves, and then Labubu crashed the party.
To outsiders, Labubu might appear as a weird-looking and unsettling doll. Here is the catch. Gen Z, who grew up in a digital media storm, has been accepting the ugliness of the dolls with their awkward grin and haunted eyes, along with their chaotic hair. For them, these dolls represent their messy, emotional and oddly lovable lifestyle to the world.
Hence, it’s become a kind of rebellion, where Gen Zs are not owning a doll; rather, they are owning a piece of their identity. In this way, Labubu became a cultural moodboard and a symbol of unconventional comfort of Gen Z.
TikTok, Shelfies and Status
In this digital era, Labubu sets the vibe. You can find millions of people are unboxing Labubus on platforms like Instagram and YouTube and getting millions of views, generating a dopamine hit for the viewers.
However, it does not stop at unboxing of the mystery box. Gen Zs are clicking shelfies. Shelfies refer to the personal altars of Labubus, often characterised by colour, theme and rarity. Through Shelfies, they used to flex their appearance on social media.
The showoff culture and the status perspectives also matter for the Labubus. When some celebrities like Lisa from Blackpink or Urvashi Rautela show off their Labubu collection, it creates a fear of being left out among their fandoms. Gen Z believes that owning a rare Labubu is about showcasing their status, taste and individuality.
What Labubu Really Represents?
At first glance, Labubu might appear meaningless, but when you deep dive into it, you can see the growing trend culture among Gen Z. And this is the future. Gen Z easily connects with Labubu because it represents their lifestyle, where they are messy, fail and still keep going.
Labubu offers a space to just be, where there is no hustle, no expectations, just vibes. This has set the trend of being okay with being misfit. Hence, this efficiently tapped the childhood nostalgia by reminding Gen Z about Pokémon cards or Webkinz, allowing for a mental reset.
However, let’s be honest, the Labubu trends fuel consumerism, FOMO and digital validation addiction. Although for celebrities and some kind of influencers, this trend might represent their aesthetic identity, for their fans, it can quickly spiral into a financial and emotional nightmare due to chasing trends because of FOMO. People need to make more informed decisions before getting trapped in such social media trends.
