Labubu Index: How children's toys are manipulated by adults

According to Yandex statistics, May was the peak month for queries with the keyword "Labubu." The number of requests has exceeded a million. The last weeks of the month, every day over 100 thousand users of the search engine were looking for information about the toothy Labubu. Thus, the toy reached the level of popularity of spinners, pop-its and Haggi Wagga. But Labuba has one significant difference from previous viral idol toys - she hurts her wallet.

In Russia, in April 2025, the Labubu keychain cost an average of 6457 rubles, in May the cost decreased, but not by much - to 5658 rubles. In the country as a whole, the price of Labubu in different versions (key chains, soft toys, etc.) decreased by almost one and a half times in the spring - from 9.3 to 6.5 thousand rubles. However, in the secondary market, some copies of toys can cost from 20 to 50 thousand rubles.

Agree, a toy for 50 thousand rubles is a serious check for the wallet and nerves. Moreover, a child can forget about Labuba in two or three days, as before that he forgot about the plush goose, capybara and Haggi-Waggi.

So what is this viral monster, and where did it come from? The toy has a cute creepy appearance attractive to some people. This style got its own name "ugly cute." Labuba looks like a rabbit, but with a huge toothy smile and massive sharp ears. Plus Labubu has huge attentive eyes. This combination of frightening and cute made them super-popular first in Asia and now in Russia.

This monster was taken from the creative workshop of Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung. Back in 2015, he published a comic book series called... suddenly - The Monsters. The main character of the comics was Labubu - a monster girl from the forest, terrible on her face, kind inside. In 2019, the Chinese corporation became interested in the characters of Kasing Lung, which turned Labuba into collectible figures and plush toys.

Recently, the company decided to release Labuba into the big world as a social experiment. In previous years, monstrics have been popular within China and slightly elsewhere in Asia. Then the invisible hand of the marketer snapped her fingers, and the monster in public was lit up by the singer Fox from the group "Blackpink." She showed a photo with a Labubu key fob attached to a luxury bag.

Following with toys Labubu, singers Rihanna and Dua Lipa appeared in front of fans. This served as a signal for the start of a global trend. A keychain in the form of Labubu has become a fashion accessory among girls. They began to hang on expensive bags, take pictures, collect collections from a group of monsters. Now collections include up to 12 figures, one of them is always rare. There are giant versions of Labubu, and key rings, and designer lines for Halloween.

But the main driver of Labubu's popularity has become social networks. It was video content that provided Labub with an avalanche of popularity that led to brand recognition and explosive sales growth. Video platforms brought true fame. Moreover, the semantic load in each of the social networks was reasonable and dosed.

Short videos have become the main carriers of the Labubu virus. Thousands of users sculpted a variety of content with the participation of the monster: challenges, unpacks, projects for sewing clothes and accessories for the toy. The ease of creating and sharing content made it possible to quickly spread information about Labubu to a wide audience.

Another famous video platform has become a platform for creating longer and more informative content about Labubu. Video bloggers with a large audience published detailed reviews of toys and had a long-term impact on the formation of the audience's opinion about Labubu. Thus, a steady desire to buy a toy was stimulated.

Designers did not stay away from the wave. At Milan Fashion Week, Labuba was shown on the clothes of a popular brand. The demand for these toys is also fueled by the fashion for "body kits" of bags. If earlier girls were limited to chains and keychains, now it is mini-monsters that are in fashion. The brighter, weirder and more expensive Labubu is on the bag, the more prestigious.

The next step for marketers in the struggle for fame for Labubu and demand among buyers: toys are produced in the form of a "blind box" - closed surprise boxes. The buyer does not know which character will come across. Labubu's standard set includes six figures: five open and one "secret".

The buyer does not know which version he will receive. The use of "blind box" gives the consumer a sense of excitement and encourages multiple purchases, especially among children and adolescents. It's a dishonest trap that causes gaming addiction, akin to ludomania, but it works. This technique increased sales: some are ready to buy several boxes with Labubu at once in order to "catch" a rare monster and collect a complete collection of images. Limited editions only increase the interest of collectors.

The success of the Labubu brand is indisputable, but behind it lies a number of dangerous nuances that experts, parents and even government regulators in different countries pay attention to. Some experts compare the blind box sales model with loot boxes in video games, which cause addiction and form unjustified expectations and dissatisfaction in a child.

Since many adults have become victims of Labubu's hobby, psychologists have already made their own, disappointing conclusions about the state of Russian society. They believe that seemingly accomplished people buy Labuba to return to childhood, compensating for the stress and instability of modern life. There is an infantilization of society: adults keep children's patterns of behavior longer and longer, which makes toys like Labubu attractive to middle-aged people. In addition, the high price gives Labuba the magic of a status item, emphasizing belonging to the "chosen ones".

One of the main concerns for parents and psychologists: the strong attachment of the Labubu brand to social networks. Promotion of the toy is based primarily on content in a well-known video platform, and it is volatile and unstable. Trends can change rapidly: today Labubu is an object of desire, and tomorrow interest in it may fade sharply. Dozens of other hype toys have already gone this way.

As already mentioned, the success story of Labubu resembles the rise of the previous idol of children - Haggi Wagga, the hero from the game. At first, he became the object of desire of children and collectors, but then caused irritation of parents, concern of psychologists and even law enforcement agencies. And now Roskachestvo has already announced its intention to check the safety of Labubu monster dolls for children.

By the way, scammers also did not stay away from the fashion for Labuba. According to F6, the number of cases of theft of Telegram accounts has sharply increased on the network. The user is lured with an offer, allegedly, to receive a monster Labuba as a gift, offering to enter a verification code, which in fact gives attackers access to the account.