Serrated teeth. Devillish eyes. Despite eschewing the traits of conventionally cute mascots, Labubu has emerged as one of the most sought-after figures in recent months.
In fact, this unassuming elvish toy is so popular that she has led to unruly crowds worldwide – even in Singapore. Back in April, there were reports of shouting and pushing among fans at the Pop Toy Show, held at Marina Bay Sands, as they fought for limited-edition Labubu items including an exclusive Labubu Merlion pendant. So what exactly is a Labubu and why is there so much fanfare surrounding her? Here’s what you need to know.
Labubu is a character in a series of stories called The Monsters by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung who was raised in the Netherlands. Inspired by Nordic fairy tales, Lung created The Monsters universe in 2015 and modelled his characters after elves, fairies and monsters. Characterised by her pointed ears, serrated teeth and fur, Labubu is described as kind-hearted and always wanting to help others – while accidentally doing bad things.
Other characters in The Monsters universe include Zimomo, Tycoco, Spooky and Pato. Fun fact: To tell Zimomo and Labubu apart, just look at their tails and faces – Zimomo has a spiked tail and a round face while Labubu doesn’t have a tail and has a squarish face. In 2019, Lung signed an exclusive licence agreement with Chinese toy maker Pop Mart – leading to the sales of blind box figures based on The Monsters.
Generally, Pop Mart figures.