KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 26 — Going to shopping malls and stumbling upon a long queue people outside a store has become a common sight these days. While these would typically be for new restaurants or clearance sales, increasingly they are forming — including some overnight — for the releases of limited edition items or rare collectibles. From sneakers to jewellery and even plushies, here are five collectable items that had Malaysians getting in line both physically and online.
1. Pop Mart’s Labubu Dolls You will be familiar with these dolls if you or those you know are into Blackpink, but for everyone else, they are plush toys designed by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung in 2015 and part of a larger group of characters called The Monsters The dolls are easily recognisable through their naughty grins, serrated teeth and pointy ears, and have been in the news as a result of the chaotic crowds trying to purchase them. While Pop Mart items are already known in the collectibles arena, the Labubu dolls exploded in popularity due to the Blackpink connection.
In April, Kpop star Lalisa ‘Lisa’ Manoban of Blackpink posted a photo with a Labubu Macaron figurine on Instagram, sending fans worldwide scrambling to get their hands on one. While the craze has subsided elsewhere, it is still well and alive in Malaysia, with pre-orders on Pop Mart still selling out near instantaneously. However, this has also led to unsavoury phenomena such as scalpers, scammers, and counterfeiters.
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