SINGAPORE - How do you know when a toy is a big deal? When people are brazenly committing crimes like stealing it from bags or breaking into claw machines to get one. When hundreds of people are willing to queue overnight or get into shoving matches with each other, and the police have to step in. Also when bakers are making cakes in its image, and enterprising sellers offer to personalise your toy with braces, make-up, tiny clothes and custom identity cards.
But perhaps the true hallmarks of its popularity are a hot resale market and the inevitable appearance of fakes. If you’ve somehow been cocooned from the hype, let me introduce you to Labubu, the cheeky-faced, fanged elf toy that has stolen the hearts of its many adoring fans around the world. As a non-toy collector, I’ll admit I don’t get the hype.
But I’m intrigued at how Labubu excites not just the kids, but the adults too. To ease my confusion, I invited Jeremy Lee, 44, the business director for South-east Asia at Pop Mart International on this episode of The Usual Place to give me the lowdown on all things Labubu and how the collectible toy world works. Pop Mart is the international brand that owns the exclusive rights to the Labubu intellectual property (IP).
Also on the show is Yumiko Kayahara, 35, a KISS92 FM DJ, who collects not just Labubu but also other Pop Mart toys. So how did Labubu become a global superstar in 2024? “There is something quite universal about Labubu’s character and expression. So.
