About LABUBUB & The Monsters
What is (a) "LABUBU"? Who are "The Monsters"?
By now you would've been exposed to the name "Labubu" across Singapore, even if you do not actively collect toys or even "Pop Mart" blind box figures. In this blog-feature, we will delve slightly deeper into the WHO, and WHAT, with a few videos to perhaps help
This blog-feature is a long-time coming, but what better way to (re)introduce this to new folks in a new year, for the trend currently sweeping thru Singapore, however long it can remain, especially with bootlegs proliferating everywhere else, enticing with its price-point and repackaged fun, IMHO.
WHO-ARE: "The Monsters" is a collection of characters created by Kasing Lung, a Hong Kong–born artist raised in the Netherlands. Influenced by Nordic folklore and mythology that he enjoyed during his childhood, Lung had created the story series "The Monsters", with the tribe consisting of Zimomo, Tycoco, Spooky, Pato and Labubu (Wikipedia).
WHAT-ARE: "Labubu" was first introduced in 2015, released as vinyl-made collectible figures and mini figures by How2Work, and subsequently with A Little Hut, along with collaborations with different artists like Japan's Shoko Nakazawa and T9G, Jackie Lam (AKA "009"), SHON from Taiwan, SML/StickyMonsterLab from South Korea and JPX from Thailand. Further popularity was achieved with releases with Pop Mart, first as blind boxed mini figures, and then grew into the monster (pardon the pun) is is today especially when it incorporated both vinyl material and plush.
LISA from South Korean girl-group Blackpink has been credited to have helped trigger the popularity of Labubu (beyond the niche toy-scene) by featuring the plush clipped unto her bag (yet another older trend of "dangles from hand-bags"), sparking a trend "that quickly contributed to its growing recognition in Thailand and other parts of Southeast and East Asia." Subsequent artists/entertainers/performers associated themselves with Labubu, as the trend continued to exploded across pop culture, not sparring even Lisa's group mate Rosé!
The notoriety of "Labubu" has transcended pop culture here in Singapore, with the blind boxes being sold across our small island's standalone stores/shops and no doubt via online sources, very much the M.O. for resale-toys, ala "Hello Kitty" craze from the early-2000s, which I have experie3nced myself first hand, even as I designed and art directed the TVC myself LOL
I have also very little doubt the popularity of Labubu-plush figures helped contribute to larger figure-collectibles being introduced on toy-shelves across the island too, as well as the increased price-point.
When Pop Mart built their "blind box"-scene in SG, the average price was on average under SG$16-$18, until the Kasing Lung X Kow Yokoyama series hit the SG$25 mark, the subsequently with Labubu plush-releases and it's ilk, we have entered the SG$29 and upwards of US$40 per blind box pull, on one hand increasing the perceived "value" of collectibles, much less the need to collect an entire set. And the releases are not letting up any time soon!
Irregardless of "price", the FOMO-allure of figures had people fighting over them, folks lord over multiple units, all waiting for the bubble to burst, but before that happens, even non-collecting friends have read about "Labubu" - which now is THE topic folks ask me about, when new acquaintances find out I blog about "designer toys".
As much as folks slam the trend, I too am aware that this'll help open more doors (and wallets) to "toy-collecting" across genres and ages, with the "hope" that collectors will be able to grow into other collectibles of the global toy-scene, beyond Pop Mart-releases and to global indie creators as well.
On one hand I am also appreciating the many ways folks are "adding" to the figures; from custom tailored clothes and accessories (reminding me of the glory days of collecting Blythe and Barbie), to vessels to contain the plush, or lit-up scooters for them to "ride", making it a all around "fun" and interactive experience to be had! All of which reminds me loads off my collecting 1/6th-scale hobby, so all is good, methinks LOL
"Collecting" the toys is one thing, but with said proliferation of the trend, inevitably comes non-licensed bootlegs... and similarly like the KAWS trend, multiple variations of LABUBU has since hit the market, with quality to match too. Scroll thru for some videos to perhaps aid in your identification of authenticity, which truthfully I have zero experience with, as I have neither collected the pre-Pop Mart incarnations, nor the current releases...!
@lb.review unboxes (a fake) LABUBU HAVE A SEAT series and compares it to the "real" Pop Mart version, in 2 videos!
ABOVE: (Part 1/2) UNBOXING FAKE 1:1 POPMART LABUBU HAVE A SEAT FULL SET
BELOW: (Part 2/2) HOW TO CHECK FAKE 1:1 VS REAL POPMART LABUBU THE MONSTERS HAVE A SEAT LATEST UPDATE & COMPARISON
Yet another look at REAL vs FAKE LABUBU... For sure there are TONS to be had, but these are what I managed to catch on my social TLs, so...
And not only is it invading toy-shelves, LABUBU is "entering politics" too??? With all that, it;s no small wonder there'll be doomsayers on the line too, which might well drive some "fans to gamble illegally on social media platforms"...!
"Social harms from blind boxes" ... Regulations for blind box purchases? Will it end anytime sooner than later?
