The hairy puppets Labubu they are depopulating all over the world: attached to bags and backpacks of millions of people are becoming an increasingly sought after gadget especially by younger generations, generating endless files outside retailers and going Sold out In a very short time. Just in Milan, the temporary pop up store in the Rinascente recorded very long queues, with the goods finished almost instantly.
But what exactly they are These gadgets and why do we like them so much? These collector’s toys were born in 2015 from an idea of Kasing Lungan artist born in Hong Kong and raised in the Netherlands. It is precisely Lung that develops his passion for folklore and Nordic mythologymade of elves, fairies and legends, and decides to give life to a line of characters called “Monsters”, of which these Labubu are only one type.
Over time these accessories have become a real viral obsession, both in the field of fashion and in that of collecting: in general, their success can be traced back to different factorsfirst of all the trend born on social media such as Tiktok And then left the virtual world. To be considered, however, there are also gods mechanisms which are the basis of the marketing and the psychology of purchases, fromsurprise effect up to the sense of exclusivity which has been created around these objects. The chosen format, in fact, is that of Blind Boxes, “Mysterious boxes” that push fans to want to collect them all.
According to what reported by Forbesthanks to the Labubu the CEO of Pop Mart (the Chinese company that distributes these accessories) has earned in a single day 1.6 billion dollarsthanks to the surge in the stock exchange.
What they are and why everyone wants them: the surprise effect
But why the Labubu have become so famous Only now? Despite having designed them in 2015, Kasing Lung began to collaborate with the Multinational Pop Mart only in 2019, thus managing to reach an audience wider.
Today their success is mainly linked to trend born on social media, in particular on Tiktok, where the challenge of the “Labuubu secret”: The goal was to find the rarest version, with only 1 in 72 possibility of obtaining it according to the estimates issued by the company. In particular, the K-pop singer launched the fashion Lisa delle Blackpinkthat in an interview a Vogue He said “Labubu is my baby”.
From then on, these accessories have started to appear on the bags of some celebrities, such as Rihanna And Dua lipawhich have further pushed their diffusion.
To be considered, however, also other factors, linked to Marketing principles and to the purchasing psychology: the first of all is thesurprise effect which revolves around the Labubu. Each puppet, in fact, is sold within “Mysterious boxes” (Blind Boxes), which do not reveal the type of monster contained, incentivize So people buy them in order to be able to satisfy one’s curiosity. Also for the same principle, then, consumers are led to repeat the purchase to complete the different collections.
But the difference is also the sense of exclusivity That these lulabu have been able to generate: despite being now very famous, it is an object considered exclusively today, especially for the number of Available versions. The launch of collections in limited editions, among other things, has further favored this perception, fueling a scarcity principle which makes an object even more desired by most people. In other words, the more a product exists in scarce quantities, the more perceived by consumers as exclusive, and therefore desirable.
The last reason for success is probably in the form of these Labubu: according to experts, in fact, the characterization of these characters, in part beautiful and partly frightening, manages to create a mix of emotions who fascinates consumers and also pushes adults to want to wear them, customizing your style.
The cost can go up to $ 1000 for out of production versions
But how much they cost these labubu? If the price of the most common versions is between the 20 and 30 dollarsthe special editions (made in collaboration with influencers or large fashion brands) can cost up to 100/200 dollarswith peaks of beyond 4000 dollars For those out of production, the rarest.
According to what reported by Forbesthe growing popularity of these collectible toys brought Pop Mart’s CEO (the Chinese company that distributes the Labubu) to earn in one day 1.6 billion dollarsthanks to the surge in the stock exchange. Some sources mentioned by Financial Timeson the other hand, reported an increase in Sales of 700% for the Labubu line, with international earnings that today represent the 39% of revenues Total of the POP MART company.
In any case, Labubu are not the only example of unusual accessories Becoming famous all over the world: in the 2000s to depopulate were, for example, the key rings inspired by Winnie The Pooh. Also in that case, the mix between customization, trend of the moment and passion for the cartoon He had brought them all over the world.
