EXPLAINER: 10 Things to Know About Labubu, China’s Unlikely Self-Help Billionaire
By Kabir Abdulsalam
Labubu isn’t a businessman. It’s not a tech genius or a celebrity either. In fact, Labubu isn’t even a real person.
Labubu is a small, funny-looking toy with sharp teeth and big curious eyes—created by Chinese artist Kasing Lung. But don’t let the strange face fool you. This little figure has built a billion-dollar empire, winning the hearts of millions of young people across China and beyond.
What started as a simple drawing has become a symbol of comfort, creativity, and hope especially for young people who feel lost, tired, or just want to be themselves in a busy world.
Here are 10 things you should know about Labubu—how it went from a quiet sketch to a global pop culture icon.
1. Born from Trauma and Fantasy
Kasing Lung, a Hong Kong-born illustrator, created Labubu in 2015. Struggling with anxiety and childhood traumas, Lung used his art as therapy. Labubu with its wild eyes, fanged smile, and odd charm to represent the inner child in all of us: slightly broken, deeply curious, and endlessly resilient.
2. From Street Art to Luxury Collectible
From humble beginnings as sketches and limited figurines sold at underground exhibitions, Labubu now sits on store shelves beside designer bags in upscale malls. In 2023 alone, Pop Mart, the company that licensed Labubu, posted over $650 million in revenue, largely from blind box toys. Labubu remains its star product.
3. The Billion-Dollar Brand with No Voice
Labubu doesn’t talk. There’s no cartoon series, no voiceover, no commercials—just silent storytelling through facial expressions, posture, and imagination. Yet it resonates with millions of young Chinese who see themselves in Labubu’s rebellious innocence.
4. Symbol of Mental Health
In a high-pressure society driven by academic and career success, many Chinese youth have adopted Labubu as a symbol of quiet resistance. Fans say Labubu reminds them it’s okay to be weird, vulnerable, or imperfect. A 2022 Douban poll ranked Labubu among the “Top 5 Emotional Support Icons” for Gen
5. Queue for Hours Just to Buy a Box
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Labubu toys are often sold in blind boxes—customers don’t know which variant they’ll get. Limited edition sets can sell out in minutes. In Guangzhou, over 2,000 fans queued for more than 8 hours when a Labubu pop-up store opened in 2023.
6. Resale Value? Think Rolex, Not Rubik’s Cube
Rare Labubu figures resell online for jaw-dropping prices. One golden “Ancient Labubu” edition was auctioned for over ¥180,000 (approximately $25,000) on a collectibles site in 2024. Some collectors treat them as assets—yes, like crypto or watches.
7. Self Economy prosperity
Pop Mart, which went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2020, now boasts a market cap of over $8 billion, thanks in large part to Labubu’s success. With over 200 character variants and dozens of collaborations, Labubu is not just a toy—it’s a product line, an NFT, a clothing label, and even a mobile game avatar.
8. Global Ambassador
Labubu has transcended Chinese borders. From Tokyo to Bangkok, and even in pop-up stores in Paris and London, fans flock to own a piece of this monster. It’s no longer just “China’s collectible.” It’s a global pop culture export.
9. It’s Changing the Face of Entrepreneurship
Kasing Lung’s journey from a struggling artist living in a small flat to partnering with a billion-dollar company is now taught in creative entrepreneurship courses. It’s not just about business models, but about how vulnerability and storytelling can build a cult brand.
10. Labubu Is a Mirror—Not Just a Monster
Perhaps Labubu’s real power is psychological. It lets people feel seen. A fan once wrote on Weibo: “When I look at Labubu, I see my childhood, my awkwardness, my dreams. It’s ugly in the way life is ugly. That’s what makes it beautiful.”
Labubu’s story is not just about figurines or fangs, it’s about healing through creation, and rebellion through joy. In a world obsessed with perfection and performance, Labubu reminds us that imperfection is not failure it’s flavor.
So yes, Labubu may be a fictional creature, but its impact is very real. And in the landscape of billion-dollar brands, there’s something deeply human about the monster who made it to the top without ever uttering a word.
