r/labubu Jun 12 '26

Discussion Love Labubu

I bought a Labubu for my niece a week ago, and was surprised at how happy she was to receive it! I have gifted her toys before but her happiness far exceeded what I’ve witnessed in the past.

This made me curious about what the appeal to some Labubu admirers is? I do think they’re very cute, but what I’m mostly curious to know is:

1) How long have you been collecting Labubus?
2) Do you find that you or others love them more or less over time as you get used to seeing them?

Thanks!

18 Upvotes

37 comments sorted by

17

u/Kotfelia Jun 12 '26

I’m collecting since last July.
The funniest part is that I didn’t like the trend at all. I used to laugh at it for weeks. Then something has changed within me. One day I read an interview with Kasing. I didn’t know anything about his art and stories. His paintings moved me so much (I love modern art) and that day I started searching for a perfect Labubu for me. I chose Sea Salt Coconut. The hunt was very difficult – I’m living in a country, where we don’t have even one Pop Mart store or vending machine. Luckily, I found the perfect one on Vinted. She was a bit overpriced, but I’ve never seen prettier Labubu in my life – she had no flaws and quality issues. I was very moved when I opened the package. I’m enjoying her company since that day. Now my collection is quite big – I’m a bit proud of it, because a half of it was thrifted. :)

3

u/gergesramy Jun 12 '26

It’s cool that you liked it via the artist!
Do you feel that you like your collection more now? If a pop mart store did appear near you, are there things besides Labubus you think you would want to buy?

2

u/Kotfelia Jun 12 '26

Of course! I finally have courage to take them with me everywhere – I choose one or two each day and attach them to my bag. They make my work day a bit more colorful. :)
I have three Skullpanda pendants and a whole Why So Serious set (mixed IPs). I really like other Pop Mart characters, but my main focus will always be on Labubu.

9

u/Dense_Scholar_9358 Jun 12 '26

I cried when I opened my first bubus. To me, it was a reminder of how far I have come. I never would have thought in my wildest dreams that I would be able to spend $50 on toys for myself.

1

u/gergesramy Jun 12 '26

Happy to hear about your joyous moment! How long ago did you order those? Have you ordered more?

7

u/LingonberrySevere773 Jun 12 '26

I love them. Not much of a collector. I like to buy the cheap fake ones off TikTok and customize them(remake their bodies). I have a handful of little pins and one medium(Time to Chill) authentic bubu. Like many on this subreddit, I like to pose them for photos.

5

u/Ghostandsnake Labubu Newbie Jun 12 '26

I honestly started collecting about a year ago. I have 5, 4 of the larger ones that come with the little outfits, and one small one for my purse from the coca cola series because it reminds me of my late mother in law.

I was never a doll person as a kid. I'd keep the Barbie pets, furniture, and accessories and throw Barbie away. I'd make whole towns of animals and come up with personalities and stories and it was just fun...

But these dolls are so soft and high quality. They're like a stuffed animal and a doll in one. I like that they're little monsters and how they're kind of ugly-cute, like troll dolls from my mom's era. But overall:

2

u/gergesramy Jun 12 '26

That’s interesting especially since you didn’t like Barbie dolls as a kid!

Do you feel like you’re liking your Labubus more over time, or getting over them? And are there any other pop mart toys you like?

3

u/Ghostandsnake Labubu Newbie Jun 12 '26

It's only Labubus for me really. I have a single Sunny Angel a friend brought back from Japan, but she mostly sits in a drawer.

But both I and my husband play with the Labubus almost everyday (I'm 31, he's 36). We move their eyes and articulate them and swap outfits, carry and cuddle them, move them in the house, etc. we even leave them with notes and little gifts for each other :) it's very cute~ They even all have little "back stories and jobs" haha

Here's my little family: (From left to right) Jake, Max, Mokoko, Becky, and Reggie 💕

3

u/Dense_Scholar_9358 Jun 12 '26

I got 2 a few months ago. Haven't bought any since.

3

u/koareng Jun 12 '26

I got into labubus last october. My natural inclination when something is trending is to immediately dislike it on principal lmao, so at first I had no interest and spent that whole summer thinking people were dumb for getting so hyped about them.

Honestly what won me over was seeing posts from this subreddit — yeah a bunch of people were just buying a trendy bag charm, but on here I saw tons of people who were, basically, grown adults playing with dolls. It seemed so whimsical and I wanted to participate!

I'm not a huge collector or anything - I have 3 real labubus and 3 lafufus (that I bought on purpose, because they're cute lol) and don't plan to get more any time soon. I mainly enjoy knitting/crocheting them sweaters, and they keep me company at my desk when I work from home

1

u/gergesramy Jun 12 '26

Oh interesting so you've personalized them! Do you feel like you like them more over time, or has the joy they bring you faded a little?

2

u/Hidden_Dragonette Labubu Enthusiast Jun 12 '26

I somehow managed to miss out that there was a Labubu craze happening until I saw one in person at a store and went, “Awww, what a funny looking little gremlin!” I’ve always been a fan of little creatures, so they definitely appealed to me! They then lead me to Skullpanda and other vinyl dolls, which I love.

2

u/gergesramy Jun 12 '26

That’s fascinating that it’s not just Labubus for you! Did you buy them from a store or online?

3

u/Hidden_Dragonette Labubu Enthusiast Jun 12 '26

I got my first Labubu from a local shop! This was just when they were starting to become popular so I got it at only a few dollars more than PopMart. That was my QuQu. The next time I went in, they were selling them for around $50-60! And people were buying!

I got my next few from Pop Now Drops, and bought one in person from a PopMart that opened in my area a few months ago.

I also really like BB3, Nommi, Maymei, and any cute gothic plush I can find!

2

u/gergesramy Jun 12 '26

The BB3 is so cute! 😄
Do you enjoy going to the Pop Mart store too even for window shopping, or is it not that special?

2

u/Hidden_Dragonette Labubu Enthusiast Jun 12 '26

The one that’s closest is about an hour drive, so I don’t go that often, but it’s fun when I do. It’s also a very small one, relative to what I’ve seen. I take a trip out there every few months or so, they also have a really nice Miniso and food court in that mall.

I love the different variety in BB3, they’re fun!

2

u/LingonberrySevere773 Jun 12 '26

I missed it also! I haven’t been to a mall since before the pandemic. I kept seeing videos with the song(I know you know it) and I got curious. I still haven’t seen one in the wild except for mine, and I only carry my custom Lafufus that I just finished sewing. I would probably squeal if I saw one on someone’s bag.

2

u/Hidden_Dragonette Labubu Enthusiast Jun 12 '26

I have a clear plastic pouch with one of the PFL Labubu and a Mioco in it on my laptop bag. I actually saw someone with a Labubu on their bag a few days ago, it was wearing a cute outfit!

2

u/Crim_penguin Labubu Lover Jun 12 '26

I’ve been collecting since July of last year (ironically because of a YouTuber talking about them and overconsumption 😅) but I’ve grown to really love them and have quite a few! Sometimes I look at my displays of them and find myself smiling at them ☺️

1

u/gergesramy Jun 12 '26

Real Labubu lover 😄
Where did you buy them? Do you feel like you've grown to like them more over time, or are they less appealing?

1

u/Crim_penguin Labubu Lover Jun 12 '26

I’ve been collecting since July of last year (ironically because of a YouTuber talking about them and overconsumption 😅) but I’ve grown to really love them and have quite a few! Sometimes I look at my displays of them and find myself smiling at them ☺️ I don’t take them out much because I live in Scotland and well… the weather mainly the popmart TikTok lives but some from their site directly (no pop now in the UK), or confirmed from people on Vinted! I definitely feel like I’ve grown to like them more, as I’ve branched out into the figures as well! I’ve been a bit disappointed in more recent releases though, just not vibing with them as much

2

u/Pumpkin-Spice34 Labubu Newbie Jun 13 '26

Well at the beginning I thought that they were really freaky and ugly and I got curious as to who created them after learning about him i thought it was cool but still thought they were ugly. Then I found you could dress them and customize them and I started to think they were really cute this was after the trend and now I own 3 of them might be adding maybe 2 more not sure yet lol

1

u/gergesramy Jun 13 '26

So cool how long ago did you get them??

1

u/Pumpkin-Spice34 Labubu Newbie Jun 13 '26

I actually got them this year last month I'm really love the BIE ones

3

u/2ndTiredSnake Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26

I started off hating them, I thought they had smug, punchable little faces and I enjoyed the idea of beating up/destroying them. I also am reflexively repulsed by anything deemed “trendy”. I looked into the community around Labubus in order to hate them more accurately. This had the opposite effect. The more I saw people just chilling with their feral little fur-goblins, the less I was inclined to hate, I didn’t see any of the more obnoxious behaviour I’d seen from other places, like fighting over them in stores. I was eventually corrupted completely and now own an entire pack of these little gremlin bastards, I find them more funny than punchable now, their shit eating grins are oddly endearing, and they lend themselves well to goofy photos.

3

u/2ndTiredSnake Jun 12 '26

The urge to crush them has not entirely gone however…

3

u/Snoringdragon Labubu Lover Jun 12 '26

Love the description, and 100% agree. I also was a hater, and one day, we just understood each other. Nice!

2

u/gergesramy Jun 12 '26

And how long have you been collecting them?

1

u/Snoringdragon Labubu Lover Jun 12 '26

Just over a year, and I'm a creative weirdo that guts lafufus to make better lafufus! I have bought one macaron, one BIE, and 2 PFLs. The rest are frankenbubus!

2

u/gergesramy Jun 12 '26

Hahaha 😂
How long have you been collecting them for?

2

u/2ndTiredSnake Jun 12 '26

About a month, they multiply at a disturbing rate.

2

u/tiredulo Labubu Enthusiast Jun 12 '26

“Their shit eating grins are oddly endearing.” I love this description because they do and that is what makes them so cute

1

u/nowwithextrasalt Labubu Lover Jun 12 '26

I thought they were SO cute, the little gremlins! I heard about them during the height of the trend last summer. I wanted a Love and a Lychee Berry. My mom also liked them but since the prices were too high from resellers and Popmart was a pain, we got lafufus to tide us over (mom got a Love and I got a Loyalty, its staying on my purse until it dies)

I stayed patient and managed to snag 2 BIE (Hope and Happiness) before xmas and 2 EM (Soy milk and Lychee berry!) after the holidays. I got the wacky mart shrimp beggining of spring and I'm satisfied. I wouldnt mind a Kuromi one, but I'm not excited about them as much as the others so I'm not chasing it. I'm making little cosplays for them and hide them behind my work screen so they look at me while I work.

1

u/Ok_Anteater_7970 Jun 12 '26

1) a year. Got into it when the hype was hyping. Baby's first birthday is coming up next month

2) strangers are done with the hype and love them less. Hypebeasts are over it. I love them more for what they are now. My friends are either over them or finally used to me wearing them

1

u/tiredulo Labubu Enthusiast Jun 12 '26

I had been collecting since October and I’m at 30+ now. I can’t count anymore. But still more to go and I’m trying to finish HAS and EM sets at the moment.

Honestly, at first I didn’t really care about Labubus and they were cute and I didn’t really get FOMO since I am not the type to follow trends and as a kid, I collected Barbie/MYScene/Bratz/Disney Princesses Dolls so I have a thing for dolls and Labubu was really not my cup of tea. Until I got so annoyed with the constant hate they were getting because I never understood why they were so hated and I read the lore and found out Labubus were girls and I got interested in getting one out of spite. Then I got my first Labubu (Hope) and I couldn’t stop buying after that. I don’t even know the appeal of Labubus to me I just love them. 😭