Viral Labubu Dolls Resell For Thousands Online As TikTok’s New Big Hit

Forbes

Labubus, plush monster dolls with razor-sharp teeth and mischievous smiles, are the latest product to go viral on TikTok, where obsessed consumers are racking up millions of views showing off their collections as re-sellers charge astronomical prices online for the frequently out-of-stock toys.  Subscribe to Forbes Life: https://www.youtube.com/c/ForbesLife?sub_confirmation=1  Stay Connected Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbesvideo Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbesvideo More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00Viral Lububu dolls resell for thousands online as TikTok's new big hit.

00:07Lububus, plush monster dolls with razor-sharp teeth and mischievous smiles, are the latest

00:12product to go viral on TikTok, where obsessed consumers are racking up millions of views

00:18showing off their collections, as online resellers charge astronomical prices for the frequently

00:23out-of-stock toys.

00:25The Lububu toy was designed by artist Ka Sing Loong, who was based in Hong Kong but was

00:30born in the Netherlands.

00:33He took inspiration from Nordic mythology to design the characters, which first debuted

00:37in a picture book, The Monsters Trilogy, in 2015.

00:42Loong struck a licensing deal with Popmart in 2019, through which his designs were transformed

00:47into collectible toys.

00:50Lububus come in so-called blind boxes, so the buyer doesn't know what color or design the

00:54doll has until the box is opened.

00:57The collectability and the unpredictable nature of blind boxes have contributed to the toy's

01:02meteoric rise on TikTok, where users show off which doll they've unboxed and strive to

01:07find the so-called secret Lububu, a rare version of the toy the consumers have a 1 in 72 chance

01:13of unboxing.

01:15Lububu toys are just the latest product to take over TikTok, much like Stanley Cups, which

01:21went viral last year.

01:23The hashtag Lububu has been used in 268,000 TikTok posts over the past 30 days ending June

01:293rd in the United States alone, and in more than 2 million posts overall, according to

01:35TikTok Analytics.

01:38Celebrities and influencers have also boosted the Lububu trend online, as singers Rihanna

01:42and Dua Lipa have been spotted wearing them, as well as members of the K-pop group Blackpink,

01:48which helped spark the toys craze in Asia.

01:51Lububus can be difficult to get a hold of as much of the supply is completely sold out on

01:56the Popmart website, and the few Popmart locations in the United States have seen lengthy lines.

02:03Resellers have taken advantage of the Lububu craze, jacking up the price many times over

02:08on online reselling platforms.

02:10Some of the most expensive Lububu toys on eBay are being sold for thousands of dollars,

02:15with some as high as $7,000 for limited edition versions of the doll.

02:20On StockX, some Lububu editions, like a doll sold in partnership with Vans, are selling for

02:26more than $3,000 for a single toy.

02:29By June of 2025, at least 462 Lububu toys had been confiscated by customs authorities

02:35in China, as sellers smuggle them into the country, CNN reported.

02:41As with the Stanley Cup trend, some TikTok users have criticized the Lububus as an example

02:46of overconsumption.

02:48In one TikTok video liked over 427,000 times, a user urged people to quote, be original, stating

02:55quote, I genuinely don't believe that you people like that.

02:59See me buying it because other people are buying it.

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