Move over, luxury handbags—there’s a new status symbol in town, and it looks like something out of a fever dream.

Meet Labubu, the gremlin-like plush toy that’s become a global obsession. With its mischievous grin, glowering eyes, and jagged teeth, it may not scream “cute” at first glance. But for fans like Naomi Lin, a medical student in Nebraska, Labubu is a must-have accessory—right alongside her Chanel.

Lin owns dozens of these palm-sized plushies, often dressing them up in mini designer outfits. “It’s high demand. On par with a luxury item,” she said, admitting she once spent hundreds just to snag a limited-edition Labubu through a TikTok Live auction.

A Pop Culture Phenomenon

Labubu is part of a larger universe of characters created by Chinese toy giant Pop Mart, whose mysterious “blind box” toys have sparked long lines and frenzied shopping sprees worldwide. Buyers don’t know which character they’re getting until they open the box—adding an addictive thrill to the hunt.

Since their debut in The Monsters storybooks back in 2015, Labubus and friends—like Baby Molly, Dimoo, and Crybaby—have become mainstays of Gen Z culture, frequently dangling from backpacks and handbags from Los Angeles to Bangkok.

Despite U.S.-China trade tensions and a broader economic slowdown, Pop Mart is thriving. In 2024, Labubu alone brought in a whopping 3 billion yuan ($410 million) in revenue. Pop Mart’s overseas business exploded with a 375% revenue increase, including an eye-popping 900% growth in the U.S., according to Citigroup.

Plushies, but Make It Luxury

These aren’t your average stuffed toys. Some Labubus sell for $85 at retail and resell for even more on sites like StockX. New releases often result in hours-long lines and shopping mall stampedes. Rihanna owns one. K-pop icon Lisa confessed to blowing all her money on blind boxes during her global tours.

For many, these toys offer an affordable taste of luxury in uncertain times. “People are looking for joy,” said Ali Domrongchai, a New York food editor who recently joined the fandom. “They’re silly guys,” she said with a laugh. “Not that scary.”

A Cultural Obsession with ‘Cute’

Why the obsession? Experts say it taps into a long-standing Western fascination with cute Asian imports—think Hello Kitty and Pokémon. Anne Cheng, a Princeton professor, calls it a paradox: while Asian people face stereotypes, the products they create—especially when bite-sized and “boxable”—are widely embraced.

Even within families, Labubu fever is contagious. Lin’s father, who brought home the family’s first Labubu from Taiwan, now has a Crybaby plush on his suitcase.

And the appeal cuts across age groups. Domrongchai’s great-aunts—both in their 80s—sport Labubus on their Louis Vuitton bags.

Blind Boxes and the Thrill of the Gamble

The mystery behind each blind box gives fans a rush comparable to gambling. “It plays into your desire for collecting,” Cheng explained. China even imposed restrictions in 2023, banning blind box sales to children under 8 and requiring parental consent for older kids.

Still, the market continues to explode—especially with competitive pricing. Most figures cost $20–$40, offering a “cheap luxury” for fans around the world.

Will Tariffs Burst the Bubble?

With U.S.-China tariffs still looming, Pop Mart is adapting. Though they say customers won’t pay extra, new collections—like the pastel tie-dyed Labubus—are creeping up in price, now at $27.99, about $6 more than previous lines.

Citigroup analysts predict the company will either hike U.S. prices further or expand in other markets to keep its edge. So far, Pop Mart’s stock is outperforming Chinese tech giants like Tencent and Alibaba.

Knock-Offs, Dupes, and Dollar Store Alternatives

As with any craze, knock-offs are inevitable. Fans warn against “fauxbubus,” which often come with mangled smiles or cheap fur. Meanwhile, discount chains like Miniso and Daiso sell similar blind box toys for under $5—giving budget fans a chance to join the hype.

And no, that Labubu on Lin’s Chanel bag isn’t wearing real designer. The outfit came from AliExpress, where mini accessories for plushies are trending on their own.

Can the Craze Last?

Whether Labubu fever will burn out or grow into the next Beanie Baby-level craze remains to be seen. But for now, it’s clear that these quirky creatures offer something consumers desperately want: joy, surprise, and just a little bit of weirdness in their everyday lives.

As Domrongchai puts it, “Once you spend time with them, you get it.”

Source: CNN – This gremlin-looking toy from China is proving to be tariff-proof

The post The Weird Little Toy from China That Everyone Wants appeared first on Journos News - Breaking News, World News, Top Stories, Todays Headlines and Flash Reports.

When Blackpink’s Lisa hit Coachella’s main stage on Friday for her highly anticipated solo performance, she turned heads in a jaw-dropping look that instantly caught the attention of festival-goers and fans worldwide. As she stepped into the spotlight wrapped in a massive black puffer jacket—an unexpected choice for the sweltering Californian sun—little did the crowd know that she was about to unveil a mesmerizing, reptilian bodysuit that would leave everyone in awe.

The jacket came off, and there it was: Lisa in a stunning suit covered from head to toe in interlocking, geometric scales. “She’s the reptilian villain,” said Asher Levine, the designer behind the look, during a video call from his Los Angeles studio. “It’s very creature couture.”

Levine, known for creating otherworldly, avant-garde stagewear for icons like Lady Gaga, Doja Cat, and Grace Jones, was given a tight deadline to design two custom looks for Lisa’s Coachella performances, with less than a month to get everything ready. “We’ve been going for a week and a half, day and night,” Levine shared with CNN just before the event. “I even went to bed early last night to prepare for this interview.”

The journey to create Lisa’s custom 3D reptilian suit began with an innovative approach. Levine first took a full body scan of the K-pop star to get her exact measurements. This data was then uploaded to a digital tailoring system, allowing Levine to create the design on a virtual avatar of Lisa before moving into production. His creative process didn’t stop there—he employed AI to design a one-of-a-kind scale pattern, which was then passed on to his sculpture division. There, each individual “scute” (the overlapping scales) was handcrafted to perfection, mimicking the texture of a lizard’s skin.

Levine, who’s been dubbed a “leather industry disruptor,” has a bold vision of replacing traditional exotic skins like crocodile and alligator with cruelty-free alternatives. “We don’t have to kill animals anymore,” he explained. “We can evolve beyond that.”

Creating the reptilian suit was a meticulous task. The translucent scales and the horns perched on Lisa’s shoulders each required between 50 and 60 hours of work. Despite the help of cutting-edge digital tools, the process demanded an immense amount of time and precision to achieve the extraordinary level of detail and craftsmanship.

For Lisa’s second Coachella look, Levine turned to nature for inspiration once again, this time drawing from bioluminescent insects and translucent fungi. The result was a sheer, ethereal catsuit with glowing, 3D-printed blue and pink tendrils, each equipped with fiber optic lights that glowed with an extraterrestrial aura.

“I wanted to take the idea of nature and push it forward into something that feels like the next level of exotic,” Levine said. “People have been wearing nature for centuries—flowers, animal prints. But what does ‘exotic 2.0’ look like?”

To achieve this, Levine fused prehistoric creatures with futuristic technology, a concept he’s explored before with creations like the Terrelli clutch bag, inspired by the ancient Dunkleosteus fish. His work continues to push boundaries by creating “chimeric organisms” that bridge the gap between nature and the future.

One of the biggest challenges Levine faces when designing for high-energy artists like Lisa is ensuring that the outfits are not only stunning but also functional. “Building these pieces for a performance is literally like building for a sports athlete,” he said. The outfits need to move seamlessly with the performer’s body while supporting the intense energy of live shows.

While a second-skin, scaly bodysuit may not be for everyone, Levine has found clients who are eager to embrace bold, avant-garde designs that push the limits of fashion and performance. “These are the kinds of people that I’ve been focused on evolving,” he said. “You’re the other, the avant-garde. Asher Levine isn’t for everyone.”

For now, Lisa’s Coachella looks have set the bar high for performance fashion, merging technology, nature, and artistry in a way that’s never been seen before on stage. As Levine puts it, “This is the future that Blade Runner predicted.”

Source: CNN – Exclusive: Meet the designer behind Lisa’s reptilian Coachella look

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