PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 23: Close-up detail view of a blue turquoise fluffy Labubu monster charm doll, next to a yellow Labubu doll, on May 23, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty ...

When I first heard about Labubu, I had the same questions as everyone else: “Why is it called Labubu?” and “Is it supposed to be cute or ugly?” and “Why are people so obsessed?” But now the smirking ...

Labubu dolls have become a $27 status symbol. Now, high-end brands are testing whether fans are willing to pay luxury prices for crystal-encrusted Labubus or $2,500 bags with the ugly-cute monster.

When assistant marketing professor Ying Zeng clipped a small plush doll—a cute, fox-like character from the Shanghai Disney Resort—to her handbag earlier this year, she didn’t expect it to spark so ...