Monstrously Addicting

Do You Have a Labubu? Do you even know what a Labubu is? If you’ve been paying attention at all, chances are you’ve seen them around. Labubus are quirky little collectible plush characters that come in all sorts of colors and sizes. They will probably be on a lot of Christmas lists this year. Created by Kasing Lung in 2015, they first appeared in an illustrated storybook series called The Monsters and were inspired by Nordic folklore. When Lung teamed up with POPMART in 2019, a full-blown craze was born.

Fast forward to this past summer: my youngest son, Wesley, broke his arm falling off his bike. To cheer him up, I promised to buy him whatever he wanted (within reason, of course). His request? A Labubu. And just like that, I fell headfirst into the Labubu rabbit hole.

Turns out, finding Labubus isn’t easy. There are three POPMART stores in Las Vegas — two on the Strip (Miracle Mile Shops and Fashion Show Mall) and one in Downtown Summerlin. When the Summerlin location opened this year, there was a line down the block just to get inside! Online isn’t much better. POPMART does “drop days” where they release new stock, but it sells out in seconds. My solution? TikTok. I spent hours watching live sales, waiting for that magical moment when Labubus dropped. TikTok sells out quickly too, but it’s still the easiest way I’ve found to snag them.

Labubus come in “blind boxes,” meaning you never know which one you’re getting until you open it. The thrill (and frustration) of the surprise is what makes them so addictive. Don’t get the one you want? You buy another box. And another. And another.

At this point, Wesley and I have six Labubus between us. We’ve got characters from each collection: Big Into Energy, Have a Seat, and Exciting Macaron. Is it silly? Absolutely. Is it probably a waste of money? Maybe. But those little toothy grins, fuzzy bodies, and stubby arms make us ridiculously happy. My oldest son, Ethan, loves to tease us about it, but honestly? Life is too short to care. If a quirky little “Monster” brings you joy, go for it.