Lafufus toy with fans; fake it till they almost make it

Time of India

3 days ago

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Labubus or Lafufus, what's in a name? as the Bard famously said. Well, for fans of the now iconic toy collectible – Labubu- there is a lot riding on the name as they battle a flood of counterfeits swamping the market. Pop Mart , the Beijing-headquartered retailer of the insanely viral Labubu dolls that were first created by the Hong Kong born, Belgium-based designer Kasing Lung for a story series The Monsters, has put in place a seemingly foolproof system to authenticate its products. But, to no avail according to Labubu fans who are discovering that the most alert among them are falling prey to duplicates that have now gained notoriety and recognition as – Lafufus. "I had picked up a Labubu for myself and had done an unboxing video which got a lot of views," one Chennai-based content creator who did not wish to be named told ET. The pint-sized dolls with pointy ears, large eyes, and a smile revealing nine teeth have grown into a global phenomenon since being launched in 'blind boxes' in 2019 after Pop Mart had licensed Lung's characters. These boxes sell for around $20–$30 but can go all the way up to even $300 and have turned into an addictive global phenomenon fuelled by celebrities flaunting their toys on tote bags. Last month, a life-sized Labubu doll sold for a record-breaking $150,000 (approximately Rs 1.28 crore) at a Beijing auction." I thought it would be fun to do a video with my whole family unboxing their Labubus, so I picked up a pack of six. We did an unboxing video and even authenticated the product," said the creator cited above.As Pop Mart suggested, she scanned the QR code on the box which led her to the site where she had to key in the last four digits of the barcode to ensure that she had an original Labubu.Her purchases passed the check and were proudly sported as her bag charms just like singer Rihanna and Bollywood persona Ananya Pandey. However, her joy was short lived because a keen-eyed collector spotted the fake as well as the dodgy credentials of the website providing fake authentication.She replaced the fake – a Lafufu – on her bag with a true-blue Labubu. But remains unfazed.'Lafufus have their own fan base too!" she points out.Pop Mart itself has tried to crack down on these fakes. Last month Chinese customs authorities reportedly seized more than 46,000 counterfeit Labubu toys, showing the surge in knockoffs. The Chinese state media issued warnings about a growing 'black market chain' exploiting consumers and infringing on intellectual property rights.Labubu's sales have fuelled Pop Mart's galloping growth since the company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2020. Founder Wang Ning is among China's top ten billionaires with a net worth of $22 billion.Lafufus though are a real threat as they retail for as less as $7.50 apiece and are seen as a way to keep up with the trend without spending too much money on the original.'70-80% Lafufus'"The fakes have become so good," Abbas Zaveri, founder of sneakers, streetwear and collectibles marketplace HypeFly said.'Things that customers could look out for is that the heads of the Lafufus tend to be very flimsy and the font on the box generally is embossed but the quality on the boxes of fakes tend to be sub-par."Another sure shot way of spotting a fake is the price. Anything that is being sold for under Rs 3,000 is likely not from Pop Mart. "Some Indian websites are selling a pack of six for Rs 9,000 whereas the original pack of six costs Rs 24,000 or more."Another reseller, Nikhil Jain who runs City Kicks India estimates that "about 70-80% of the dolls in the Indian market are Lafufus," he said.'The site URLs (that come up when the QR code is scanned) have subtle misspellings like "Pop Mari" or "Poap Mart" which are good tell-tale signs for this fraud. There are some marketplaces that have had to set up a team to authenticate their products because earlier they sold them as originals and customers figured out that they were being charged for an original but received a Lafufu instead."The fake trail is not limited to India alone, Scottish consumer watchdog Advice Direct Scotland said it was concerned by the surge in fake Labubu toys flooding the Scottish market.'These counterfeits are not only deceiving collectors and draining hard-earned money from families, but they are also leaving children heartbroken. We urge consumers to be vigilant, buy only from trusted retailers and report suspected fakes," Hazel Knowles, consumer project lead at the firm said.