Can this ugly elf make China cool again?

Sydney Morning Herald

5 days ago

In China's campaign to win over hearts and minds worldwide, its latest weapon is a fanged, bunny-eared, arguably quite ugly plushie.
The grinning fuzzy toy, called Labubu, is made by a Chinese company and has become a global craze. It has in recent months been toted by celebrities including Rihanna and David Beckham; set off brawls among competing shoppers in England; and prompted overnight stakeouts in Los Angeles. It has even shaped the travel itineraries of some devotees, who have planned trips to China around hopes of buying one there. Resale prices for the roughly $US30 ($46) figurine have run into the hundreds of dollars.
'I flew all the way to China just to visit the BIGGEST POP MART STORE IN THE WORLD,' read the caption on a TikTok video by one vlogger from the Philippines, Lianna Patricia Guillermo, referring to the company that makes Labubu. (Guillermo clarified in an interview that she had visited the store during a long layover in Shanghai.)
The enthusiasm over Labubu may pass like any other viral trend. But it could also be another sign that China, which has struggled to build cultural cachet overseas amid long-standing concerns about its authoritarian politics, is starting to claim some victories.
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Chinese state media outlets have sought to frame it that way. 'The furry, nine-toothed elf created by Chinese toymaker Pop Mart has become a benchmark for China's pop culture making inroads overseas,' said an article in People's Daily, the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece.
Other Chinese products to find global followings include video games such as Black Myth: Wukong and affordable, well-made electric cars by BYD and other brands. DeepSeek, the Chinese AI model, has been adopted by tech companies overseas, including in the United States and Europe. Foreign travel bloggers have posted videos of themselves gushing about Shanghai's skyline and Chengdu's pandas.
More niche offerings, like soapy Chinese period dramas, are finding audiences too. Patti Smith, the punk rock legend, has apparently left admiring comments on the Instagram account of a relatively unknown actor in one that recently debuted on Netflix.
Polls also show changes in public opinion. An analysis published in May by Morning Consult showed that for the first time China's global standing surpassed that of the United States, including among American allies. Even in the United States, where views of China remain overwhelmingly negative, the share of Americans with an unfavorable opinion of China fell for the first time in five years in March, according to Pew. Younger Americans in particular are less hostile to China.