Move over Labubu, Labokbok is here to tackle your heart
Sporting the green and gold and a wide-eyed charm that would melt even the most hardened All Blacks fan, Labokbok is part mascot, part fashion accessory, and full-on rugby fever dream. Designed to support the South African national rugby team, this plushie lets you carry a bit of Bokke pride wherever you go, whether you're heading to the stadium or just popping to the shops.
Labokbok's design feels like a clever play on Labubu, the wildly popular collectable creature that's become a viral obsession among collectors and Gen Z alike. But where Labubu is a bit mischievous and monstrous, Labokbok is pure Springbok sweetness, complete with a fuzzy mane, soft ears, and tiny hooves ready to tackle the nation's hearts.
Checkers has been on a roll lately when it comes to capturing the zeitgeist, from snappy TikTok content to clever limited-edition drops. With the Rugby Championship and World Cup qualifiers heating up, Labokbok arrives at just the right moment to stir up supporter spirit.
More than just a novelty, Labokbok is a playful expression of something much bigger: South Africa's unmatched ability to remix trends with heart, humour, and homegrown flair. It's a reminder that creativity isn't limited to the art world or ad agencies; it's alive in everyday things like a supermarket toy that captures the national mood with uncanny timing.
Whether you're a die-hard rugby fan, a plushie enthusiast, or just someone who appreciates a great conversation starter hanging off your tote bag, Labokbok might be the most South African thing you can buy right now.
Let the games begin, and don't forget to bring your Labokbok along for the ride.
If adorable plushies are your thing, here's: Where to find a Labubu in Joburg and A guide to the Blind Box craze in South Africa
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BBC News
7 hours ago
- BBC News
TikTok Labubu trend exploited by criminals with dangerous fakes
At an anonymous industrial estate on the outskirts of London, a queue of police vans and empty lorries block the usual flow of lunchtime are here to seize fake Labubu dolls. Thousands of weeks of work, intelligence that started at a corner shop in south Wales has led Trading Standards officers to a labyrinth of rooms hidden above this retail they estimate millions of pounds worth of fake products are piled up, floor to ceiling, but what interests them most are the fluffy, mischievous-looking dolls at the centre of a global TikTok craze. According to Forbes, the popularity of Labubu dolls helped parent company Pop Mart more than double its total revenue to £1.33bn ($1.81bn) last are wanted by children and adults alike, with some telling us they queued for hours or travelled across the country just to secure an authentic one. However, messages seen by BBC News also suggest scalpers may be buying hundreds of genuine products at a time to resell them at a profit, with authorities reporting a "flood" of counterfeits entering the Force has seized hundreds of thousands from UK ports in the past few months, meanwhile officers at the London industrial estate believe the dolls grinning up at them from the crates hide a darker secret."The head comes off. The feet will pull off," explained Rhys Harries from Trading Standards, as one literally falls apart in his hands. Mr Harries first saw dolls like this after raiding a corner shop almost 200 miles away in Swansea, before tracing them back here."I've found them in the bags where their eyes are coming off, their hands will come off." Mr Harries' team use a plastic tube, shaped like a child's throat, to measure how dangerous objects are - if it fits, it is a choking hazard."These [parts] will all get stuck and then potentially cause choking," he said. Mum-of-one Jade said she "100%" agreed the fakes were a choking hazard after some fell apart shortly after giving them to her 34-year-old from Caerphilly knew she had bought fakes - sometimes nicknamed Lafufus - for her son Harri's sixth birthday as she could not justify the cost of the authentic she felt "obliged to get him one" after all his friends got their own and found knock-offs for just over £10, compared to some genuine ones costing £ just a few hours into Harri's birthday, Jade said the keyring came off, followed by part of one of the feet a few days Harri was swinging his new toy the hook came off the keyring, only for Jade to spot it in his said "luckily" her son was old enough to tell her about his toy falling apart, but she warned things could be different for younger children. According to the Intellectual Property Office, the rush by criminals to get fakes to market often results in dangerous materials being used."Counterfeiting is the second largest source of criminal income worldwide, second only to drug trafficking," said Kate Caffery, deputy director of intelligence and law enforcement."It's in the interests of these criminal organisations to respond quickly to trends to maximise it, to get on the back of it and make the most money that they possibly can."So that's why we see it happening so quickly and a complete disregard for safety concerns." Ms Caffery dismissed claims these fakes were made in the same factories or using the same materials as the real thing as "absolutely not true", adding that they "could be made from anything".These range from the inferior to the dangerous, including toxic plastics, chemicals, and small parts that aren't properly attached "that can then pose a chocking hazard".Although fake Labubus are still relatively new to the market, investigators know from previous cases involving counterfeit toys that they can be made with banned chemicals, including some linked to say most counterfeit products, including Labubus, can be traced to China, Hong Kong or Turkey and people are being warned to look out for "too good to be true" pricing or packaging that feels cheap and flimsy. TikToker Meg Goldberger, 27, is no stranger to collecting in a market filled with has about 250 Jellycat plush toys, alongside her new collection of 12 Labubu dolls."The more people talked about it and the harder they became to get, the more I needed them. That's why I now have 12," she pretty early into her search, Ms Goldberger said she realised the odds were stacked against her in her hunt for the real thing. She said she spent about 12 hours over several days waiting for Pop Mart store's TikTok live video, where Labubus are released for sale at a set time, just like gig tickets."It used to be they sold out within like a minute. It's now like literally two seconds. You can't get your hands on them," she she opted to find someone reselling them online, but also discovered why they may have been selling out so she asked an eBay reseller for proof the Big Into Energy Labubu series she was interested in was genuine, Ms Goldberger was sent "a screenshot of what could have been like almost 200 orders of Labubus". "These people will sit at home and somehow robots hack the websites and bulk buy them, which is why they go so quickly. Then they'll resell them." Mr Harries said a selection of fake Labubus would be taken from London back to Swansea for use as rest will be stored as evidence at a secret location before being either recycled or destroyed."These were going everywhere," he said."There were invoice books with them and they were going all across the UK. It's a national issue."Pop Mart has been asked to comment.
The Independent
18 hours ago
- The Independent
England's new ‘bad boy' persona against India leaves us with one question
It is a confusing time to be an England player. The year started with head coach Brendon McCullum speaking about the need for his players to show more 'humility'. Then, before the Lord's Test, McCullum instructed his players that they had been guilty of being too nice. And then it emerged that while balancing McCullum's desires for England to be humbly unpleasant, they had also hired Gilbert Enoka, the mental performance coach credited with the All Blacks famous 'no d***heads' policy. So, in conclusion, don't be a d***head, but don't be nice, and do be humble when sledging your opponent. Cut to the final throes of day five at Old Trafford and as Harry Brook was caught on the stump mic imploring Washington Sundar to, 'f**king hell Washy, get on with it', and then mock extending his hand to offer a draw when Ravindra Jadeja reached his century, the whole thing irked, but tracked. Is the new fiery England one just for now, or is it here to stay? 'No regrets,' Ben Stokes summarised before the fifth and final Test, even after he and England had had a few days to cool off. 'I think it's one of those where if you've been in the field for 250 overs, you'd have a bit more understanding towards both sides. 'We're over it. And I think India are over it too.' First things first. Hypocrisy is a human right. God forbid anyone checked for consistency in your every move. England are performing in a high-pressure environment at the culmination of a three-year project which will define legacies for many. Slip-ups are inevitable. And while England have got rougher around the edges in personality, they have become more refined in their cricket. Their innings at Lord's was the second slowest of the Bazball era. Which, rather than a contradiction of their previous lunacy, was an acknowledgement of the stakes going up. Bazball was a creation of Ben Stokes to unlock the potential of a failing batting unit. In Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett and, at that point, Jonny Bairstow, they had a talented, but timid batting line-up fearful of failure. The point was to push the boat out, prove to them what's possible, and then rein it back in. Ben Stokes' batting itself is the perfect example. At the start, he was a maniac. In matches, he charged at seamers at every opportunity and in training he would look to hit as many boundaries as possible. The purpose was to prove to his troops that nothing was too extreme. Cut to a week ago, and Stokes' century came off a measured 164 balls. But the Old Trafford fallout was unpleasant. England have prided themselves on being the entertainers and playing cricket with a smile on their face, but instead they finished the Test mocking a bloke who had outplayed them for the day. At one stage earlier in the match, Brook removed his chewing gum and lobbed it at the spidercam that whizzes above the ground. It was all just a bit weird. Your mate who doesn't smoke pulling out a cigarette at the pub. This isn't you. What are you doing? The question is whether we're likely to see more, or less, of such behaviour as we head into the Ashes. The spark for this series came when Crawley and Duckett dragged out a single over at the end of the day three at Lord's across seven minutes, with the resulting to-and-fro raucous theatre. All 11 Indians piling into England, and in return, England, when it was their turn to field, decided to give it back. 'I've had a lot of compliments," Brook said afterwards. "Everybody said it was awesome to watch and it looked like there was 11 versus two when we were fielding. It was good fun, I have to admit.' That trajectory continued to Old Trafford in a series that has flipped between the vitriolic and the collegiate. Barbs have been thrown in either direction. But friendships are present between the two sides. Joe Root and Yashisav Jaiswal are close from their time at Rajasthan Royals, where Jaiswal was known as 'Joe-swal' given how much he stuck to the England legend's side. Furthermore, when England won at Lord's, the condolences extended at the close to the pantomime villain of the series, Mohammed Siraj, were genuine. England raising the temperature on the field has been a deliberate ploy; whether they feel it's one that suits them or not will decide whether it continues. On day two at The Oval, Ben Duckett's muted reaction to Akash Deep bizarrely putting his arm round his shoulder after dismissing him suggested a taming of emotions, but Root's fiery, and out of character, burst back at Prasidh Krishna in response to a sledge suggested otherwise. For the most part, fans didn't like the carry on at Old Trafford. It was chest puffed out behaviour when the contest was dead. But when it was Crawley vs India at Lord's and the contest was live - it was loved. Like everything in life, it was all about timing. The reaction has been an insight into the media pressures that await. If the telling off in the English press has been a disappointed slap on the wrist, the reaction in Australia has been giddy. Cross-paper coverage of England confirming their place as the bad boys of world cricket. They don't like us; and we don't like them. Tempers, even three months ahead of time, are fraying. 'When you're playing Test cricket,' said Brydon Carse earlier this series, on the topic of sledging, 'with the crowd and the pressure and the emotion, and how much everyone wants to win the game, I think it's great. 'There's always obviously a line, and you don't want to cross that line. But when you're out on that field, and there's 10 other blokes all fighting your corner, it's pretty cool.' Over the last three years England have been fun, they have been different, and now they're dabbling with being nasty. And that could be nice.
Time Out
a day ago
- Time Out
Tyla is bringing her 'We Wanna Party Asia' tour to Singapore this December
South African superstar Tyla is finally gracing our shores – and it's going to be a party. The genre-bending singer behind the viral, hip-swaying anthem 'Water' is heading to Singapore as part of her first-ever headlining Asia tour. On December 5, she'll take over Arena @ EXPO with her signature Afro-fusion beats, amapiano-infused sounds, slick choreography, and magnetic stage presence. Tyla isn't just another pop star either – she's a Grammy-winning global force, a fashion icon, and the name on every trending page. If you've been thirsting for a live performance of 'Water', 'Push 2 Start', and 'Truth or Dare', now's your chance to quench it. When is Tyla performing in Singapore? Set your alarms: 8pm on Friday, December 5, 2025, is when things get steamy. It's a one-night-only affair, so you'll want to clear your plans, prep your best outfit, and maybe practise a few TikTok moves while you're at it. Where is Tyla performing in Singapore? Arena @ EXPO – a dynamic space that's hosted everything from indie gigs to mega K-pop concerts. Easily accessible by MRT – just hop off at Expo station – it's the perfect setting for a night of floor-shaking bass and red-hot performances. How to get tickets? Ticket prices are still under wraps but Live Nation members get early access with a presale happening on August 7, from 12pm to 11:59pm. Not a member? Sign up for free here. The general on-sale starts on August 8 at 10am, via Ticketmaster. Move quick – these tickets will fly fast.
