Labubu's rise reflects hitmaker ability of China's digital ecosystem
global frenzy around China's Labubu, the candy-coloured monster character with the mischievous smile adorning bags, desks, streets and social feeds worldwide, is often hailed as a triumph of Chinese soft power.
But Labubu's success reveals something deeper: the unmatched sophistication of China's integrated platform economy.
Pop Mart , Labubu's retailer, started with a small shop in Beijing in 2010 but has leveraged China's unique digital ecosystem in recent years to build a global intellectual property (IP) phenomenon, showcasing a new model for technology-powered commercial and cultural influence.
This model echoes history. Since the 15th century, when European royalty craved Chinese porcelain, the reach of China's cultural exports relied on the technologies that supported trade, such as shipbuilding. Today, the success of toys like Labubu is propelled by the infrastructure of digital technologies.
China's booming
e-commerce and social media platforms such as RedNote, TikTok and WeChat are digitising the Silk Road. But instead of promoting IPs particularly linked to Chinese history and culture, companies like Pop Mart achieve success with cosmopolitan offerings like
Molly, Pucky and Labubu that appeal to a broader audience.
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