Obsessed with Labubus? Why you may want to rethink this unboxing trend

CBC

8 hours ago

New, Kate Bueckert
'Every trend has a shelf life,' University of Guelph marketing professor Jing Wan says
They're a little cute, a little scary — and very, very trendy.
Labubu dolls are one of the latest must-have items being driven by social media posts of people unboxing them.
The little elf-like toy monsters were created by Japanese artist Kasing Lung and they come in boxes, so people can't tell which one they're getting when they buy them.
Videos of people unboxing Labubu dolls are popular on TikTok, with people screaming happily when they get a Labubu they want, or in tears when it's one they don't want.
The Chinese toy maker behind Labubus, Pop Mart, is forecasting a 350 per cent profit jump for the first half of 2025 as global demand for the wildly popular Labubu characters surges.
Allie Luk of Ajisen Ramen understands the power of Labubu. The Waterloo, Ont., restaurant is running a promotion where they're giving away a doll each month.
"The reaction's definitely been through the roof," Luk says of the Labubu doll giveaway.
"We've been getting thousands and thousands of comments and tags online. We have people tagging up to even like 20 or 30 friends and families for extra entries to win."
It's an obvious win for the restaurant because people are also sharing photos and videos of their food, Luk says, which is "creating a lot of buzz."
While it was younger customers who understood the first giveaway, as they prepare for a second Labubu doll winner, Luk says they're seeing people of all ages taking part.
"We saw this as like a really unique opportunity to be able to connect sort of with our all of our guests simultaneously across all the age groups. And it's really fun because we saw that we would be able to connect with our customers in the way that sort of goes beyond food and ramen," Luk said.
Unboxing excitement similar to gambling: Expert
Celebrities Rihanna, Dua Lipa and Kim Kardashian have been spotted with Labubus, sometimes as an accessory on their bags.
WATCH | Labubu maker Pop Mart forecasting a 350% profit surge:
But while Labubus are the current must-have toy, some are worried about the waste they're creating — especially when some TikTok videos show people destroying or throwing out Labubus they don't want.
Jing Wan, a marketing and consumer studies professor at the University of Guelph, compared the excitement of unboxing a Labubu to gambling.
"You get that anticipation, hope, all wrapped up together when you're about to unbox and find out which exact model that you've pulled and you get to see whether it's maybe one of the models that you were looking for to complete your collection or maybe it's a rare version," she said.
"There are actually rare Labubu dolls out there as well that are worth quite a bit of money. And so if... you think you're getting one of those, you can be quite excited."
This can lead to overconsumption, Wan said. People will buy Labubus just for the rush, but they may not even want the doll they get.
"Normally when we buy products, we're spending money on a specific thing that we want," Wan said.
With blind boxes, "you are voluntarily spending money on things that you probably don't actually want. And so you're now buying a lot of things just simply in the hopes of getting that one thing."
LISTEN | U of Guelph professor says Labubu doll excitement can lead to overconsumption, environmental concerns:
Media Audio | The Morning Edition - K-W : Professor Jing Wan said the demand for specific Labubu dolls means overconsumption is a big problem.
Caption: Have you heard of Labubu dolls? They're the current 'need to have' craze sweeping through TikTok and social media. Jing Wan, a University of Guelph professor, says this trend may boost people's moods but it's also hurting the environment.
Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages.
'Creating a lot of waste'
Then, there's the environmental impact of these kinds of unboxing trends.
"That's creating a lot of waste," Wan said.
"These dolls are made out of plastics. There's also opaque packaging that typically goes around the dolls so that even when you open the paper box, you don't know what's inside it. You can't see it. That's part of the blind box rush," she added.
"That's a lot of plastic to be produced by these sorts of products where some people are actively disposing of them because they don't want them."
CBC K-W reached out to Pop Mart for comment about concerns around Labubus waste but did not hear back.
Trends can be 'risky business' for toy stores
Philip Sullivan is sales associate at Hobby and Toy Central, an independent toy store in Kitchener. He says they don't have any plans to sell Labubu dolls for a very specific reason: trends die quickly.
He says he's seen the blind box or blind bag trend with various items over the past five years, including with Lego mini figures, Playmobile characters and Hot Wheels cars.
"There's always been what the industry calls chasers, where it's a one out of 500 chance of getting the one that has white wheels and collectors go crazy over that kind of thing," he said.
"On the blind bags alone … we're selling a $20 item, we want to make sure that it's something that has some staying power."
He added "it's risky business" to try to get in on a trend.
"We've certainly been burned on the fads where if you're not in on the ground floor, you might be sitting on the stuff forever," Sullivan said.
Sullivan remembers Webkinz from the early 2000s, little plush characters which also had a digital equivalent and video game you could play.
The initial launch was very local and the toys were sold through independent toy stores.
"Over the course of probably a year... they blew up and that exclusivity disappeared. And all of a sudden you were finding them at all the flea markets, you were finding them a drug stores," he said.
"If you didn't get out [of selling them] then, then you would have been the last person on the street still trying to sell these things."
WATCH | Want to know the real price of a Labubu?:
Wan says it can be really easy to get up in the got-to-have-it trends of the day, but she has advice for people who can feel the excitement rising over a blind box reveal.
"A lot of this is probably driven by emotions, that sense of excitement, anticipation. So I think I would like people to maybe just pause for a moment before they buy and ask themselves, what are you doing? Why are you buying this? Do you really want this?" she said.
"Let yourself think through that purchase and I also want people to maybe keep in mind as well that every trend has a shelf life. So Labubus won't be the hottest thing forever and with social media, every trend is going by faster and faster so there will be a next Labubu coming up pretty soon I'm sure."