The Labubu effect: Cute sidekicks rule multiplexes, from Lilo & Stitch to Fantastic Four

Straits Times

4 days ago

(Clockwise from left) Stitch in Lilo & Stitch, H.E.R.B.I.E. in The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Toothless in How To Train Your Dragon.
NEW YORK – This summer has been invaded by a group of adorable furry monsters with sharp teeth. They are known as Labubus, and they are everywhere.
The trendy key-ring dolls, from Chinese purveyor Pop Mart, have received endorsements from Barbadian pop star Rihanna and American singer Cher, and are omnipresent on social media. In a way, they have also infused the movies.
Not literally, of course, though I wouldn't put it past some executive to be developing a Labubu franchise right now.
No, it is more that the spirit of Labubus is everywhere on-screen. The blockbuster business has been overtaken by cuteness – sometimes ugly, chaotic cuteness in the style of the Labubu craze, but cuteness nonetheless.
Nearly every major movie released since May features a cute sidekick, there to make audiences coo with delight.
The season opened with Disney's live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, featuring the charmingly manic blue alien Stitch. It became a box-office success in part because of fans' enduring love for the extraterrestrial with a penchant for causing a ruckus. You could say Stitch is the original Labubu. They do look an awful lot alike.
Small, fuzzy and baring sharp teeth, Chinese toymaker Pop Mart's Labubu monster dolls have taken over the world, drawing excited crowds at international stores and adorning the handbags of celebrities.
PHOTO: AFP
In June, another remake was buoyed by a CGI cutie: Toothless, the title star of How To Train Your Dragon, whose oversized eyes and pointy chompers have a Labubu-esque quality.
Also like Stitch, Toothless looks wild but, at times, acts as a pet, be that a cat or a dog depending on the moment in the story.
Toothless in How To Train Your Dragon.
PHOTO: UIP
Speaking of dogs, Superman now has one in James Gunn's adaptation of the Man of Steel.
Krypto, based on the American writer-director's own pup Ozu, is arguably the most traditionally cute of the bunch. After all, he looks like a regular scruffy dog, just one in a cape, but he is also a menace who bites feet and thinks any flying gadget is a toy.
Krypto the superdog in Superman is inspired and modelled after director James Gunn's dog Ozu.
PHOTO: WBEI
The summer's other big superhero flick also has a winsome little buddy: H.E.R.B.I.E., the robot for the title crew in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. He is made of metal, but has been designed for maximum awws, with a sweetly chirping voice and spinning reels for peepers.
H.E.R.B.I.E. in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY CO
There is more. In Pixar's Elio, a human boy befriends a slug-like alien named Glordon, who is sweetly naive despite descending from a race of warlords intent on conquering the galaxy. And Jurassic World Rebirth introduced Dolores, an Aquilops who, unlike the T. rex, enjoys candy and human companionship.
What is with this inundation? Of course, cuteness is a solid marketing tactic.
One reason Stitch, who debuted in the 2002 animated version, has become such a beloved character in the Disney stable is the volume of merchandise featuring him. The same could be said for Toothless, who even has a Labubu crossover toy.
For what it is worth, Pop Mart is also in the Stitch business.
Stitch in Lilo & Stitch.
PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY CO
Meanwhile, the Labubu fad has started to merge with movie marketing. Celebrities are now being asked to interact with the toys during their press tours.
The stars of both the sports racing drama F1: The Movie and horror reboot I Know What You Did Last Summer – two films in which adorable characters would be extremely out of place – have been subjected to this. F1: The Movie cast member Javier Bardem holding up a Labubu and gleefully declaring 'I got Baba' made me smile, even if the interaction felt like a forced viral moment.
Sure, all this cuteness is in many ways a crass ploy for moviegoers' dollars, but it works for a reason. There is a comfort in the twee, especially when it is a little bit askew or offbeat.
These characters allow people to switch off their brains and simply exist in their charming, oddball worlds . When every piece of news that hits the phone is largely depressing, it is a relief to spend a couple of hours gallivanting with Toothless or playing hypothetical fetch with Krypto.
Their brand of chaos is the fun kind, not the nightmarish type.
Of course, not every summer movie creature can work this kind of magic.
The Jurassic World Rebirth social media team tried to turn Dolores into a phenomenon, with early X posts like one captioned: 'Protect Dolores at all costs!'
The comments included questions about who Dolores was, and the mini-dino did not get any more popular after the film's release, possibly because she did not have a very distinctive personality.
But when the characters are successful, they allow even adult viewers to regress into a childlike state of wonder, which partly explains why most of these movies have taken in huge amounts of money.
The notion that these things have traits that society has deemed unlovable – Glordon's buggy form, for instance – makes them all the more lovable. It also may be why Labubus have become the accessory du jour.
Their faces look as if they are about to create havoc, but their bodies are snuggable. They are like your personal Stitch: There by your side to make you giggle with the spicy-sweet personality you project onto them.
Isn't that the fantasy all these movies sell? It sure would be fun to have your own little impish companion around at all times. NYTIMES