Latest news with #Brough
TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
Labubu fans dote over ugly-cute doll trending at Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con is the latest location where the ugly-cute dolls named Labubu have been trending, with fans carrying the plushies globally popularised by celebrities Rihanna, Lizzo, Dua Lipa and Lisa from the K-pop group Blackpink. The wide-eyed and grinning doll was created in 2015 by Hong Kong artist and illustrator Kasing Lung. In 2019, Lung allowed them to be sold by Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company that sells collectible figurines, often in 'blind boxes'. 'Blind boxes' are sealed boxes containing a surprise item that is usually part of a themed collection. Naomi Galban from San Diego waited in line on Sunday at the Pop Mart booth in the San Diego Convention Center for a chance to get her first Labubu. 'Every time I go to a Pop Mart store, they're sold out,' the 24-year-old said. She hoped to buy one for her little sister. Emily Brough, Pop Mart's Head of IP Licensing, spoke to Reuters on Thursday about Labubu fans at Comic-Con. 'We love to see how fans are personalising it [Labubu] for themselves,' Brough said next to the Pop Mart booth. While Brough noted that there were many people with a Labubu strapped to their bags and backpacks at Comic-Con, the doll's popularity did not happen overnight. Labubus had a huge boost in 2019 after Pop Mart began selling them, and in 2024, when Blackpink's Lisa, who is Thai, created a buying frenzy in Thailand after she promoted Labubu on social media.
Al Etihad
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Al Etihad
Labubu fans dote over ugly-cute doll trending at San Diego Comic-Con
28 July 2025 09:27 SAN DIEGO (REUTERS)San Diego Comic-Con is the latest location where the ugly-cute dolls named Labubu have been trending, with fans carrying the plushies globally popularised by celebrities Rihanna, Lizzo, Dua Lipa, and Lisa from the K-pop group wide-eyed and grinning doll was created in 2015 by Chinese artist and illustrator Kasing Lung. In 2019, Lung allowed them to be sold by Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company that sells collectible figurines, often in 'blind boxes'.'Blind boxes' are sealed boxes containing a surprise item that is usually part of a themed Brough, Pop Mart's Head of IP Licensing, spoke to Reuters on Thursday about Labubu fans at Comic-Con."We love to see how fans are personalising it (Labubu) for themselves," Brough said next to the Pop Mart Brough noted that there were many people with a Labubu strapped to their bags and backpacks at Comic-Con, the doll's popularity did not happen had a huge boost in 2019 after Pop Mart began selling them, and in 2024, when Blackpink's Lisa, who is Thai, created a buying frenzy in Thailand after she promoted Labubu on social Mart saw sales skyrocket in North America that same year, with revenue in the US in the first quarter of 2025 already surpassing the full-year US revenue from 2024, Pop Mart he created Labubu, Lung gave the character, who is female, a backstory inspired by Nordic mythology. He called her and his other fictional creatures "The Monsters."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'We want to play for England just like Jess Park'
The next generation of aspiring Lionesses say the current England team is inspiring them to become professional footballers. Defending champions England will take on Spain in the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 final on Sunday, hoping to go one better than two years ago when they lost to the same opponents in the World Cup final. Young girls at Elloughton Blackburn Football Club in Brough, the former club of current England international Jess Park, said they hoped to follow in her footsteps. Eight-year-old Scarlett said: "I feel like I could be like her [Jess Park] and I could play for Elloughton but then go into England, too." She added: "I think they [the Lionesses] are going to win. I think she [Jess Park] has been really good. I've been proud of her." Thea, seven, said her role models included Park and Ella Toone. She said: "I like them because they're just really kind. I really look up to them and I want to be the next one of them. "They represent our country and they're just really good at playing football. "I think they're going to do really well and score lots of goals." Thea's mother, Becca, said her daughter "lives and breathes" football. She said watching the Lionesses showed girls what could be achieved in the sport and that it was not just for boys. She added: "Representation is important in all areas and the fact that they can see someone special like Jess, who has started here and see what she's gone on to do, I think that's amazing." Scarlett, seven, said she joined the team because she wants to be a professional football player. "I feel inspired that Jess has gone from Elloughton Blackburn to the national team," she said. "If they win, girls will want to play the game more." Elloughton Blackburn's president, Conleth Campbell, has been at the club for 20 years and saw Park's progress. He said she played for the club from the age of seven for four years and it was an "absolutely phenomenal achievement" what she had done. He said: "We did see the talent back then at such a young age and we're all extremely proud of her. "The success of Jess and the success of the Lionesses has promoted girls football in this country. "We are approaching capacity [at the club]." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices More on this story Football exhibition tells story of Hull Lionesses England women's team pioneer honoured Ex-England captain's 'confidence' in Lionesses Related internet links England Football
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
England's Jess Park inspiring players at former club Elloughton
The next generation of aspiring Lionesses say the current England team is inspiring them to become professional champions England will take on Spain in the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 final on Sunday, hoping to go one better than two years ago when they lost to the same opponents in the World Cup girls at Elloughton Blackburn Football Club in Brough, the former club of current England international Jess Park, said they hoped to follow in her Scarlett said: "I feel like I could be like her [Jess Park] and I could play for Elloughton but then go into England, too." She added: "I think they [the Lionesses] are going to win. I think she [Jess Park] has been really good. I've been proud of her."Thea, seven, said her role models included Park and Ella said: "I like them because they're just really kind. I really look up to them and I want to be the next one of them."They represent our country and they're just really good at playing football."I think they're going to do really well and score lots of goals." Thea's mother, Becca, said her daughter "lives and breathes" said watching the Lionesses showed girls what could be achieved in the sport and that it was not just for added: "Representation is important in all areas and the fact that they can see someone special like Jess, who has started here and see what she's gone on to do, I think that's amazing." Scarlett, seven, said she joined the team because she wants to be a professional football player."I feel inspired that Jess has gone from Elloughton Blackburn to the national team," she said."If they win, girls will want to play the game more." Elloughton Blackburn's president, Conleth Campbell, has been at the club for 20 years and saw Park's said she played for the club from the age of seven for four years and it was an "absolutely phenomenal achievement" what she had said: "We did see the talent back then at such a young age and we're all extremely proud of her."The success of Jess and the success of the Lionesses has promoted girls football in this country."We are approaching capacity [at the club]." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
CNBC
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNBC
This $30 Labubu doll became an international status symbol—it brought in $423 million for its company last year
It was a sunny Thursday evening in New York's Washington Square Park. People gathered there for one reason, and one reason only: a Labubu fashion show. On June 12, Labubu lovers strutted down the sidewalks with the tiny toy monsters clipped to their purses, backpacks, beltloops — even their dogs' harnesses. The model with the best flair won a new toy and, naturally, a purse to hang it on. The evening provided a glimpse into a seemingly sudden worldwide obsession with the blind-box stuffed animal toy, which retails for about $30 and is sold by Chinese collectible company Pop Mart. A Labubu is "a small monster with high, pointed ears, serrated teeth" and a "mischievous" smile, according to Pop Mart's website. Pop Mart sells hundreds of different versions of Labubu — varying in color and level of rarity — and fans don't know which one they've purchased until unboxing it, much like a sealed pack of baseball cards. More than 1 million TikTok videos mention the eerie little monsters, and they often sell out in range from adult fashionistas and toy collectors to parents buying the oddly creepy dolls for their toddlers. They may line up at Pop Mart stores and vending machines for hours, even traveling overseas to get their hands on one. Some Labubus go for hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on resale marketplaces like StockX or eBay. Pop Mart brought in about 13.04 billion yuan ($1.8 billion) in 2024 global revenue, according to the company's most recent annual results announcement. That included the equivalent of approximately $460 million in profits, the announcement said. Roughly $423 million of the company's global revenue came from Labubu dolls alone, says Emily Brough, Pop Mart's head of intellectual property licensing for the Americas. That's a 729% increase from 2023, she adds. "We've seen an incredible growth in revenue and interest across all of our IP," says Brough. "Labubu certainly hit astronomical numbers last year." Here's how Labubu went from a simple collectible toy to a viral, money-making sensation. Pop Mart was founded in 2010 as a small variety shop in Beijing, China. Its founder, Wang Ning — now 38 — had a knack for retail as an advertising student in college, where he'd sell accessories to his classmates, according to Bloomberg. The business grew steadily, opening another retail store at a mall in 2011 and an online store in 2016. Pop Mart regularly partnered with artists to design and create different toys and figurines, and in 2019, it struck such a deal with artist Kasing Lung, who illustrated a picture book series called "The Monsters." Labubu is a character from "The Monsters," and Pop Mart's first wave of Labubu dolls "broke the [business'] sales record in the art toy category," according to the company's website. A year later, Pop Mart started trading publicly in Hong Kong at a $6.9 billion valuation, putting the company within range of international toymakers like Mattel and Hasbro. In 2023, Pop Mart started selling versions of Labubus with keyrings attached to them. Then, in April 2024, Lalisa "Lisa" Manoban, member of the K-Pop band Blackpink, was spotted with a Labubu on her purse as a bag charm. She unknowingly started a frenzy, as people flocked to get their own monster toy accessory — quickly turning Pop Mart's dolls into a fashion accessory and symbol of social status. Celebrities like Lizzo and billionaire Rihanna put Labubus on their own purses, further popularizing the toy. People customize their dolls, giving them hats, "designer" outfits, sunglasses and their own purses. Some people even put real tattoos on their Labubus' faces. Pop Mart's market cap is now $43.28 billion, as of Monday afternoon — far outpacing Mattel's $6.44 billion and Hasbro's $10.63 billion. The vast majority of Pop Mart's revenue comes from Asia — $1.6 billion in 2024, including $1.1 billion from mainland China alone. Still, Labubus now have hundreds of thousands of fans across the world, including 145,000 "Monsters" in Reddit's Labubu community, for example. Pop Mart's 500-plus stores worldwide include more than 90 retail locations in the United States, including vending machines, according to its website. The company's success has pushed Ning's estimated net worth to $21.6 billion, says Forbes. Some Labubu fans say their affection for the plush monsters goes well beyond celebrity influence: They love the unique-looking toys, the personalities Lung created for them and the thrill of trying to get a specific Labubu for their collections. Pop Mart's limited supply has reportedly led to customers fighting over Labubus. Rising resale prices have created a market for knockoff Labubus, known as "Lafufus," on platforms like Amazon and AliExpress. Fashion and pop culture trends don't tend to last forever, meaning Labubu dolls could fade in popularity over time. For now, Pop Mart plans to keep expanding internationally — taking advantage of the craze while it exists — and growing its roster of artists to create and sell more characters, says Brough. "Pop Mart has been around for 15 years and we are really building a brand for longevity," she says. "As we continue to diversify our artists' portfolio and diversify the ways that people can really interact with our characters, we will continue our mission to light up passion and bring joy for years to come." 0.13923
