Latest news with #PopLand
The Star
30-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
China fund beats 97% of peers by buying Pop Mart
A statue of the character Labubu at the Pop Land theme park, operated by Pop Mart International Group Ltd., in Beijing, China, on Friday, June 27, 2025. Labubu, Beijing toymaker Pop Mart's star character, is fueling a global collectibles craze. Photographer: Na Bian/Bloomberg BEIJING: A 30-year-old Chinese fund manager is trouncing peers this year with a portfolio stocked with Gen Z-favoured names like Pop Mart International Group, betting that new-age shopping trends can help his fund overcome the country's economic sluggishness. Xie Tianyuan's Penghua Selected Return Flexible Allocation Mixed Fund has returned 24% this year, ranking in the top 3% among roughly 2,300 peers, data from fund tracker East Money Information Co show. That's a turnaround from its recent past when holdings in traditional sectors like alcoholic beverages and farming dragged performance. The Shenzhen-based fund manager, who took over in early 2024, wasted little time in replacing what was then the fund's top holding, Kweichow Moutai Co, a baijiu distiller, with the maker of smash-hit Labubu dolls, Pop Mart. His repositioning for the fund, which has about US$7mil in assets under management, reflects how cultural shifts – brought on by digital influence and youth spending – are creating opportunities for Chinese investors navigating broader challenges in the world's second-largest economy. His conviction strengthened after witnessing the popularity of the toymaker's products in Thailand, which, he says, signalled 'non-linear growth with every metric showing breakout potential'. Growing up immersed in Japanese anime culture – his desk is adorned with Dragon Ball Z figurines – Xie said he developed an eye for identifying promising characters or designs, called 'IP brands' by mixing personal fandom and online research. That he himself is demographically a member of Gen Z, the driving force behind China's new 'emotional spending' consumption trend, helps him understand what may resonate beyond advertising and go viral. 'Opportunities in the sector in the years to come will be on the single-stock level as the population dividend comes to an end,' he said. 'I pick companies that have breakthrough products, new business models and innovative sales channels – products that are both visually appealing and fun.' His top pick, Pop Mart, accounted for 10.5% of the fund's total assets as of March, the top end of its maximum ownership in a single stock allowed, filings show. Other big bets include Mao Geping Cosmetics Co, up 83% this year, as well as Chongqing Baiya Sanitary Products Co and Yantai China Pet Foods Co. Xie's strategy lies firmly in targeting the Gen Z consumption trend, where purchase decisions are driven by emotional triggers and hobby interests. Despite looming threats from Donald Trump's proposed tariff hikes, this behavioural change fuelled rallies in pockets of China's stock market, especially after the momentum from artificial intelligence began to fade. Shares of the companies at the heart of this trend – including Pop Mart and Laopu Gold Co, known for distinctive gold pendants – have staged wild gains this year. Laopu is up more than 2,000% since its initial public offering in Hong Kong a year ago. Xie's fund owns shares that trade in the mainland as well as in Hong Kong. A gauge for Chinese stocks listed in Hong Kong has risen 20% this year. The mainland's benchmark, the CSI 300, had edged down 0.3% so far this year. The rally has expanded to include sectors like medical aesthetics, pet foods and even vape products. — Bloomberg
South China Morning Post
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Inside Pop Land, Pop Mart's theme park in Beijing
Visitors at Pop Land in Beijing on Wednesday. Photo: AFP Visitors at Pop Land in Beijing on Wednesday. Photo: AFP share
Buzz Feed
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
What Is A Labubu? Everything To Know About The Trendy Toy
In the era of sweet little treats and trying to ignore the dumpster fire state of the world with whimsical little trinkets, it's no surprise blind boxes are having a moment. Coming off the heels of Sonny Angels, Labubus are scratching that nostalgic and ugly-cute itch for those of us that grew up collecting Troll dolls or Beanie Babies back in the day. Now, I bet you're probably thinking, 'Okay, cool, but what the heck is a Labubu?' Well, the furry little creatures hail from a series of books called The Monsters by artist Kasing Lung. Lung — a Hong Kong-based artist living in the Netherlands — took inspiration from Nordic folklore and mythology to create these little mischievous elves, with their huge eyes and jagged little teeth. Lung struck a deal with Pop Mart to bring his creations to life off the page, and the rest is history. Besides Labubus, Pop Mart also sells collectibles of other creatures from the books. There's Zimomo, who is bigger than the Labubus and has a tail. He's the leader of the Monsters (fun fact: Labubus are canonically girlies!) and is described as being more mellow than the others. There's also Mokoko, who is pink, has a heart-shaped nose, and is described as a total sweetheart. All these characters — plus a ton of others from Pop Mart's various blind box collections — can be found IRL at the PopLand theme park in Beijing. While it's not too hard to find Pop Mart's other iconic collections, like Skullpanda, Crybaby, or Peach Riot (a personal favorite of mine, TBH), I'm sorry to say you won't be able to get your hands on a Labubu right now without putting up a bit of a fight first. That is unless you're A-OK with paying a boatload for resale or getting a Lafufu instead — the internet's teasing name for the plethora of decent-to-horrifyingly-botched Labubu knockoffs that have taken gas stations and flea markets alike by storm in the wake of the Labubu craze. I've gotta be honest with you, Lafufus are kinda iconic. As of right now, you can't simply walk into a Pop Mart store and buy a Labubu blind box off the shelves, unfortunately. If you happen to live near a Pop Mart Robo Shop (like the one off of Hollywood and Highland in Los Angeles, which is essentially a vending machine), they occasionally restock them IRL, but they tend to sell out in the blink of an eye, so you've gotta be fast. Your best bet is to try and snatch one in their online drops — either on their website or through the TikTok Shop during Pop Mart's livestream — for face value (which is about $30), then have it shipped to your home or pick it up in-store. In my experience, I was only able to add one to my cart and cross my fingers as I checked out in hopes of it not selling out before I was able to press 'confirm,' but others have reported being able to use Pop Mart's virtual 'pick one to shake' option, which hints at which Monster might be inside (and confirms which one definitely isn't), allowing you to increase your chances of getting the one you want. This seems most common with Pop Mart's latest Labubu collection, Big Into Energy. In general, though, I've heard through the grapevine that the Pop Mart website tends to restock in small quantities around 7 p.m. PT daily, and that's how I got mine. On the slim chance that they do find their way to a store near you, like they did a little over two months ago when Pop Mart opened a new physical store in Culver City, be prepared to go into battle. I truly wish I were exaggerating, but the turnout for their Big Into Energy collection was so overwhelming and chaotic that they had to cancel it until a later time according to those who attended. All that being said…have you hopped on the Labubu bandwagon? Are you dying to get your hands on one or are you rolling your eyes at everybody losing their minds over a plushie? Or are you simply enjoying the secondhand serotonin from watching other people unbox theirs? Tell us your take in the comments below.
