Labubu dolls’ global popularity hits San Diego Comic-Con

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 popularized by celebrities such as 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 specializes in collectible figurines, often packaged in “blind boxes.”

“Blind boxes” are sealed containers containing a surprise item, typically 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 told Reuters. 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 personalizing it (Labubu) for themselves,” Brough said next to the Pop Mart booth.

While Brough noted that many people had a Labubu strapped to their bags and backpacks at Comic-Con, the doll’s popularity did not happen overnight.

Labubus experienced 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 promoting Labubu on social media.

Pop Mart saw sales skyrocket in North America that same year, with revenue in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2025 already surpassing the full-year U.S. revenue from 2024, according to Pop Mart.

When 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.”

Diana Goycortua, 25, first discovered Labubu through social media and before she knew it, it felt like a “game” to try and collect the dolls.

“It’s a little bit of gambling with what you’re getting,” the Labubu fan from San Diego said on Sunday while waiting at the Pop Mart booth, concluding that her love for the character made it worth trying blind boxes.

Goycortua already has three Labubus and was hoping to score her a fourth one at Comic-Con.