The ‘ugly-cute’ Labubu dolls, already a global sensation thanks to celebrity endorsements from Rihanna, Lizzo, Dua Lipa, and Blackpink’s Lisa, are now luring in fans at San Diego Comic-Con.
Created in 2015 by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung, these wide-eyed, grinning plushies gained wider distribution in 2019 through Chinese toy company Pop Mart.
The collectible figurines are often sold in ‘blind boxes’ – sealed containers holding a surprise item from a themed collection.
Their surging popularity was evident at the event, where San Diego local Naomi Galban queued at the Pop Mart booth on Sunday, hoping to acquire her first Labubu doll.
She hoped to buy one for her little sister.
“Every time I go to a Pop Mart store, they’re sold out,” the 24-year-old told Reuters.
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.
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, Pop Mart said.
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.
