"Beanie Babies lined up in plastic bins, Furby eyes blinking creepily in the night, and me nearly bartering my lunch money for the perfect gel pen color swap—those are all standout memories from my childhood and elementary school years. Mix in Nano Babies, GigaPets, Tamagotchis, and Tickle Me Elmo—just writing about them takes me right back to the pre-internet days of in-person drops, store lineups, and the excitement of showing your friends your new collections. Back then, it was a time when our treasures were tiny and often made no real sense—but we had to have them. Now, as a mom, I find myself watching history repeat itself—this time in the form of a fuzzy, big-eyed little creature called Labubu.
What is a Labubu?
If you’ve never heard of Labubus, don’t worry—you’re not out of touch. You’re just not 8 years old or chronically online. Labubus are characters created by artist Kasing Lung and produced by Pop Mart, known for its wildly popular “blind box” approach to collectibles. (Where you don’t know what you’re getting until you open the box.)
Labubu is part of the “The Monsters” series—a lineup of quirky, creepy-cute figures with big eyes, toothy grins, and fuzzy bodies. Some versions are vinyl; others are plush. Some are pastel and whimsical; others look like they might bite you in the night. But all of them are incredibly hard to get—at least without paying high over market value from a reseller or opting for the dupe versions aptly named Lafufus.
But millions of people are getting them, as evidenced by Pop Mart recently reporting over 15 million blind boxes sold in a single year. Labubu is being called the Beanie Baby craze of our time—with even more reach thanks to TikTok and YouTubers.
How I found myself on the hunt for a Labubu
Let me back up. Just a few weeks ago, Labubus still existed, but not in our universe. My daughter and I were on a day trip to the city with friends and popped into a store filled with K-pop merch, anime figurines, and collectibles. You know, the kind of place that’s curated chaos and somehow smells like bubble tea and vinyl and makes you feel like a kid again. That’s when we first got on the topics of Labubus. My daughter had known what they were, but we never really talked about it before then, and I remember saying out loud, “I don’t get the hype.” They were weirdly cute but also a figurine. Eventually, the convo fizzled.
Around the same time, my neighbor had shown hers off on Instagram, and it looked oddly adorable clipped to her Louis Vuitton bag. It fit right in with another current trend—handbag charms. Still, I wasn’t interested.
Fast-forward to today, and I’ve become a woman who set multiple alarms, signed up for sketchy international drop alerts, and stalked resale pages—all to find a single Labubu for my daughter.
Keeping up with the Joneses—one blind box at a time
Naturally, it went from a blip on our radar to a mission. Even though she never really begged for one or pleaded her case like she has previously or like she did for our puppy (she won that battle, too), the idea of the chase became a “thing” for me.
I’m super competitive and compulsive by nature and love a good challenge. I have pretty good luck scoring concert tickets, winning raffles or contests, snagging merch from the latest Target collabs, or even 20 years ago scoring the latest Playstation for my younger cousins.
Long story short, it is now Me: 1 Labubu: 0. We have one, in all her cute(ish?) rainbow glory. But now here I am, staring at this tiny figure we scored—her joy was uncontainable—and in that moment, it was worth it. But now I wonder: How did this become a remotely important thing in my life? What did I just teach her? That a toy is more valuable or cooler because it’s rare or expensive or trending? We always get what we want if we just want it hard enough? That wanting something because other people have it is a good enough reason?
“What did I just teach her? That a toy is more valuable or cooler because it’s rare or expensive or trending? That wanting something because other people have it is a good enough reason?”
I told her not to bring it to school or dance class—I didn’t want it to get lost, or, more truthfully, I didn’t want her to accidentally make someone else feel left out or brag about it to her friends. (At 6, is it “bragging” or just being really, really excited? I like to think of the latter, but I really don’t know.) I kind of think all 6-year-olds like to show off—but they do so without the intention of hurting others. Unlike many adults. (Don’t get me started.)
Back to her. I told her it was more than OK to be excited—but not to brag. She listened, but then I also felt a pang of guilt, like I was stifling her joy. So many internal questions and emotions about plastic and fluff—who knew?
It’s just a toy… right?
Am I overthinking this? Probably. I do with most things. But also… maybe not.
Because I think many moms do, and I do think sometimes we should. Even something as silly as a fluffy keychain starts to feel like a parenting decision. Aren’t most of us always aiming to raise humble, grounded kids while also wanting them to feel seen, celebrated, and included? After all, it’s not like I got her a Gucci bag.
But the whole thing made me really think about a constant tightrope walk:
- We don’t want to spoil them, but we also want to reward them.
- We want to raise them with values, but we also want them to have fun.
- We want them to be confident but not performative.
- We want them to fit in but not feel like they have to. Or that an object will make you more likeable or cool.
- We want to give them the world and grant their every wish but also teach and show them that life is full of disappointments, and as The Rolling Stones (and my father) like to say, “You can’t always get what you want.”
There’s just no manual for this stuff. Just gut instinct and overthinking and late-night journaling (or, in my case, writing a 1,000-word essay about a glorified gremlin).
How to score a real Labubu (hint: it’s not easy)
If you, too, have now found yourself on the hunt for a Labubu, here are a few things I’ve learned on my epic quest:
- Authentic Labubus are nearly impossible to get unless you’re fast, lucky, or willing to drop major cash.
- Limited drops sell out in seconds.
- Some releases are exclusive to Asia or require special codes to purchase.
- There are Reddit threads, Discord groups, even Instagram Live auctions.
The only tried-and-true way I know is to sign up for alerts and use the Pop Mart app right during their announced drops. And to have your fingers and toes crossed. Having an existing account with your personal and payment info helps things to go quickly, too.
When I finally got one, it felt like winning the lottery. I was victorious. Ridiculous? A little. But it was a weird adrenaline rush that only fellow moms trying to track down hard-to-get toys might understand.
Labubu LaLessons
In the end, I know this: I love my daughter beyond measure, and as such, I want her to feel joy. I made a conscious effort to try and freeze-frame in my mind her big, goofy, and grateful smile when I finally gave her the box. I want her to know she’s enough—with or without a Labubu. (If I read this line four weeks ago, I’d actually think I was typing under the influence.)
But yes, I got her the toy.
I also looked at it like an opportunity to talk to her about trends, gratitude, humility, generosity (we’ve since scored for a few friends, too!), and the power of not always getting what you want. Even though in this case, she did.
Fingers crossed, even a fraction of my words on those topics will stick around for longer than the trend of a fuzzy monster figurine. Maybe.
What a world.
Erin Celletti, Contributing Writer
Erin is an NYC-based writer with a BA in Journalism from Quinnipiac University and two master’s degrees in education. She is a proud mama to a little girl and a lifestyle, beauty, wellness, and trends reports writer. Beyond The Everymom, Erin’s editorial work has been featured in publications like Bustle, Allure, Byrdie, The Everygirl, TeenVogue, BRIDES, Sunday Edit, and TODAY.
Images in graphics credited to: Pop Mart and Adobe Stock.