What is a Labubu? Inside the latest collectible craze in Philly

Bonnie Elle first saw the furry monsters now populating Philly Chinatown s streets during a family vacation to Southeast Asia in August Elle had seen people lined up outside of Pop Mart stores excitedly waiting to get their hands on Asia s biggest toy trend Labubus Seeing the popularity of the roughly eight-inch tall dolls with devilish grins and rabbit-like ears she brought them back to Asia Crafts her gift shop in the heart of Chinatown Elle revealed it took a few time for the dolls popularity to take off in the U S and reach the levels she saw in Asia But this spring the dolls popularity soared and they were flying off shelves almost faster than she could keep up with All of a sudden this year people started buying them and then a couple of months ago Labubus went viral and people started going crazy for them declared Elle Chinatown s newest craze Now boxes of the dolls line the walls of Asia Crafts and a display for Labubu clothes which Elle calls her Labubu boutique stands by the store s register The boutique is stocked with an array of miniature designer clothes fit to dress a Labubu Her Chinatown neighbor Phech Loa saw the same interest at her gift shop Little Seven House just a block away from Elle Loa says they now sell around Labubus a day but at the height of the craze they sold to daily and saw lines of customers wrap around the inside of her store to ask about the trendy toy Asia Crafts stand of Labubu clothes displayed hats dresses vests and more all available for purchase for any Labubu lovers Davis Cuffe Billy Penn As Labubu dolls can cost upwards of depending on the model Loa explained her store was making five times more than its regular profit when Labubu s sales reached their peak Asia Crafts and Little Seven House aren t the only Chinatown shops cashing in on the craze Ebisu Japanese Life Store Happy DIY and Chinese Civilization Arts Inc all had Labubus in stock as of July Beyond Chinatown several Philly small business owners are also diving into the hype by customizing Labubus and accessories A K-pop boost sends Labubus global Loa credits Lisa of the ultra-popular K-pop group Blackpink who co-starred in the latest season of HBO s The White Lotus as the catalyst of the dolls success While the dolls have been around since their popularity surged across Asia in after Lisa shared a photo with a Labubu on Instagram where she has million followers This year pop stars Rihanna and Dua Lipa were spotted with the dolls clipped onto their bags igniting their popularity in the U S Back in Philly both Elle and Loa say they ve seen people visit their stores this summer with - dolls clipped onto their pants shirts and bags I saw a guy with like at least he had a cross-body bag and from the top to the bottom he had them commented Loa I called my husband to see it too and he was just so surprised While she didn t have quite as a large number of as that guy local shopper Nickie Friel s Labubu sported a faux Louis Vuitton hat and jumpsuit clipped stylishly to her purse Phech Loa center who runs Little Seven House shows off Labubus from her store alongside two other employees Davis Cuffe Billy Penn The decorated doll may seem eccentric to selected but collectible plush toys and small charms have dependably been popular think Beanie Babies and Tamagotchi Combine that with another modern trend towards blind mystery boxes which originated in Japan in the s and it s clear how Labubus have become a hit I just love the little Labubu outfits and stuff they re so cute declared Friel I have a bunch of different purses so I can mix and match Will Labubus last Friel left Little Seven House with two new Labubus in hand but despite her growing collection Friel defendants the dolls moment in the spotlight may be short-lived My whole life American Girl dolls Build-A-Bears I ve inevitably been crazy about that stuff but in a year it will be something else stated Friel Unfortunately for those looking to make their first purchase of trending toys Elle and Loa both agree the dolls may not be here to stay We ve been in Chinatown since declared Elle Every couple of years or every year there s something that goes crazy for people Bonnie Elle of Asia Crafts displays two of her store s Labubus Exciting Macarons left features key-chain Labubus in seven different colors Davis Cuffe Billy Penn Gratification in the collecting Still for a large number of buyers it s not about chasing trends but about the momentary delight of something silly soft and sweet With mystery boxes rotating character series and even counterfeit Lafufu versions floating around there s a thrill of chance baked into the experience It s like gambling laughed Friel who stated she s had to sort through selected fakes while buying Labubus at certain locations For Julia Smith an Asia Crafts customer who plans to buy a Labubu someday and left the store Saturday with a different plush charm the happiness lies in the frivolity of the purchase itself As someone who in childhood didn t get to spend a lot of money on fun toys this is like rewarding the inner child revealed Smith It s frivolous money spending but it s on something super cute that gives you several gratification The post What is a Labubu Inside the latest collectible craze in Philly appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY