You smile at your Labubu on the bag, place your bet Bizzo Casino Login, and read the unexpected news about this toy.
The last few years, China has increasingly been the center of world trends. TikTok conquers the world, local fashion houses become international. But sometimes something happens the opposite way around — it gets lost behind the scenes or even prohibited. That was the destiny of Labubu — a character which appeared to be fairly adorable upon first glance yet all of a sudden found itself stuck in a scandal.
The majority have queried: how was this allowed to happen? For starters, Labubu seemed to be a harmless toy — a huge puffy thing with enormous eyes. Kids adored him, grown-ups were collecting the smaller versions, and social media was filled with memes. But there lay behind that cute disguise a story that led Chinese authorities to crack down hard.
Where Labubu Came From
The character was not conceived in mainland China, however, but in Hong Kong. Artist Kasing Lung created an entire universe called The Monsters. Labubu is one of the monsters — the most well-known and popular one. The characters were launched as blind-box collectibles: you buy a box and don’t know which character you get. It introduced a kind of gambling-like thrill. Folks bought cases full to complete a collection.
In China, this spawned a full-blown “Labubu mania.” Figurines were reselling for outrageous sums of money, fans lined up outside retailers, and social media was filled with limited editions. On the surface, what’s wrong with that?
Why It Was Banned
The prohibition stemmed out of multiple issues at once.
Gambling-like mechanics
Blind-box sales rely on “buy and hope.” This was a sensitive issue for China, since officials actively crack down on gambling in any form directed at children. Labubu was seen as a vehicle to lead children and young people to spend money wastefully — and even attract the debt of their parents.
Dark aesthetics
In spite of the cuteness, the design of Labubu had an otherworldly undertone. Large eyes, toothy smiles, monstrous facial features — all this ignited discussions of whether the toy would scare children or warp their vision. Chinese media even labeled Labubu “a symbol of underlying aggression.”
Cultural values
China closely monitors the pictures that younger generations are viewing. Authorities stated that Labubu “does not match healthy values” and would have a negative effect on teens’ mental health. Because of this, figurines and goods were removed from the shelves, and the brand began losing licenses.
The Dark Side of the Brand
Upon closer inspection, yes, there was quite a number of controversies surrounding Labubu.
Reselling and speculation. Limited editions turned collecting into a market of stratospheric prices. Figurines were resold for ten times their initial price, encouraging greed and dishonesty.
Counterfeit goods. China’s market was quickly overwhelmed with knock-offs masquerading as “original” Labubu toys. This eroded trust in the brand and triggered popular unrest.
Fanatic cult-like behavior. Online communities sprouted up where users competed to get the most elusive of figurines. For some, collecting was an unhealthy obsession.
Each of these observations revealed the “skeletons” in the fluffy face: under the innocent guise was a business founded on gambling psychology and emotional dependency.
The banning of Labubu in China is not a fairy tale about a toy. It’s an experiment of how state bodies try to control cultural space and protect young people from what they consider evil. On the one hand, one could say: is the figurine that awful? On the other — the Labubu craze showed that seemingly harmless things can cause real social backlash.
Eventually, Labubu became a symbol of how business and fashion never necessarily speak of “good values.”