LABUBU: Dolls of the Underworld (5/9/25)

The sudden popularity of Labubu toys has resulted in grown adults lining up in the early morning hours to acquire as many of these little monsters as possible. Although upon first glance they appear sort of cute, closer examination will reveal that their apparent smile is actually a sinister grin with razor sharp teeth. Designed by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung, the toys are sold by Pop Mart in collaboration with the artist and in relation to his 2015 book “The Monsters.” Their increasing popularity is a result of celebrities like Rihanna or Dua Lipa flaunting their own, although the trend began when Blackpink k-pop singer Lisa first was spotted with the keychain in April 2024. Each doll comes in a sealed box with no indication of what’s inside, meaning each purchase is a mystery. Shoppers are notified of a new drop off of the toy at their local stores via WhatsApp. They then rush to the spot, as one Australian article documented, “at 3am.” Put simply, people are lining up during the “witching hour” to buy a mysterious monster in a box after receiving an oddly timed text in the middle of the night. The atmosphere around these toys is similar to any long gone or persisting product, from Furbys and Beanie Babies to Hello Kitty and Pokemon, but there is something else about these little toys that is anything but friendly.The dolls themselves are not really even monsters, but instead more like little children that appear to be possessed and wearing Teletubbies costumes. Like any good marketing campaign, the product page on Amazon describes their various character stores: one of the leaders, zimomo ventures to the human world where he learns yoga and then brings the practice back to his own world in the forest. The monsters are thus more like fairies, and in fact one description reads: “the elves in the forest are curious about the human world. So, the No. 1 curious player LABUBU gathered her friends and secretly came to the city for an adventure. The goal is absolutely not to be discovered by humans!” The forests are described further as “nordic,” which is the mythological nature that was inspiration for the dolls.It’s not just the name zimomo that brings back memories of the Momo Challenge, but the fact that these monsters from another world are essentially being promoted like Momo. Mysterious messages in the middle of the night that prompt half-asleep humans to perform some action - in this case, buy a mysterious box that contains what amounts to a fairy, demon, familiar, or personal spirit charm. This is reminiscent also of the 3am Challenge and the recent Mirror Challenge, where one looks into the mirror for so long they watch their face and reality around them distort. The name LA BU BU is even more telling of an underlying darkness. The LALALOOPSY doll, a girl with no apparent ears, a mouth sewn shut, and black buttons for eyes - something further reminiscent of the movie Carolin where the Beldam Other Mother replaces the girl’s eyes (soul) with buttons to trap her in the other world - is a toy about fanciful play through a sort of loopy “Lala-ness.” The LA BU BU is generally said to refer to the same playfulness, though the word “bubu” is both a euphemism for a child’s injury, and also holds the meaning of grandmother. In other words, LA GRANDMOTHER, the old crone of the forest. She is also known as Momo, Yamamba, the hag, the Hansel and Gretel Witch, or Baba Yaga. She also...