Developed in 2010 – five years before Labubu hit the market – Fuggler plushies have enjoyed a surge in interest on social media platforms
Competition for plush toys is heating up, with British monster-like characters, Fugglers, emerging from the shadows following the recent runaway success of Labubu, a collectible doll created by a Hong Kong designer.
Fugglers, which recently appeared on the popular Chinese social media platform RedNote, stretch the “ugly-cute” moniker to the extremes.
They are threatening to steal the limelight from Labubu, designed by Hong Kong-born Lung Ka-sing and manufactured by Beijing-based Pop Mart. Labubu plush toy monster elves are known for their distinct mischievous grins and what has been dubbed an “ugly-cute” aesthetic.
Fugglers, the brainchild of British artist Louise McGettrick and distributed by UK-based Addo Play, are a line of “funny-ugly monsters” identifiable by their “human-like teeth, vacant eyes and disturbing demeanour”.
