The ‘ugly-cute’ elf sold by Chinese company Pop Mart has become a sensation and the authorities are aggressively cracking down on fakes – pushing production into the shadows
Trolleys piled high with decapitated silicon monster heads, tattooed dealers lurking in alleyways, bin bags of contraband hidden behind shop counters: welcome to the world of Lafufus.
Fake Labubus, also known as Lafufus, are flooding the hidden market. As demand for the collectable furry keyrings soars, entrepreneurs in the southern trading hub of Shenzhen are wasting no time sourcing imitation versions to sell to eager Labubu hunters. But the Chinese authorities, keen to protect a rare soft-power success story, are cracking down on the counterfeits.
“Labubus have become very sensitive,” says one unofficial vendor, in her small, unmarked, fake designer goods shop hidden on the 17th floor of a bland office building in Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei district, an area known for cheap electronics. “We don’t dare to talk about it,” her colleague adds.
Labubus, a furry bunny-eared elf sold by Chinese toy company Pop Mart, have gone viral this year. Touted by celebrities from Rihanna to Blackpink’s Lisa, the “ugly-cute” dolls have been so in demand that in the UK Pop Mart pulled the grinning monsters from all stores because of the risk of fights breaking out between customers. In the UK they retail for £17.50, while official versions in China sell for between 99 and 399 yuan (£10.30 – £41.40), with resale prices soaring much higher.
