LONDON: A cheeky, toothy grin. Eyes full of mischief. Wrapped in a fuzzy rabbit suit. One look is enough to tell, Labubu is up to no good. But it’s just a harmless doll — right?
In recent weeks, the ugly-yet-cute collectible from Beijing-based Pop Mart has sparked a wave of online speculation.
Some social media users claim it could be possessed by a demon from ancient times, while others insist it moves on its own when no one is watching — like a plush Elf on the Shelf.
The panic began in late June when a series of TikTok and Instagram posts compared Labubu — which was created by Hong Kong illustrator Kasing Lung — to Pazuzu, a Mesopotamian demon made famous by cult horror classic “The Exorcist.”
One TikTok user, Lindsay Ivan, warned followers in a viral video that people were being “tricked” into thinking the trending toys were “so cute” when they were actually “buying something that’s very dark.”
