When Bobby Solez goes out in public, he gets called the “Labubu guy.”
“I’ll go to the mall and ... I’ve definitely had people look at me sideways. Like, ‘What the hell?’” he said. “But then a lot of the times ... younger people will be like, ‘Oh my God, you have a Labubu. Where’d you get that?’”
The Westchester, New York-based fashion influencer has gone viral on TikTok for his unboxing videos of the popular key ring toys. Originally designed in 2015 by Hong Kong-based artist Kasing Lung, the fuzzy, fanged toy monsters exploded in popularity after being purchased by Chinese collectables retailer Pop Mart in 2019 and being seen on celebrities like Blackpink’s Lisa and tennis star Naomi Osaka.
Go to any grocery store or mall in America and you’re likely to encounter Labubus dangling from a purse or a belt loop. Solez wears his Labubu on his bag. But when adults ― and particularly men ― own Labubus, the reactions are polarizing.
Solez said he has gotten thousands of comments on his videos along the lines of, “You’re a grown man, why are you doing this?”
