LynxLink.

Farah Arshad

Throwback to 2024. The Stanley Cup Craze. Surprise! The new year came with yet another microtrend that feeds off of our innate desire to fit in with the majority– an addiction to the latest trend.

Addiction. It starts with just one action that gradually evolves into a series of compulsive behaviors that, if not properly combatted, can seriously harm us and our surroundings. Unfortunately, the more we feed into this cycle, the harder it is to stop.

You may be thinking, an obsession with water bottles can’t possibly be that bad, right?

Wrong. A viral TikTok video from January 2024 showcased the extent we’ll go to obtain them. After camping overnight in a line outside a Target, Stanley-enthusiasts looking to add yet another bottle to their already massive collection ransacked the store for the “Galentine’s” edition of the product. Overwhelmed by the mob, Target executives implemented a limit on the cup to no more than two per person.

But this year, it wasn’t a Stanley. Rather, a palm-sized furry monster that everyone knows and loves. 

Or absolutely despises.

The Labubu.

The figurine isn’t new to many, however. Before their boom in popularity, Labubus were simple sketches of artist Kaisung Lung, inspired by the Nordic fairy tales he enjoyed during his childhood, specifically the elves of the light and of the dark. 

“During my childhood,” Lung said, “I loved reading graphic novels. These became the nutrients for my creative work.”

Lung released his character to the public in his 2015 “The Monster’s Trilogy,” in which he told a simple story of elves called the Labubus.

Shortly after he released Labubu toys, collaborating with the company How2Work to produce “Monster” editions. The characters’ large cult following caught the attention of Beijing-based company Pop Mart known for their “blind-boxes”- packages containing a hidden collectible item from a specific series. The moment Pop Mart developed a licensing deal with Labubu, the collectible started to break toy sale records in Asia– according to the South China Morning Post, Labubu generated over $600 million for the Chinese toy company.

So Labubus aren’t a new thing, really. They’re just new to the US. So what changed that resulted in its surge in popularity earlier this year, that resulted in the The Monsters series raking $676.6 millions just in the first half?

Well, the biggest contributing factor to the virality of the toy isn’t actually the toy itself, rather the box it comes in. On the external packaging, the blind box, the purchaser can see the variations of the Labubu they could possibly get. The “key” to this system, however, is the grayed-out “secret” Labubu, which the customer has the lowest chance of getting–a 1 in 72 to be exact.

And the blind box aspect does wonders.

Imagine this. You need the pink Labubu sketched on the box you just purchased. You open it up, and what do you see? A green Labubu staring right back at you. Seriously?! You try to brush it off, but you just can’t shake the “just one more box” feeling. So, you buy another one. And another one. And another one until you get the pink Labubu you wanted so badly.

It’s like winning the lottery- that rush of excitement, that “yes!” moment when you finally get the one you want. But, strangely, something’s missing. Now, you don’t just need the pink Labubu– you need the entire set.

And people will go to great lengths to acquire their desired variations of the character. Research shows that around 70% of blind box consumers will make at least three purchases of the same box to get a specific toy. 

Thus, a major aspect of the blind box system is its collecting factor. Think about it. That feeling when you finally obtain the last one you need to complete the set– nothing more than pure satisfaction.

It’s a feeling that drives our addiction to blind boxes and these little figures that are littering our homes while simultaneously draining our bank accounts. 

“The blind box itself is playing on the variable ratio reinforcement, which is ultimately the gambling mechanism behind slot machines,” founder of ChoZan research group, Ashley Dudarenok said.

But some have found other methods to obtain these figurines– one that entirely erases that gambling aspect– reselling.

On the online toy market, you can find countless variations of Labubu’s and other blind box characters selling sometimes 20-30 times its original price. 

Social media is clearly to blame. Let’s be real, when everyone online is unboxing countless adorable figurines, we can’t resist doing the same. 

And the creators behind these unboxing videos know it. They’re making millions off of these toys.

But they aren’t targeting children. And blind box companies like PopMart aren’t either. 

They’re targeting young adults.

Blind boxes, to many, are a way to take full advantage of adult independence.

As children, we were told “No” by our parents to a toy off the shelf, no matter how much we wined and nagged. But now, who’s stopping us from filling our living spaces with these little knickknacks, as long as we can afford them? And no one’s judging either. I mean, who could, they’re just so cute!

For some, collecting these figurines has become a legitimate hobby. And for others, who go to extreme lengths to obtain the rarest variations, their entire personality.

In fact, in June of this year, a first-generation model of the Labubu sold for $150,000 at a Beijing auction. 

So, are we all just zombies controlled by tiny stuffed monsters? Pretty much.

But, we don’t have to be. And we really shouldn’t be either.

Besides romanticizing compulsive buying and encouraging gambling, producing and purchasing blind boxes can cause permanent damage to the environment. Every box contains a collectible wrapped in plastic packaging, which is currently the most prominent form of waste on our planet.

The compositions of Labubus themselves are just as harmful. The toys are pure plastic and polyester, and their consumption promotes the emission of toxic chemicals into the environment, which pose threats such as cancer to the human population.

But just like the Stanley cups, Labubus will quickly be replaced. 

We can look at the Labubu fad from an economic lens, using the principles of supply and demand. “As more products flood the market,” research fellow at Shanghai Institute of Finance and Law Liu Yuanju said, “the value from scarcity is inevitably diminished…it’s highly improbable that such excess high premiums can be sustained indefinitely.”

It’s no surprise that this was exactly the case for Labubus. PopMart itself has admitted that resale numbers for the Labubus are declining– in September alone, Labubu’s decline in popularity resulted in a quarter of Pop Mart’s share price being wiped out.

It’s incredibly difficult to diverge from the norm and to not engage with the trend, however we should instead put our time and money into other activities, such as playing sports and crafting, that do little to no harm to people and their surrounding environment. So, the next time you are thinking about buying a blind box or any viral collectible, just ask yourself- “Will I still appreciate this in years to come? Is my current satisfaction worth the present and future consequences?”