What is a Labubu? Viral monster dolls tough to find in Pittsburgh region
When Divina Rocco first heard of the viral Labubu plush dolls sold by the Chinese collectibles retailer Pop Mart, she admittedly thought they were “ridiculous.”
Now, she owns seven of them.
The monster-like creatures were created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung. He created “The Monsters” in 2015, first as an illustrated story. They later became a series of toys centered around the story’s character Labubu, according to his biography on the Pop Mart website.
“The Monsters” and Lung’s other works combine East Asian pop culture and Nordic folklore, Pop Mart said.
The different versions of Labubus, called the “Exciting Macaron,” “Have a Seat,” and “Big into Energy” collections, have taken the internet by storm. Many Labubu seekers haven’t been able to acquire one yet that’s not being resold for over double or triple the original prices.
People all over the world have been standing in long lines for hours to secure a Labubu.
In the Pittsburgh region, Labubus are sold at the Ebisu Japanese Life Store on Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill and two Pop Mart Roboshops — vending machines — in the Strip District Terminal.
Ebisu posts on its Instagram page when new Labubus will be in stock. An employee told TribLive on Tuesday more should be in stock this weekend.
Labubus come in blind boxes, meaning the color is a surprise until it’s opened. There are six Labubu colors (pink, blue, green, tan, gray and light brown) available normally in the Macaron collection, for example. There is one rare color, “Secret Edition” (a darker brown), that shows up in a 1/72 chance when opening a blind box.
One blind box costs $21.99, and a whole set of six blind boxes costs $131.94, according to the Pop Mart website.
‘Super into these’
Rocco, 54, of Cecil, is originally from Hawaii and retired to the Pittsburgh area two years ago. She’s a crochet pattern designer.
“My daughter, who’s 30 years old, she and her friends were super into these,” she said. “She asked me to crochet some little outfits for her Labubus.”
Rocco bought a Labubu to size the outfits correctly.
“I kind of got into them making the little outfits,” she said. “After I started making the little outfits for them, I thought they were super cute.”
An internet sensation
To the untrained eye, it might seem like the Labubu craze came out of nowhere, and the little monsters became popular overnight.
But that’s not the case.
The viral Exciting Macaron collection was released in October 2023, according to Pop Mart’s website.
After Lung’s “The Monsters” books became popular, Pop Mart licensed the characters and made them into collectible toys in 2019.
K-pop star Lisa from BLACKPINK’s obsession with Labubus was documented a few months ago in a Vanity Fair interview, USA Today reported. She and other celebrities have contributed to the newfound collectible nature of the toys, according to Rocco.
“Before that, Labubu was not that popular,” she said. “I think Skullpanda was (Pop Mart’s) most popular line before that.”
Not only do Rocco and her daughter collect them, but Rocco’s three young granddaughters now do as well.
“They all love them, and I make the little outfits for their little Labubus,” she said.
Whenever Pop Mart drops more online, Rocco tries to purchase them — but she hasn’t always had luck.
“I tried to get them and the website just shuts down. I couldn’t even add one to my cart,” she said. “It was crazy. … I don’t know how anyone is able to buy them online. It was very stressful.”
And once resellers get hold of the Labubus, prices skyrocket, according to Rocco.
“They’re cute, but I don’t think I would pay $300 for one,” she said.
Unboxing videos and collection videos of Labubus are extremely popular on TikTok.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8M31svC/
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8McvuQh/
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8Mcwd7a/
Rocco said since her husband works at the University of Pittsburgh, he will frequently stop at the two Pop Mart Roboshops at 20th Street in the Strip District Terminal.
Reporting from the Pop Mart vending machines in Pittsburgh’s Strip District Terminal — where people have been flocking to try to find a Labubu.
Do you own one? Story on the way for @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/i22kl79kcA
— Megan Swift (@mgswift7) June 6, 2025
The Roboshops are essentially vending machines for Pop Mart merchandise. Her husband was able to get Rocco’s seventh Labubu there last week.
“Sometimes on the weekends, we’ll go by and check them out,” she said of the vending machines. “Sometimes my husband checks them out.”
Aria Petroff and her mom, Rae Ann Petroff, of Ambridge, have been trying to acquire a Labubu for over a month by going to the Strip District Terminal. So far, they have not been successful.
They still had no luck on Friday and instead purchased a “Finding Mokoko” blind box, which Aria, 9, unboxed.
“I saw it on YouTube,” she said of the Labubu characters. “I just think they’re funny.”
Rae Ann, 46, said many of Aria’s friends have them, and she wants to get one, too.
“The blind boxes are fun,” she said. “They sell out very fast.”
For the past month or two, they’ve been coming to the vending machine every week or two weeks to try to get a Labubu, according to Rae Ann. And they will continue to hunt for one.
“We started doing more research into it and realized the vending machines were here,” she said.
But some people aren’t as excited about the plush creatures. Social media users on X have mixed thoughts.
i didn't really understand the whole appeal of labubu until i saw kasing lung's original art of the characters. his art is so charming and colorful and i love the street art inspiration. i like these so much more than the pop mart dolls and figures pic.twitter.com/HJtr8fsojj
— muddy dirty puppy (@muddydirtypuppy) June 10, 2025
people who like labubu’s are the epitome of having no taste like it’s so obvious you’re buying those ugly dolls simply because it’s trending and you wanna “fit in” like… instead let’s bring back sanrio charms? real history. pic.twitter.com/b0fp4Ix6Ag
— heba???? (@miuism) June 3, 2025
A Beijing auction house sold a human-sized Labubu figurine for $150,275.51, setting a new record for the ‘blind box’ toy as it moves from craze to collectible https://t.co/Uc25QJBlDl pic.twitter.com/DEYwfg712X
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 10, 2025
just found out what labubu is and it is ugly
— Cilantro.bb.95@aim.com (@bb_apes) June 10, 2025
‘People have them everywhere’
Now that Rocco is attuned to the Labubu craze, she said she sees them all over.
“Honestly, I think they’re akin to the whole Beanie Baby craze,” she said, because they’re cute and pocket-sized. “I see lots of people have them everywhere.”
Rocco has noticed teenage girls with Labubus clipped onto their belt loops and wearing them as accessories. A barista at a local Starbucks had a Labubu clipped to the back of his pants — and the Labubu was dressed in a mini barista outfit, she said.
“You can find all kinds of little outfits,” Rocco said, citing shops like Etsy.
People are also dressing their Labubus up in mini designer clothing like Gucci and Louis Vuitton, she said.
“They’re adorable, and they’re hard to get, which makes them even more covetable,” Rocco said. “It’s a status thing.”
Though she expects the craze to eventually die down, in the meantime, Labubus are fun to collect.
“It’s the trendy thing,” Rocco said. “They’re adorable, and they make you smile, and with everything going on in the world, we need a smile.”
Megan Swift is a TribLive reporter covering trending news in Western Pennsylvania. A Murrysville native, she joined the Trib full time in 2023 after serving as editor-in-chief of The Daily Collegian at Penn State. She previously worked as a Jim Borden Scholarship intern at the Trib for three summers. She can be reached at mswift@triblive.com.
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