Rush at plush figure sale at Zurich main station This is what the Labubu hype is all about
The Labubu trend has reached Switzerland: Manor sold the plush figures in Zurich on Saturday and experienced a huge rush. But where does the hype come from?
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- Labubus are collectible figures from Hong Kong with cult status - half elf, half monster.
- Pop stars such as Lisa (Blackpink), Rihanna and Dua Lipa have made them famous around the world.
- They are produced and marketed by Chinese toy giant Pop Mart, which brought the collectible monsters onto the market as key rings and decorative figures.
- Manor sold Labubus at Zurich main station on Saturday morning.
They look like a mix of angry Teletubby and Monchichi. And you can see them hanging from bags or rucksacks more and more often: the little Labubus.
Even on social media platforms such as TikTok or Instagram, it's hard to avoid the monster figures. Now the trend has also reached Switzerland: on Saturday morning, June 28, Manor sold the plush figures at Zurich main station.
The rush was huge. The sale didn't start until 10 a.m., but the first people had been queuing since 5.30 a.m., as reported by "20 Minuten".
But why is there so much hype about the creepy accessory?
How the Labubu hype came about
Like Pokémon or the Tamagotchi, Labubus also come from Japan. They originally come from the series "The Monsters" (2015).
They were invented by artist Kasing Lung from Hong Kong. According to him, the plush figures represent elves with a nasty grin.
The Chinese company Pop Mart then brought the little monsters onto the market as toy figures to collect and as pendants.
While the plush figures already enjoyed a broad fan base in Asia, they first gained worldwide attention when K-pop singer Lisa from the band 'Black Pink' posted photos of Labubus on Instagram in 2024.
Pop stars such as Rihanna and Dua Lipa have also appeared with the little monsters. Since then, the hype has been fueled mainly on social media.
Hard to get
Labubus became increasingly popular as accessories, with long queues forming outside Pop Mart stores, and in the UK there were even isolated riots at the start of sales, which is why the campaign had to be temporarily suspended.
If you want to jump on the trend and buy a Labubu, you have to pay between 20 and 40 euros (approx. 18 to 37 francs).
It is probably easiest to buy the figures online, as there is not yet a Pop Mart store in Switzerland, as there is in Amsterdam, for example. However, due to the hype, they could be sold out at many online retailers and in the Pop Mart online store. However, Germany's first Pop Mart store is also due to open in Berlin's Alexa shopping center towards the end of July.
Labubus are only available in blind boxes. Buyers only know which figure they have purchased after opening the packaging.
This not only leads to numerous "unboxing videos" on social media, but also increases the passion for collecting. Similar to Pokémon cards, rarer figures are more valuable.
