Is your Labubu wearing Cartier? Do you have one (or more) hanging from your Birkin? If not, you’re missing out on one of the luxury world’s biggest trends.

Labubu, a plush toy monster, has become an inexplicable viral sensation. The diminutive creature, created by Hong Kong-based artist Kasing Lung, resembles a funkier version of Maurice Sendak’s characters from Where the Wild Things Are, and has been likened to everything from Furbies to wild-eyed, sharp-toothed Beanie Babies.

While Lung designed the toys in 2015, they didn’t gain popularity until 2018, when the Labubu became part of Chinese toy purveyor Pop Mart’s blind box lineup. The sales strategy meant customers could buy the toys, but wouldn’t know which Labubu they’d gotten until after the transaction. These surprise sales have helped the toy gain a mythical cult following: In the last year, Pop Mart’s market valuation has climbed to US$38 billion, more than Barbie-maker Mattel, Nerf-seller Hasbro, and Hello Kitty-owner Sanrio combined.

But what’s more shocking than Labubu’s financial success is its transformation into a must-have accessory for the Hermès-collector set.

The internet is rife with rich kids and pop stars alike flaunting the stuffed animals. The latest craze is to wear one (or many) dangling from an Hermès Birkin—and that’s because they’ve become, relatively speaking, just as hard to get. A fellow journalist in attendance at a recent high-jewellery presentation mentioned they could easily be found in Amsterdam. When we asked a Dutch friend to inquire about their availability at a local Pop Mart, she came back empty-handed.

“They laughed in my face when I asked for one,” she says. “They told me to get in line at 5 a.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays when they restock.” The journalist later reported he was able to buy Labubus in Dubai, where, presumably, the trend may just be catching on. This scarcity makes the growth of interest in Labubus all the more satisfying for people who found out about them early.

“I first heard about Labubu at a vintage clothing market,” says Jake, a 25-year-old creator known on Instagram as @whatsjakin. “A dealer there had a bunch of the blind boxes for $30. I knew nothing about them, but thought it’d look cute on a Birkin, so I had to get it. This was in March of 2024, so I was a little ahead of the trend.”

 

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Since then, Jake has dressed his burgeoning assortment of the toys in an array of designer jewellery. “I noticed that a Van Cleef Alhambra bracelet is the perfect necklace for a Labubu,” he says, adding, “a Cartier Love or Juste un Clou can make a perfect tiara.” In a recent video, he displays this handiwork to the tune of the song “Whim Whammie” by the artists Pluto and YKNiece. Lizzo recently remixed the track, adding the lyrics, “How you talking shit about me? Can’t even outdress my Labubu.” (In her own video, the Grammy winner shows off a version of the toy that appears to be dressed in a faux Louis Vuitton ensemble, complete with a logo bucket hat.)

This designer cottage industry may be the truest indication of the toy’s success. On eBay, you can find faux-Chanel duds and other luxury label imitations for the tiny dolls. The retailer Lizzie and Friends offers matching sets with logos swiped from Gucci and Louis Vuitton for around US$14.99. And while none of these luxury brands have sanctioned these affiliations with the tiny monsters, one can safely assume the more adventurous luxury houses will soon be cashing in on the craze. Pharrell’s Joopiter auction site recently offered a set of 14 blind-boxed Labubus wearing custom-designed Sacai x Carhartt WIP onesies. The limited-edition capsule collection that inspired them was made to honour the K-pop boy band Seventeen. All told, the auction raised US$337,500, with the top lot—a bright green version of the plush toy—selling for an astounding US$31,250.

But if you think this fad is just for the kids, think again. We spotted Candy Udell, co-owner of London Jewelers, rocking her pink Labubu on her white Birkin at the Couture jewellery conference in Las Vegas earlier this month. Rihanna and Dua Lipa have also been seen with the dolls hanging from their own bags. Cher has one, too. Not to be outdone, David Beckham recently posted an image of a Labubu his daughter, Harper, purchased for him hanging from a Louis Vuitton duffel. They’ve even infiltrated the realm of high-end travel: Tokyo’s Edition Hotel has taken to drawing Labubus on its welcome cards.

For Labubu, it seems, the sky is the limit. Will we soon see jewellery made explicitly for Labubu? Perhaps a miniature fur from Fendi? Only time will tell.

Pop Mart 

This story was previously published on Robb Report USA.