The Birth of The Labubu Dolls

The story of the birth of the Labubu doll begins with a Belgian artist from Hong Kong named Kasing Lung. Kasing Lung has a strong interest in Norse mythology. He combined the elf images in these ancient legends with modern artistic expressions to create a series of elf characters called “The Monsters”, and Labubu is the most representative character born from this series.
Kasing Lung gave the Labubu doll distinctive features: pointed ears, mischievous smiles and sharp teeth, which became the iconic symbols for identifying Labubu. Interestingly, the design of the Labubu doll is inspired by the elf images in Norse mythology, but it is also integrated with modern aesthetics, so that it retains the mystery of mythological creatures and has the affinity of modern toys. This combination of ancient and modern design concepts has laid a unique artistic foundation for the Labubu doll.
The Labubu doll was first introduced to the market by the Chinese trendy toy brand Pop Mart. Pop Mart adopts the “blind box” sales model. Consumers buy a box and a Labubu doll will be randomly placed in it. This way of surprise and uncertainty greatly increases the fun and excitement of collecting, laying the foundation for the popularity of Labubu dolls.
It is worth noting that the design of Labubu dolls does not only stay at the visual level, each doll has its own unique story and personality. For example, the “Bee” doll symbolizes hard work and unity, while the “Phoenix” doll represents rebirth and hope. This practice of giving each doll a specific cultural connotation makes Labubu dolls transcend the category of ordinary toys and become a work of art with cultural depth.