A shy, snaggletoothed smile, curly coat, and long ears are the hallmarks of the "ugly cute" little monsters that have taken over TikTok.
Inspired by Nordic folklore and mythology, Labubus are collectable furry companions, and it's likely you have already spotted some dangling from keychains and bags while on your commute or being removed from their packaging while scrolling on social media.
Created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung, Labubu is just one character in The Monster series, a collection of blind-box toys sold by Chinese toy company PopMart.
Although they have been around for a decade, they have enjoyed a tidal wave of TikTok popularity and celebrity approval in the last year or two.
The toothy, fleecy toys boast 1.3 million TikTok posts under their hashtag, and celebrities from pop divas Rihanna, Lisa, and Dua Lipa to Love Island alumni Olivia Attwood are among fans.
PopMart is not the only company getting in on the blind box action. Dreams Inc., a Japanese company, makes blind box toys Sonny Angels and Smiskis, which have found a new audience outside of the capital of kawaii culture.
Puzzled? That is all part of the experience, as when it comes to these collectables, mystery is half the fun. Blind boxes never reveal the exact style of character you will get inside. Instead, they illustrate the possible options, adding to the sense of urgency to tear away the cardboard and foil.
It's the same impulse behind the popularity of lucky bags in decades gone by, with newsagents selling them at perfect child eye-level to trigger premium pester power.
Securing a lucky bag and delving into its bright, plastic chasm is a core childhood memory, one that I undoubtedly share with anyone who grew up in Ireland with ready access to a local corner shop.
Now, the titillating slice of surprise from lucky bags has been translated into adulthood consumption through these covert blind box characters, and they are big business: the global market value is estimated to reach $391.62 billion by 2030.
Alongside the traditional six to 10 characters in any given blind box series - of which there are many, from Molly to SkullPanda - there is always a chance of securing the "secret."
The secret in any series is a rare additional potential character design.
In the new Big into Energy Series, the probability of drawing the secret Labubu, a grey monster with rainbow coloured teeth, is one in 72.
This taps into the feeling of completionism, or the desire to complete every aspect of something. Usually used in the context of video games, it also relates to collecting and the urge to pursue every piece of a set. After all, the potential for rare and valuable items is always going to have appeal.
In fact, desire for these ultra-collectible figurines has reached such fever pitch that reports started to emerge of shoppers fighting over the toys, leading to Pop Mart pulling stock from all 16 of its UK stores to "prevent any potential safety issues".
Along with the rarity, fans of the collectables cite tapping into childhood joy as an appeal factor.
"People have always loved collectables, from McDonald's toys to football cards. They were simpler times!" says Dublin-based Davie Jordan Andrews, an avid collector of the Monster series that Labubu's reign from, Smiski, Sonny Angels and Crybaby characters.
"Saving up your pocket money to buy stuff to trade with your friends, this is the same concept but in adult form. These new collectables are so hard to get your hands on, and it's definitely a 'want what you can't have' situation."
For Davie, the love for collecting started with "collecting trinkets, Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh cards", he says. "I think I got my love for them from my Nanny, as she loved collecting porcelain dolls and vintage ceramics."
The idea of parting with your hard-earned cash for a mystery item isn’t exactly new, but the surge in popularity of blind boxes has a social incentive, too. Praised for working with artists to create collections, the giants of the blind-box industry have the gloss of creativity on their side, with the little characters making for the ideal accessories or decor.
Online communities of blind box collectors have sprung up on social media, with influencers unboxing entire sets live or in dedicated unboxing videos.
Davie discovered these collectables on social media, where he has accumulated his own community of Labubu lovers, creating unboxing videos, sharing his stash of the cute creatures and helping one another secure their blind boxes.
"When I posted my video, I got over 100 messages asking where I got mine, and I have been trying to help people find one. A lovely girl that follows me texted me recently on TikTok letting me know that the Labubu I wanted was back in stock, and I got it. When you see someone opening a Labubu for the first time or getting what they really wanted, you can't help but feel really happy for them."
The call to collect can stem from childhood, but these toys are not just for kids. Research has shown that the main consumer group of blind boxes is between the ages of 18 and 35.
"The only misconception about the community is that we are wasting our money on toys that are for 'children’... I completely disagree; these are collectables for everyone. I will be keeping mine forever, and one day will be handing them down to my children! They are like Marmite, you either love them or hate them, and I love them!"
While collecting is an inherent part of human nature, nature itself might be feeling the detriments. PopMart encourages its customers to recycle the layers of packaging that conceal their mystery characters, using CPP film-based bags, a material that can be made biodegradable, as well as boxes and cartons made of recyclable cardboard.
However, overconsumption for the sake of it, particularly of plastic and synthetic goods, is not good news for the environment.
As the demand for blind box figures continues to rise, pushback on the environmental impacts has already begun, and manufacturers may soon face stronger pressure to utilise renewable and recycled materials in their products.
In the meantime, notice how many you spot on your next traipse through town as the blind box boom continues.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ.
