Sydneysiders camp out in rain for social media Labubu craze

North West has one. So does Rihanna. This social media-fuelled craze has now taken hold in Sydney. Here is all you need to know about the in-demand monster plushies.

Labubu at Waves HQ, which sells Pop Mart cult favourites Labubu Dolls. Picture: Tim Hunter

George Kozma’s Apple watch pings every few seconds. Each sound is another sale of a Labubu plushie.

Labubu is the latest craze taking the social media world by storm and it has made the clip-on toy the hottest, and seemingly hardest to get your hands on, consumer item in Australia and around the world.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Waves Au’s Kozma told Confidential.

“Nothing else in the world matters (to people). The whole excitement about this Labubu is that they are all mystery blind boxes. So you don’t know what colourway you are going to get in the box. For every 12 full slabs (of six Labubu’s), there is a secret so you have a one in 72 chance of getting the ‘secret’ (Labubu).”

To some the craze may seem ridiculous. To others it has become an obsession.

Sydneysiders are queuing up — even overnight — for the chance to buy one of the toys from the official Pop Mart stockist at Westfield in the CBD.

When the latest collection was released, an “extreme weather” warning was sent by staff from its Pitt St store via WhatsApp group stating: “We strongly advise lining up overnight”.

“If you do choose to line up, please come prepared with umbrellas, raincoats, or any waterproof gear to stay dry,” it read.

“Some areas around the store are not under cover, and we want to ensure everyone stays warm and avoids getting sick. Please also dress appropriately for the cold weather.”

Kozma has mostly until now been known for selling collectable sneakers and clothing through his Waves AU business that is based in Moorebank and mostly sells online.

A queue to buy a Labubu toy in Pitt St, Sydney. Picture: TikTok

A queue to buy a Labubu toy in Chatswood, Sydney. Picture: TikTok

His business has expanded and, since November, he has been stocking Labubu’s as a “reseller”, meaning punters will pay substantially more to buy one.

At Pop Mart, if lucky, you can buy one for $32. Online, they fetch between $75 and $90 depending on what collection they come from.

There have been three collections, Have A Seat, Exciting Macaron and Big Into Energy, or V1, V2 or V3 –.

“It is all about luck. You might be walking past the Pop Mart store and suddenly they will restock.

“When they will get new stock could be days, or could be weeks. The last nine days has just skyrocketed out of nowhere.

“The whole game has changed in the last week with your socials, with your TikToks, all of these US influencers.

“You’ve had North West (Kim Kardashian’s daughter) carrying it, Rihanna, you’ve got basketball players rocking up to game days with Labubu’s attached to their pants.

“Of course they have been around a while … but it has just gone viral on socials.”

Made in China, a Labubu is a fictional toy character created by Hong Kong designer Kasing Lung first in 2015.

George Kozma at Waves HQ, the online site selling the Pop Mart cult favourites Labubu Dolls. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Lung based the design on his love of Nordic folklore with Labubu’s known for their furry bodies, pointed ears, sharp teeth and wide eyes.

“The way they do it is that in each slab you are guaranteed one of each colour, no doubles,” Kozma explained.

“That is why people buy the slab. But if you do get a secret, one of them will be replaced by the secret.”

Kozma warned shoppers to beware of fakes, which he said can be “extremely hard to identify”.