Pop Mart & Labubu
The Chinese blind boxes and their toothy little creature that took over the world.
On the mapBeijing
- Founded
- 2010, Beijing
- Founder
- Wang Ning
- Headquarters
- Beijing, China
- Signature concept
- Blind box (mystery boxes)
- Star character
- Labubu (created by Kasing Lung)
Pop Mart is a Chinese company that has become the world champion of collectible figurines sold in "blind boxes," mystery boxes whose contents you cannot see before opening. Founded in Beijing in 2010, the firm turned buying toys into a playful and addictive experience, driven by the rarity of certain figures known as "secrets."
Its greatest hit is Labubu, a mischievous little creature with big ears and a toothy grin, from the The Monsters universe by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung. Carried by social media and celebrities, the plush became a worldwide phenomenon, propelling Pop Mart among the most highly valued toy brands in Asia.
From a shop to a toy empire
Pop Mart began in 2010 as a simple lifestyle-goods shop in Beijing, opened by Wang Ning. The brand found its winning formula by betting on blind-box figurines: the customer buys a box without knowing which figure from the series they will get, which drives collecting and trading.
In 2020, Pop Mart went public in Hong Kong, confirming its transformation into a collectible-entertainment giant. The company develops its own characters, signs licenses and opens stores and vending machines in many countries.
The Labubu phenomenon
Labubu belongs to The Monsters series, imagined by Hong Kong illustrator Kasing Lung, inspired by Nordic tales and folklore. Pop Mart secured the license and turned the creature into figurines and plush keychains that clip onto bags.
From 2024, Labubu exploded on social media, notably when celebrities and K-pop idols wore it as an accessory. The queues outside stores, the limited editions and the sought-after "secret" models turned this little monster into a global object of desire and a symbol of China's new creative power in toys.