Michelle Chapman, AP Business Writer
Pop Mart enriched it. The Chinese company, which caters to toy enthusiasts and influencers, said this week it is expected to increase at least 350% over the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year. Pop Mart joins a small list of companies that tapped the era and attracts millions of buyers for some reason.
However, what makes Labubu an essential item is a question from decades ago that toy manufacturers still don’t understand.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular toys over the years.
Cabbage patch kids
Cabbage Patch Kids started out as a chubby doll with thread-haired papers attached to it. Dolls were so popular in the 1980s that my parents waited in long lines in the shop. Over 90 million cabbage patch children were sold worldwide during their heyday.
Created by Xavier Roberts and first sold by Coleco, Cabbage Patch Kids reopened in 2004 and is looking to take part in the success of other popular toys, including the Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
There is still a Cabbage Patch Kid Museum, named Babyland General Hospital, in Cleveland, Georgia. The doll was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2023.
Beanie Baby
The baby beanie attracted consumers in the mid-1990s. The cute $5 toy was not packed for the biggest hug. TyInc. The tag was engraved with a cute name and was given a limited edition run.
Many people collected, traded and sold toys in the hope that their value would follow the dawn of the e-commerce era. Some people made money, and founder Ty Warner became a billionaire in three years.
In 2014, Warner learned that he would not go to prison by hiding at least $25 million from US tax authorities and instead went on two years of probation. Warner was one of the highest-ranking figures to snatch in a federal investigation of Americans using Swiss bank accounts to avoid US taxes, and pleaded guilty to single tax evasion.
Egg
Looking for a pet that is not responsible for real life? Well, Bandai’s Egg Breeding Egg Pet was for you. Consumers were engrossed in the egg-shaped plastic toys that first launched in Japan in 1996 and were popular all over the world in the late 1990s and 2000s.
Users were tasked with caring for virtual pets by pressing buttons that simulate feeding, disciplinary and play on Critter on the screen. If the egg is ignored, it dies.
In 2013, Tamagotchi was reborn as a mobile app, replicating the experience of plastic handheld toys. The toy was introduced in May to the World Video Games Hall of Fame.
Fidget Spinner
Fidget Spinners – a 3-inch twirl gadget that took over classrooms and cubicles – was a huge hit in 2017. The toys were considered a somewhat outlier at the time, given that they weren’t made for the holiday season and weren’t advertised in TV commercials. Fidget spinners were found more easily at gas stations or 7-Eleven than large toy chains.
Fidget spinners have been around for years and have helped to concentrate primarily for children with autism and attention disorders, but have become more popular after being featured on social media.
Hot toys are often made by one company, but fidget spinners are made by many manufacturers. Toys were sold as intensive aid, but they were very popular among children and many schools began banning them by saying it was a distraction.
Love
Lovebu by artist and illustrator Kaysinglang first appeared in 2015 as a monster with pointy ears and pointy teeth in three picture books inspired by Scandinavian mythology.
In 2019, Lung signed a contract with Pop Mart, a company that caters to toy enthusiasts and influencers to sell Labubu figurines. However, since Pop Mart began selling Lovebu stuffed toys with keyrings in 2023, it suddenly seemed like toothed monsters were everywhere, including the hands of Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and NBA star Dillon Brooks. BlackPink K-Pop singer Lisa has begun posting images of her for her over 100 million followers on Instagram and Tiktok, where Labubu Pandemonium broke out.
Lovebu is a big hit at Pop Mart. That revenue more than doubled in 2024, bringing it to 13.04 billion yuan ($1.810 billion) thanks to the elf monsters. According to the company’s annual report, revenue from Pop Mart’s luxury toys skyrocketed over 1,200% in 2024, and nearly 22% of overall revenue.
