The Labubu craze is fueling scams—here’s how to spot a fake

Plush creatures called Labubus have exploded into popularity recently—which has, in turn, given rise to a lot of knock-offs. If this is a trend you want to explore, how do you spot the difference?

What are Labubus?

Labubus are strange little plush creatures with toothy grins, big eyes, and ears to match. Inspired by Nordic folklore, they were initially conceived by illustrator Kasing Lung in 2015 as part of a picture book series called The Monsters. Of all the creatures, Labubu became the most popular, and was brought to life as a toy in conjunction with Pop Mart in 2019.

Which ???????????????????????? are you this Monday? ✨ #POPMART #themonsters #labubu #arttoys #blindbox #bigintoenergy #kasinglung pic.twitter.com/4yCsngWJCJ

— POP MART (@POPMARTGlobal) April 21, 2025

Pop Mart often sells Labubus through "blind boxes." Similar to packets of trading cards, the idea is that the buyer doesn’t know which Labubu they’re getting until later, often making it more challenging to try to collect them all.

Why are Labubus so popular?

The toys already had a following, but their popularity has grown exponentially in recent months. According to Google Trends, April 2025 has reflected the highest online interest in searching the term, with popularity particularly high among Americans in California and Hawaii.

Conversations have also picked up on TikTok, which currently boasts over 1.2 million videos discussing the toy.

The initial surge in popularity can largely be attributed to celebrities with international appeal—like Lisa from Blackpink—being spotted with and talking up Labubus. 

reminding everyone who’s to blame for this labubu insanity pic.twitter.com/07xoDmnjKA

— most normal ariana enjoyer (@lisatheedoll) April 22, 2025

The rise in demand, coupled with the challenge presented by blind boxes and timed drops, have unquestionably made Labubu the talk of social media—for better or for worse.

@sofia.and.arran you can’t just buy one… #labubu #labubuthemonsters #labubuenergy #funny #relatable #trend #cute #zimomo #giantlabubu #collection @POP MART UK ♬ original sound - lukeing.good

GODDAMIT I JUST WANTED ONE FUCKING LABUBU RESELLERs I HOPE YOU ALL CH0kE pic.twitter.com/EndjA0ICCW

— what the hell, sure ???????? (@Lezblinks) April 25, 2025

@unfortunatelycreative Some people have all the luck #labubu #popmart #fyp #viral ♬ original sound - Gal (Galatical)

How do you spot a fake Labubu?

One major downside of the Labubu craze is that it's inspired people to create knock-offs—and some sellers try to pass them off as the real thing. Nicknamed "Lafufus" by collectors, these fake versions of the cute, creepy toys can be difficult to identify when so many purchases are made online.

TikToker and Labubu enthusiast Heidi (@bigba11erswag) posted a video in early April hoping to help fellow fans avoid getting scammed.

"It breaks my heart when somebody buys one off of TikTok Live and it shows up and it looks insane. Or it looks really close to being real, but it’s not," she said. "Let's talk about how you can avoid this."

To start, she notes that the price can sometimes be a hint as to whether you're purchasing a Labubu or a Lafufu. That means looking out for items that are both too expensive and too cheap. It's true that some resellers are jacking up the prices to take advantage of demand, but Heidi suggests anything over $25 is a risk. And "in 99% of cases, if the price is less than $22, it's going to be a scam."

She also suggests taking a look at the eyes and ears of the products on TikTok Live or wherever else you may be looking. For the ears in particular, you want to make sure they're "pointed together like a triangle" rather than sticking straight up.

@bigba11erswag i dream that one day lafufu will never exist and getting a real labubu doesn’t cause cardiac arrest ???? #greenscreen #popmart #labubu #themonsters #lafufu ♬ original sound - heidi

Even this isn't always a dead giveaway, though, as commenters pointed out the official product manufacturers have been known to make mistakes.

The only surefire why to know you're getting a real Labubu is, of course, to buy directly from Pop Mart. Heidi also offered some helpful tips for those hoping to snag one of the creatures during the bi-weekly restocks, which take place on Mondays and Thursdays.

That said, not everyone minds going with Lafufus over Labubus if it saves them time and money—but it's better to go into the purchase with clear eyes.

"I will take my lafufus," wrote @713gina. "the resellers are just insane right now."

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