The New Yorker:

Jia Tolentino
A staff writer covering news and culture since 2016.

The tiny grinning monsters called Labubus were created in 2015 by a Hong Kong-born, Netherlands-raised artist named Kasing Lung for a book series called “The Monsters.” Lung licensed Labubus to a Chinese toy company called Pop Mart in 2019; Lisa from Blackpink hung a Labubu from her purse in 2024, sparking runaway Labubu madness; Pop Mart shot to $1.8 billion in revenue by the end of the year. Recently, at a bar, I encountered a Labubu dressed in knockoff Prada hanging from the work bag of a stylish homosexual. At a Liberty game at the Barclays Center a few days later, the team’s heroic mascot, Ellie the Elephant, carried a miniature purse with a Labubu attached. The Labubu fell off as Ellie strutted. “Sh-h-h, don’t tell her!” her minder whispered as he passed.

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