They are so ugly that they're cute. Furry, pint-sized monsters called Labubus burst onto the scene in late 2024 as influencers and fashionistas began wearing them on their bags or using them as accessories on belt loops and clothing. During Fashion Week in Paris, seeing the smiling monster dangling from a Hermes or Gucci bag was not unusual.
Labubus, as a fashion accessory, showed up right on trend. Their blind boxes add to the anticipation as unboxing videos dominate social media feeds, and bag charms have hit peak popularity since 2024.
Love them or hate them, one of the most coveted items on the market is always sold out, and people line up for hours to get their hands on the furry creatures. The highly anticipated Big Into Energy series just debuted, and Labubu collectors in Houston are scrambling to add to their stashes.
What is a Labubu?
Labubus are mischievous monsters with snaggletooth grins that came onto the scene in 2015 as part of Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung's series The Monsters. Labubus, which are based on Nordic mythology and are all female, have large sparkly eyes, pointy ears, and enormous smiles.
Five years after Lung's series debuted, he collaborated with Pop Mart to create a series of blind boxes featuring the little monsters. The partnership catapulted Labubus to a whole new audience, and their fame hasn't died down since then.
How did they become so popular?
Lisa, a Thai rapper, singer, dancer, and actress, and member of the K-pop group Blackpink, is credited for turning Labubus into a sought-after accessory after she was seen with one on her bag and referring to the trinkets as her "secret obsession" during a Vanity Fair interview.
Houstonians will have to wait on a restock of the Big Into Energy series as their debut crashed Pop Mart's website. Photo courtesy of Pop Mart/Facebook
Where to find the latest version in Houston
Pop Mart is keeping the scarcity marketing strong with only two outposts in the Houston area. First Colony Mall in Sugar Land welcomed the first Pop Mart on December 14, followed closely by a second outpost at Willowbrook Mall in Cypress.
Willowbrook Mall and First Colony Pop Marts each have active Instagram accounts with daily updates to let customers know about the latest drops. But even the most dedicated customers will have to wait a bit longer to snag an elusive Big Into Energy Labubu. Neither location has it in store, and the only option is to buy online from the official Pop Mart website and pick it up in-store, which is proving easier said than done.
When the drop went live on April 24, the Pop Mart website crashed because of the massive number of customers online. Pop Mart put out a statement on Instagram around 10 pm to address the chaos.
"Big Into Energy was a bit too big for the site! Unfortunately, we experienced a site-wide outage this evening that impacted checkout for many users. Fortunately, this was just the first V3 launch and not the last! We will post on our stories when more are available for purchase. Thank you guys for your understanding and support!"
Houstonians looking for the latest must-have accessory will have to wait for a restock of the coveted monster.
"I was ready to buy as many Labubus as I could for me and my daughters," Houstonian Theresa Delgado tells CultureMap. "I had my credit card information loaded, but I could never check out, and eventually, the site went down. Driving to Sugar Land or The Woodlands is no big deal. We will keep trying because we all want at least one."
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