The craze for the plush Chinese toy Labubu has boosted the careers of so-called toy doctors in China.
Advertisement
A Shanghai “toy doctor” nicknamed Heartman said he had fixed 100 Labubu toys in the past month and had to ask his wife to help and move to a bigger studio.
He said repairs were 10 per cent of the price of the toy, which is considered fair because an ordinary Labubu toy retails at 99 yuan (US$14).
However, they sell for hundreds of yuan on the second-hand market. Rare versions can cost thousands of yuan.
Labubu is a character of The Monsters family created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung. Chinese toymaker Pop Mart began working with Lung in 2019.
Last year, The Monsters series became Pop Mart’s most popular series, seeing a 726.6 per cent increase in revenue that reached 3.04 billion yuan.
Advertisement
One of the reasons behind the craze is K-pop group Blackpink’s member Lisa, who expressed her love for the toy. Another reason, according to Pop Mart’s investor Wei Zhe, is the toy’s portability.
