Giant Labubu, Elmo, Grimace and Doraemon floating in Hong Kong harbour

Fans of the popular characters Labubu, Elmo, Grimace and Doraemon flocked to see giant inflatables of the four in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour on the first day of a week-long show on Saturday, although some visitors said they had little interest in paying for entry to a viewing deck or in buying souvenirs.

Residents and tourists visited the Central harbourfront to take pictures of the inflatable sculptures of the popular intellectual property (IP) characters. A market selling merchandise related to the four characters and other IP goods including from popular Netflix shows has also been set up near Tamar Park.

The inflatables and the market are part of a Water Parade event organised by Hong Kong design studio AllRightsReserved, which will run until November 1. A parade across the harbour will be held on its last day.

Three of the characters sit on lifebuoys: Labubu, a creation of Hong Kong artist Lung Ka-sing; Elmo, from children’s show Sesame Street, as reimagined by American artist Kaws; and McDonald’s mascot Grimace. Japanese manga creation Doraemon is on a giant red bean cake.

Visitors can take photos of the inflatables along the promenade for free. Early bird tickets for access to an elevated viewing platform on the promenade and the market in Tamar Park cost HK$80, with prices reduced to HK$40 for children.

Walk-in tickets to the viewing platform and the market cost HK$70 on weekdays, HK$80 on weekends and HK$150 on November 1, when the inflatables will be paraded across the harbour.