The Labubu Craze - How Labubu Went Viral

Labubu didn’t just “go viral.” It was engineered to go viral.

There’s always a structure beneath a stampede. So let’s take a look at how Labubu was able to engineer their extreme market penetration.

Everyone thinks hype is magic, but it’s not.

It’s mechanics.

Labubu is the perfect storm of every modern virality trigger stacked on top of each other, so let’s unlock why it blew up, so we can understand how anything blows up.

1. Scarcity is the engine.

They didn’t mass-produce it.

They dripped it.

Blind boxes. Limited drops. Lines around the block.

This is the oldest psychological trick in commerce—

people want what they can’t have

—yet somehow people still fall for it like it’s brand new.

Scarcity creates value,

Value creates desire,

and desire creates frenzy.

Labubu nailed it.

2. The design punches you in the face.

Cute but creepy.

Soft but chaotic.

Innocent but mischievous.

This is what I call visual contradiction, and it makes it instantly recognizable.

Labubu looks like it escaped from a dream you half-remember.

That’s why your brain pins it instantly.

Memorable = shareable.

3. It’s made for TikTok.

Big eyes, clear silhouette, pastel colors.

It photographs well.

It films well too.

A quick 3–5 second loops and you can instantly tell its a Labubu.

This isn’t a toy.

This is an algorithmic pet.

The algorithm saw those unboxing videos and did exactly what it was trained to do:

push anything that gives people a hit of emotion in under a second.

4. Mystery box = infinite content.

Creators love “tension loops.”

Viewers love “tension loops.”

Algorithms love “tension loops.”

Unboxing + randomness + rarity reveals =

retention, retention, retention.

One Labubu video becomes ten.

Ten becomes a series.

A series becomes a community.

Network effects at its finest.

It’s predictable, scalable, viral reach all based around the same singular event - unboxing your Labubu.

5. The secondary market turned it into a game.

Once resale prices skyrocket, everything changes.

Now you’re not buying a toy…

you’re gambling on a lottery ticket with ears.

Scarcity + status signaling + profit potential =

the holy trinity of modern collectibles.

And when resellers get involved, hype becomes self-sustaining.

Free marketing.

Everywhere.

Forever.

6. Community took it to the moon.

Nobody goes viral alone.

Communities do.

Labubu collectors built their own universe —

stories, rarity guides, trading groups, display shelves, POVs, humor.

Labubu gave them a starter seed

and they built the forest.

That’s how all modern cult brands scale:

give people something to gather around.

7. Timing.

Collectibles were exploding post-COVID.

People were bored, online, lonely, and looking for micro-joy.

Labubu was the right aesthetic at the right moment.

Similar to Pokemon card live sellers, Beanie Baby collectors, Labubu taps into the collectors zeitgeist and leverages their passion to ride the wave straight to the bank.

The truth?

Labubu is a case study in modern attention architecture.

If you strip the cuteness away, what you’re left with is a blueprint:

• scarcity

• tension loops

• community fuel

• aesthetic identity

• resale hype

• algorithm compatibility

• endless content formats

It’s the same formula sneakers use.

It’s the same formula gaming loot boxes use.

It’s the same formula NFT projects tried to use.

Labubu just executed flawlessly.