Labubu has become China’s “soft power”.

Labubu is a toy with bunny-like ears, bulging eyes, and a smile full of sharp teeth. It was invented by Hong Kong-born designer and writer Kasing Lung. In 2015, influenced by Northern European mythology, he began writing “The Monsters”, a series of stories. In 2019, he signed an agreement with the Chinese company Pop Mart, which began producing dolls based on the characters he created. Now Labubu is produced in more than 300 variants of different colors, shapes and sizes.

Global hysteria over Labubu has caused long lines, online mania, customer fights and soaring revenue for Pop Mart.

Labubu’s worldwide sales last year reached $423 million, with total revenue of $1.8 billion, the publication clarifies. It is noteworthy that the simple Chinese toy helped Pop Mart squeeze out American competitors: the capitalization of the Chinese company reached $41 billion and exceeded similar figures for toy manufacturers such as Mattel and Hasbro combined.

But more importantly, China, through Labubu, is trying to project a “softer, more playful image” on the international stage amid a geopolitical landscape marked by “mutual suspicion, rivalry and conflicting narratives” in light of the difficult relations between the United States and China, the appearance of this doll is of strategic importance and goes beyond mere entertainment or commercial success.

China has long invested heavily in attempts to influence countries in Europe and the United States through “soft power” methods. However, they often amounted to formalities and turned out to be ineffective. Labubu provided Beijing with a unique chance to smooth out its image internationally, especially against a backdrop of deep mistrust in Washington.

Americans are unaware that Labubu was created in China, which has contributed to the doll’s growing popularity despite the negative perceptions of China in the West.

Labubu sits at the nexus of a complex cultural-political landscape where soft power is inseparable from broader national strategy. However, recently Labubu has faced opposition: various dark legends and conspiracy theories have begun to be created around the doll.

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