Labubu love to quadruple profits for Pop Mart, China cracks down on fakes

Dubai: The rise of Pop Mart’s cult-favorite Labubu plush toys has not only boosted the Chinese toymaker’s profits but also triggered a wave of action from Chinese authorities aiming to protect the brand’s growing global influence.

Pop Mart International Group Ltd. has projected over 200% revenue growth and a 350% increase in profit for the first half of 2025, as the popularity of its spiky-toothed mascot, Labubu, shows no signs of slowing.

Originally a hit among China’s Gen Z collectors, the figure has achieved mainstream appeal across global markets, thanks in part to celebrity fans like Rihanna and BlackPink’s Lisa.

With some limited-edition versions fetching as much as $150,000 at auction, the Labubu craze has helped push Pop Mart’s market value above $40 billion, and its shares listed in Hong Kong have soared 588% over the past year.

But the explosion in popularity has brought with it a flood of counterfeit toys—and China’s Customs authorities are stepping in.

In the first half of 2025, China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) seized over 11,000 batches of suspected counterfeit goods, totaling 38.68 million individual items.

Among them were thousands of fake Labubu toys attempting to pass as authentic Pop Mart products, according to officials speaking at a press conference in Beijing on Monday.

One clear giveaway? Tooth count. According to GAC deputy administrator Wang Lingjun, genuine Labubu figures always feature nine serrated teeth, whereas counterfeits often have fewer—usually seven or eight—due to poor-quality molds.

The GAC's WeChat mini-campaign, "Customs vs. Fake Labubu", quickly went viral, drawing fresh public attention to the issue of intellectual property (IP) enforcement at China’s borders.

In one high-profile case, Shanghai Customs seized 5,000 counterfeit “blind box” toys bearing the Pop Mart logo. In another, Haicang Customs in Fujian Province confiscated 37,000 plastic toys bearing unauthorized Labubu and Minions designs.