People are setting fire to their Labubu toys because a scary theory about them is going around.
You could be living under a rock if you haven’t seen a Labubu hanging from a handbag in a while.
These strange, fuzzy monster dolls have become the unlikely stars of the worldwide collections market. They went from being unknown fairytale characters to must-have fashion accessories that celebrities like Rihanna, Dua Lipa, and Kim Kardashian proudly show off on their expensive bags.
According to NPR, the story starts with Kasing Lung, an artist from Hong Kong who relocated to the Netherlands when he was seven years old. He fell in love with Nordic fairy stories, especially ones with elves.
In 2015, Lung wrote and illustrated a book series called “The Monsters” that introduced the world to a fun group of female elves called Labubus. He got the idea from the s!lly stories of his adopted home country.
Lung said that there are roughly 100 different Labubus in the series, and each one has its own personality and tale. One narrative even has a Labubu courting a shy skeleton named Tycoco, whom she teases in a fun way.
People said these storybook characters were nice and wanted to help others, yet their good intentions often caused problems.
Credit: Adobe Stock
Lung told CGTN Europe in an interview that this is why he wanted to make something that he has always known was in his heart. A lot of people really like it, which is wonderful.
Lung’s partnership with the Chinese toy firm POP MART in 2019 turned the characters from renowned children’s books into a global success.
The partnership was a huge success, with POP MART saying that the first Monsters series launch made more money than any other art toy launch.
The dolls were very popular as “blind box” collectibles, which means that people who buy them don’t know which design they’ll get until they open the box.
Collectors have spent hundreds of dollars trying to get entire sets because of the surprise factor and the hunt for rare “secret” dolls.
But now these once-innocent animals are going through something bad that their creator never could have seen coming.
Michelle Parnett-Dwyer, a curator at the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, says that many adults are interested in these toys because they remind them of their youth.
She told NPR that a lot of things are popular with adults and young adults because they remind them of their childhood. She also added that reconnecting with your inner kid is a good thing in the end.
Even though there is a lot of talk about it, the Labubu phenomenon doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
The inaugural Labubu art sale in China, presented by Yongle Sale, drew around 1,000 buyers and sold a life-size Labubu figure for more than $170,000. A Labubu blind box costs $27.99 in the U.S., but resale prices can be substantially more because there is so much demand.
A rare secret Chestnut Cocoa Labubu can sell for more than $149 on eBay.
The worldwide obsession has also led to markets for fake dolls and clothing, which are sometimes called “Lafufus.” However, these fakes have been given a very clear warning.
Herzindagi claims that a popular conspiracy belief has spread that Labubus are really possessed by Pazuzu, a demon from ancient Mesopotamian mythology.
The consequence has been strange and scary: people are actually setting fire to their favorite artifacts.
The dolls’ unique features, especially their big grins and big teeth, are thought to be akin to those of an old demon, which is what the dispute is about.
People on social media have started posting side-by-side comparisons, but the real-life renderings of Pazuzu don’t look much like the POP MART versions.
Britannica says that in Mesopotamian mythology, Pazuzu was usually shown with a rectangular sku||, horns, deep-set eyes, and wings. He was thought to be a protective deity who kept other demons away.
Dramatic posts on social media have made the worry worse. A user of X (previously Twitter) said, “Labubu = Pazuzu.” Don’t let demons into your house.
Someone else wrote, “I’m not superstitious, but I would never buy a Labubu.” It was inspired by Pazuzu, the demon that took over the girl in The Exorcist.
Some religious people say that any folklore that doesn’t come from Christianity is “pagan,” which means it’s evil.
Because of this, some Christian groups have begun to regard Labubu dolls as a threat. The notion has gotten so popular that some Christians are now telling people to throw away their dolls.
The anxiety has made collectors do more and more extreme things.
Some individuals are even setting their Labubus on fire or pouring holy water on them to “cleanse” them of any bad energy.
Videos of people destroying their once-beloved artifacts have gone viral. Owners say they don’t want to take any chances with possible demonic powers. Some people think that the demon notion is what made these dolls so popular so rapidly in the first place.
The frenzy has even made it to the government. The dolls are now illegal in the city of Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region because they are thought to be harmful to consumers and to culture.
Rudaw, a local newspaper, said that authorities have taken about 2,000 Labubu dolls so far.
Hogir Ali, the head of Erbil’s commercial monitoring authority, said that vendors had been taking advantage of clients with the blind box sales methods. He also said that “the appearance of the doll is far from our customs and traditions.”
Even though there are a lot of conspiracy theories going around, it seems that the connection between Labubu and Pazuzu is based only on guesswork and false information, with no genuine proof that there is any demonic connection.
The artist has always said that his ideas stemmed from good Nordic folklore, not demons from ancient Mesopotamia.