The Labubu craze is so hot that even copycat versions of the fuzzy, big-eyed elf dolls are selling out, The Post has learned.
Bratziez — whose wooly, neon-and-pastel outfits evoke Labubus as well as the quarter century-old Bratz doll franchise — were a monster hit when they launched over Thanksgiving week, said Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment.
“We sold 10,000 of them in 30 minutes — this was a huge surprise for us,” Larian told The Post. ““We went out on a limb for these Bratziez and held our breath for the 200,000 we ordered — we were scared.”
Now, MGA — which in addition to Bratz dolls makes LOL Surprise — is scrambling to catch up. All of the $25 collectible dolls that were posted for sale on MGA’s website were gone within an hour. Target — the only major retailer that’s carrying them — is rationing out its supply.
“Toymakers from all over the world are chasing the Labubu craze,” said Toy Insider editor James Zahn, who expects Toy Fair at New York City’s Javits Center in February to be flooded with lookalikes. “There are literally dozens of them on the market,” ranging in price from $5 to $40 at retail, Zahn said.
Those include Kimmon Mimon, a line by China-based Calembou that’s now sold at Walmart, Target and Urban Outfitters for $12.88 and up. Another popular knockoff, Monster Clip, by Los Angeles-based Yoonique, is sold at Five Below for $5. Labubus typically sell for about $28 at retail.
This week, resellers who snagged Bratziez dolls before they ran out have been dangling them on eBay for double and triple their retail price. One sold for $110 on Monday.
That’s after Target imposed a two-doll limit on Bratziez purchases on Dec. 1 — one day after they began selling them, spokesperson Aryn Ridge told The Post. Target employees posted on social media that “scalpers” were trying to buy their entire stock as soon as it hit shelves. Customers lamented trips to as many as five Targets to score a doll.
“We do have inventory on hand, but stock is limited and continues to sell quickly given the social buzz and the number of guests actively shopping for the dolls,” Ridge said.
Exploding demand for Labubus – made by Pop Mart of Beijing – has even spawned a category of counterfeits known as lafufus. The Chinese government confiscated more than 1.8 million of them earlier this year, according to a CNN report. US agencies are seizing fakes as well.
That’s not necessarily to say that Labubu itself is entirely original. Some parents may note a resemblance between Labubus and their lookalikes to Teletubbies, the Y2K era export from the UK, Zahn notes.
As for Bratziez, LA-based MGA has ordered another 1 million of the trendy dolls — its biggest single order since the LOL Surprise explosion in 2017, Larian said. On Monday, MGA allowed customers to pre-purchase a Bratziez. Some 100,000 customers have already registered for more information, Larian said.
The catch: the giant batch of Bratziez won’t arrive until April.
“One of our factories told us they don’t have the material and the labor because they are slowing down for the year,” Larian said. Other factories are “trying to bring back workers to make the dolls,” he said.
Chinese factories typically slow production as they prepare to shut down for the Chinese New Year in February, toy experts told The Post.
“This is the worst time have a hit,” according to Zahn.
Toy factories lost workers this spring when tariffs on China goods soared as high as 145%. US companies halted production or decamped to less expensive countries like Vietnam.
“They told the factories to stop running, stop shipping so Chinese workers left the toy industry altogether and found new jobs,” Zahn said.
Some factories are downsizing or relocating further from the ports, Alan Dorfman, chief executive of Super Impulse toy company.
“One of our larger factories in China is moving to a less expensive area, which will cause us delays,” Dorfman said, adding that MGA’s delay until April is “a long time to wait. We chase trends.”
Credit: Source link
