Rob Elmo, meet Labubu.
The insanely popular Chinese “monster” doll — a favorite of Blackpink singer Lisa, Kim Kardashian and Rihanna — is coming to Times Square, Realty Check has learned. Labubu owner Pop Mart just signed a lease for a 7,000 square-foot store at 1540 Broadway in the heart of the “Bowtie.”
The 10-year lease will bring Pop Mart’s US flagship store to the tower’s southern corner at West 44th Street in the second half of 2026. The building’s near-200,000 square-foot retail podium, owned by Vornado Realty Trust, is also home to the Disney Store, Forever 21, and US Polo Association.
Terms and other details of the Pop Mart deal weren’t available as Vornado and the retailer put a tight clamp on news coverage.
What’s certain is that the Labubu emporium will add to Times Square’s kiddie appeal, reflected in the Elmos, superheroes and other costumed cartoon characters swarming through the “Crossroads of the World.”
The deal is a big plus for Times Square’s retail picture. More stores stand vacant than in the recent past or have been taken over by touristy T-shirt dealers and fast-food outlets.
It’s also good news for Vornado, which had its outlook raised from stable to positive by Fitch Ratings this month after the REIT announced plans to buy and revive the mostly vacant 623 Fifth Ave. office tower.
And, of course, it’s a gift for fans of the hottest dolls since the 1980s Cabbage Patch craze, who’ll no longer have to order them off the Pop Mart Web website or chase them down at small pop-ups like one at the World Trade Center.
Labubu plush toys are both scary and cute, with sharp teeth, large ears and lots of fuzz. They’re so popular that Pop Mart’s sales surged 213% this year over 2024, making the company more valuable than Barbie maker Mattel.
Pop Mart has released more than 300 Labubu dolls, priced from $15 for a three-inch vinyl figure to $960 for a jumbo, 31-inch high “mega” edition.
Part of their mystique is that they’re sold in “blind boxes” so that customers don’t know what colors they’re buying.
Labubus are in such demand that fakes known as “Lafufus” have flooded the border.
A half-million dollars worth of fakes were recently seized by US Customs and Border Protection officers at Seattle’s main airport.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission recently warned that some of the bogus products are so small that they can pose dangers to children, who might choke if they put them in their mouths.
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