The Labubu was fugly.

The doll had canary yellow fur. It was holding a bubblegum pink heart that matched a tilted crown. The protuberant eyebrows, along with the toothy smile, gave it a mischievous look.

I stared at the doll’s large eyes long enough the Pop Mart cashier felt they should intervene.

“If you are thinking about getting the Labubu, do it,” they said. “They sell out fast.”

Labubus, a plush toy by the Chinese collectible company Pop Mart, had started popping up on my social media. It was early May, and the Columbia store had been open for a little over two weeks. Another would soon open at Towson Town Center.

“Screw it,” I said. “I’m getting it.”

I had no idea how lucky I had been until weeks later.

Labubu basics

Labubu toys have been around since 2019, when Hong Kong artist and illustrator Kasing Lung signed a deal with Pop Mart. But they reached stardom when Pop Mart began selling the plush toys as key rings in 2023 — just as bag charms were also growing in popularity.

Lisa, the rapper for K-Pop group Blackpink, was spotted with a toothy monster dangling on her bag. And then Rihanna had one on her Louis Vuitton. Then the NBA’s Dillon Brooks.

The plush toy, which was already huge in Asia, became this spring’s worldwide obsession.

Labubus start around $20 but can cost up to hundreds of dollars, depending on size and whether it is a limited edition. They’re sold as part of themed series — such as Excited Macaron and Have A Seat — and some come in blind boxes, so you don’t know which doll you’re getting when you buy one.

Pop Mart workers told me people camped out the night before the Towson store’s grand opening last month. One person commented on a Baltimore Banner Instagram post that they waited in line for six hours to secure one.

In addition to the stores in Columbia and Towson, there are Pop Mart vending machines — dubbed ROBO SHOPs — at shopping centers in Annapolis and Bethesda.

You can also try to buy Labubus online from Pop Mart, but it’s a waiting game. Most items are out of stock. You might be clicking items for hours, waiting for a series to be available or a limited-edition Labubu to drop.

Hunting for Labubus

About a month ago, a rush of people went into DG Reserve asking store manager Dustin Roberts if he had Labubus. The sneaker and streetwear boutique in Towson Town Center caters to those searching for hard-to-obtain items, such as Air Jordans and high-end designer bags.

Now, two Big Into Energy Labubu boxes are on display by the Jordans near the entrance.

Aiden Robinson, 21, and Alex Gasior, 19, walked into the store on Wednesday with a bag from Pop Mart. The couple, who were celebrating their anniversary, drove almost two hours from their home in Pennsylvania to the Towson mall. They had gone to the closest Pop Mart looking for a Labubu, but it was sold out.

Then they saw the boxes at DG Reserve.

Robinson and Gasior got two from the Have A Seat series, each being resold for $55. The series is listed for sale for $21.99 on Pop Mart, but it’s out of stock.

Robinson had heard about Labubus peripherally months ago, he said. Then rapper Lizzo mentioned them in a song.

“All of a sudden, I didn’t have the opportunity to get one anymore, because now everyone wanted one,” he said.

But why are they so popular?

The collectible market is seeing a surge across the board. With looming uncertain times, there’s usually a shift in how people store value, Roberts said.

Our parents and grandparents may have taken money and parked it in the stock market. Now, younger people are turning to cryptocurrency, luxury items and collectibles.

And then there’s another theory behind the Labubu’s trendiness. People turn to collectibles to step out and be seen, Roberts said.

“This gives us a way — whether it’s through luxury clothing or whatever your sense of style is — your collectibles, it makes you who you are, and it kind of shows people a glimpse into you," Roberts said.

I was browsing Pop Mart in Towson recently when Heath McCoy, the store’s manager, complimented my outfit. I was wearing a pink top and a yellow bandanna, with clogs that matched my workbag — and my Labubu attached to it.

I had put thought into my outfit as a private joke, but McCoy caught it. “I see you,” he said.

It might sound corny, said McCoy, who has managed the store since its opening May 24, but he believes the mission of the store is to bring positivity, joy and nostalgia.

“Everyone has their own individual connection to these little items, and we’re just here to facilitate that,” he said.

The blind box factor

Gaisor told me he likes the blind box factor. Although not all Labubus are sold in blind boxes, many of the people I talked with like the mystery that experience adds.

A blind box is a type of packaging popular with collectibles and toys in which the contents are hidden until you open the box. It’s similar to not knowing which players would be in a pack of baseball cards.

Each Labubu blind box includes the odds for the characters in the series that could be inside. Some are common and others rare. The odds for some rare Labubus are 1 in 72.

It’s about testing his luck, Gaisor said. He has one Labubu that he is drawn to, that he wants the most. “How lucky am I gonna get?” he asks himself.

I think back on my collectibles, the Sonny Angels and Smiskis spread around my apartment; they are on my bookshelves, windowsills and cupboards. Most also come in blind boxes, and I’m intuitive about which one I’m going to get. I’m almost always right.

And, when I’m not, how sweet that even a feeling of disappointment comes with a whimsical figurine.