WHILE it is common to see collectible items garner traction these days, the viral Labubu dolls have created quite the buzz worldwide where the elven-looking characters are currently worth a fortune.
These plush toy figures are characterised by their sharp teeth, pointed ears and furry bodies.
As these plush toy figures are currently the most sought-after these days, many incidents of theft have surfaced with the pricy keychains hooked to bags stolen in broad daylight.
One such incident took place in Singapore, according to 8world, where a teenager girl’s Labubu keychain was reportedly swiped while shopping.
It is said that these figures, under the Popmart brand, are quickly sold out leading to a price hike online for second-hand figures thus making its resale value high at the moment.
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In Singapore alone, these Labubu figures can fetch as much as S$50 (RM164.30) just for an unopened second-hand one on online resale platforms while rare editions are priced up to S$280 (RM920).
According to the teenage girl, identified as Park Ji-eun, 17, the keychain was originally hanging from her bag and after a while, she noticed that only the hook was left attached to the bag.
“Why would anyone steal my Labubu when so many people have it? I’m really angry because it’s just a toy. Is it worth stealing?” she was quoted as saying.
Despite the high price of the keychain, Ji-eun decided not to lodge a police as she deemed the process to be too much of a hassle and worth the effort for “just a toy”, as quoted.
One other incident was shared on TikTok where a young woman’s Labubu keychain was stolen from her bag in Indonesia.
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The Labubu dolls are based off a character from a series of tales called “The Monsters” created by Kasing Lung in 2015, said to be inspired by Nordic fairy tales and modelled after fairies, elves and monsters, Channel News Asia reported.
Ever since Chinese toy company Pop Mart signed with Lung to create the Labubu blind box figures along with Instagram posts of these collectibles shared by Thai singer and member of Korean girl group Blackpink, Lisa, its popularity has skyrocketed.
