Labubu fans in the UK have gone so wild for the toy, its seller has temporarily paused in-store sales.
Pop Mart, the Chinese toymaker behind the viral $85 doll that’s taking the world by storm, announced the pause in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
“Due to the increasing demand for our beloved Labubus, we’ve seen a significant rise in customer turnout on restock days — with long queues forming outside our stores and Roboshops,” the toymaker said.
Pop Mart sells products in 16 locations across the UK, including the vending machine-style Roboshops.
“To ensure the safety and comfort of everyone, we will temporarily pause all in-store and roboshop sales of THE MONSTERS plush toys until further notice,” Pop Mart added.
Pop Mart said online drops of the toy would continue as usual.
At least a dozen videos on TikTok of Pop Mart’s stores in the UK show snaking lines forming at its entrances ahead of product drops.
A video of the Pop Mart in Bullring, a shopping mall in Birmingham, showed a line stretching around the building. Barricades were set up at the start of the line to organize the queue.
This comes as Labubu fever spreads from Asia to the West, with fans queuing for hours to get their hands on the furry plushie with serrated teeth.
Labubus, which come in various designs, are sold in blind boxes, or toys that are not labeled. Customers do not know which design they are getting upon purchase.
Pop Mart staff in Singapore told BI in November that stores are restocked with a few hundred figurines twice a week, but they sell out in minutes.
Labubu and The Monsters toy line was a major cash cow for Pop Mart in 2024. According to the company’s annual report, its sales totaled 3.04 billion yuan, or about $426 million, which was 23% of Pop Mart’s total revenue.
Representatives for Pop Mart did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
