A young boy caused extensive property damage worth over 400,000 yuan (approximately RM236,000) at the Shanghai residence of a Chinese influencer after throwing a tantrum over a jewel-encrusted Labubu doll.
The influencer, known online as Brother Tail, shared on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) that the boy noticed the luxury-adorned doll during a visit and insisted on taking it home. When his request was refused, the boy became extremely upset. At one point, he hurled a remote control toward the mirrored glass ceiling, causing it to break. The impact dislodged an Italian crystal chandelier valued at around 300,000 yuan, sending it crashing to the floor.
Brother Tail explained that the boy had come to his home with a relative on August 1. Repairs to the ceiling and chandelier cost about 400,000 yuan in total. The boy’s parents, who reportedly showed little remorse, offered to sell all their possessions to help cover the damage, but could only contribute 20,000 yuan. Brother Tail noted that the family’s financial situation made legal action unlikely to recover the full amount. The parents also requested that he refrain from posting about the event to avoid upsetting their child. In his post, Brother Tail criticized what he saw as an overreliance on family ties to deflect responsibility, calling it a lack of boundaries.
The rise of Labubu
Labubu is a whimsical monster character created in 2015 by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung. It rose to fame through a collaboration with toy retailer Pop Mart, which capitalized on strategic online promotion and scarcity marketing. By releasing limited editions, “secret” versions, and rare color variants, Pop Mart turned the figure into a sought-after collectible.
The craze intensified when global celebrities such as BlackPink’s Lisa, Dua Lipa, and Rihanna were spotted with Labubu dolls, transforming them into fashion statements. Initially priced between US$20 (S$26) and US$40, some of these dolls now resell for thousands of dollars, with rare editions fetching over US$150,000 at auction.
The explosive demand has triggered incidents of disorder at sales events. In May, Pop Mart suspended Labubu sales at all 16 of its UK stores after fights broke out. In June, a Hangzhou outlet closed just two hours after opening due to scalpers rushing the store, and the flagship Seoul branch halted offline sales following customer altercations that required police intervention. In August, masked burglars stole US$30,000 worth of Labubu figures from a California toy shop after learning of a restock on social media. — The Star
Image— SCMP
