Labubus: A Deep Dive into Consumer Culture

How are "Labubus" an example of consumer culture?

If you are not as criptically online as I am, you may have never heard of what a “Labubu” or “The Monsters Series”. You may not have heard of the scramble thousands of people engage in online to try and get just one of these mystery boxes. You may never understand the craze. Well, that’s what I am here for!

A “Labubu” is a character that comes in a mystery box, or a blind box as many consumers describe. This means that when you purchase the 25 dollar box, you don’t exactly know which character you can be getting, so it’s all a gamble! The character itself was invented by an artist named Kasing Lung with the company “POPMART”. His creation of these “Labubus” were inspired by cultural backgrounds of East Asian pop culture and Nordic folklore. 

Originally, Labubus were not always as popular as they are now. What really jumpstarted the popularity among consumers was Blackpink’s Lisa having one in a photo on her social media in 2024. This celebrity endorsement caused fans to immeditaelty try to get one, just like their idol. Now, combined with the mystery format and social media posts spreading globally, these Labubus are causing a craze among consumers online. However, this may not be a great thing, especially with the unhealthy habits of consumer culture. 

Consumer Culture, as described by Science Direct, is a culture where the focus is on consumption, especially the purchase and enjoyment of goods to shape one’s lifestyle. Different experiences and trends can influence the impact of consumer culture, especially as consumer wants shift from one thing to another. This culture also emphasizes the people tend to focus more on what they buy and own, rather where they live, work, and believe in. People today have begun to revolve their identity around what they have to flaunt, rather than the character themselves. 

We can see this with people online showing their huge collection of Labubus, claiming they spent hundreds of dollars attempting to get all in the series and they have gotten many “duplicates”, which are just characters that they have gotten multiple times from the mystery box. People have begun to focus on their collection and viewership online rather than other forms of content, which shows that consumerism is can be seen in the Labubu craze. People have started comparing how successful their life is in comparison to others based on how grand their collection of Labubus is. 

Consumer culture has been noted to have multiple negative effects. One of the largest, and what could potentially happen with Labubus, is waste produced when a product is no longer popular. 

When a product is popular, multiple consumers will flood stores and websites trying to buy the product. Resellers and third-party shopping services will buy these products as well and increase the price since the product is in such demand and they know they can gain a profit. However, the real problem is when this product loses popularity, many consumers just abandon it. Customers who bought the product to follow a “trend’ will end up throwing the product away in the trash which will just end up in landfills. Resellers and third-parties may do the same thing, or they can attempt to try and continue to sell the product. Yet, they will probably just waste resources and time in the process.

This can cause multiple environmental effects. Especially with Labubus, many products that are produced rapidly are not designed with the environment in mind. This means that overconsumption can lead to waste because Labubus are made mostly with plastic, which takes a lot time to break down back into the Earth. The plastic used in making and producing Labubus contributed to pollution and waste can become so significant that it can cause environmental problems. In a couple months, when trends shift and Labubus are not the trend or focus online anymore, people could potentially throw theirs away in the trash. This means more plastic will end up in landfills, taking years and years to decompose, which can cause multiple environmental effects. 

Of course, Labubus are not the only item contributing to the countless amounts of waste produced each year. However, the way consumers are predicted to discard this product and many others is an example of how consumer culture can be harmful. When trends change, people change how they express their lifestyle to keep up with others. Instead of considering how they can benefit the environment with their actions, they focus on the next new trend and quickly discard the “old” trend with little care.

I have to acknowledge after saying all this that, yes, I have purchased Labubus before, in fact I have three. So, I can’t completely bash anyone who purchases Labubus to follow the trend because I followed the trend as well. However, if someone begins to no longer like Labubus, the first option should not be to throw it away. Instead, you should try to resell it to long time collectors to donate it to kids, especially since these characters are liked among adults and children alike. That is how you can be sustainable while engaging in consumer culture.

The Labubu craze will not last forever, eventually these characters will begin to lose popularity and praise. How consumers handle disposing these products can have a negative or positive effect on the environment. When considering how you should dispose of a product, consider whether or not you can donate it to someone or resell it online, that way someone else can enjoy it that same way you had. Labubus don’t need to cause harm, so be wise.

***I do not own the rights to this photo! all rights belong to David Kristianto!