How Labubu is turning kids into GAMBLERS

Labubu, the incredibly popular collectible toy from Chinese company Pop Mart, has exploded in popularity recently. With their ‘blind box’ packaging encouraging multiple purchases to complete a set, sales of the creepy-looking plastic toys have gone wild, leading to revenues doubling in the last year and Pop Mart’s stock prices increasing 1200%. 

But is there a dark side to the cute/spooky collectibles? Pop Mart has seen criticism claiming that Labubu is encouraging children to get into gambling, and it’s easy to see how.

The “blind box” FORCES unnecessary purchases

The way Labubus are sold uses “blind box” packaging. This means that each Labubu blind box, which costs between $20-$30 at the best of times, isn’t guaranteed to give you the horrid monster you’re looking for.

And what does that mean? You’ve got to buy another blind box. And another. And another. And another.

If you want the rarest Labubus, you’ll be setting yourself back an insane amount of money, as there’s a 1/72 chance you get them in any given set.

Labubus being sold in sets preys on people’s natural instinct to want to complete each set, too. 

People have spent hundreds just trying to get that rare Labubu, and the resale market is absolutely WILD. Rare Labubus can fetch between $5,000-$15,000, and it’s all down to the scarcity mindset that the blind box creates. It’s quite the lucrative side hustle, if you can get your hands on enough rare Labubus.

Blind box packaging is similar to loot boxes in video games like RuneScape, a tactic that has been described as encouraging gambling in children. This is because of the gambling-like behaviour loot boxes (and blind boxes) allow people to exhibit being a big part of the buying experience.

At the end of the day, it isn’t gambling in the strictest sense, but the way Labubu is packaged provides a gateway to gambling.

Labubu is getting kids into gambling mechanics

It’s been claimed that Labubu is aimed at Gen Z collectors. However, with the fluffy, cartoony aesthetic, it’s clear to see that Labubu has a natural appeal to kids like shown down below. (User pickedflowerss | © Via Tiktok)

So, if Pop Mart is using gambling mechanics to entice people to purchase Labubus, this will have an impact on kids, too. In fact, China, Pop Mart’s home country, has banned blind box sales to children under 8 years old since 2023. The Chinese government even recently issued a warning about how addictive blind boxes are.

Of course, Pop Mart isn’t the only company taking advantage of gambling psychology to get ahead. But it is one that’s particularly popular with kids, and it’s worth thinking about as the current viral sensation.

We’ll see how the fad goes in the coming months, but even with concerns around gambling mechanics, Labubu’s popularity isn’t dying down any time soon.