Why Everyone Is Copying Labubu Right Now

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]Buckle up, because this week the watch world tried to do what the toy world has been doing for years. And the comparison everyone is making is the thing we need to talk about. The AP Swatch Royal Pop dropped this week. Hundreds of people queued overnight in cities across the world. And resellers were charging like $200 for a spot in line in New York. And the headlines all said the same thing. Is this the new Labubu? First, a thank you.

[00:00:33]We crossed 2,000 subscribers last week.

[00:00:35]2,000 of you who have decided that this corner of YouTube is where you would like to occasionally stop by. And I do not take that for granted. I am so incredibly grateful. So, to say thank you properly, we are launching the giveaway next week. Keep your eyes peeled. PopMart UK has a very full Friday this week. We have Hirono in a brand new figure, a whole new Deer Birds blind box series. And the small matter of MCM Comic Con in London, all on the same day with Peach Riot and Molly and Naiota exclusives that are already making the global community just a little jealous. We have Mega Royal Molly teasing something special for Friday this week. And Dimoo has a birthday live coming. LEGO has revealed two of the biggest sets of 2026 in the same week.

[00:01:27]One of which I am freaking out over. And Labubu walked onto a French domestic football title decider match on the special edition PSG kit. Hi internet friends, and welcome back to my channel.

[00:01:40]Wherever you are, I hope you're having a great day. It is Thursday, and that means this is calmly caught up. It's our weekly pause to look at what is actually happening in the world of collecting before the algorithm decides how we should feel about it. You know the drill. The blazer is on. We cover the serious news. Let's get into it.

[00:02:07]>> [music] [screaming] >> I'm going to start with something that didn't really happen in our world this week, but it's something that a lot of people in our world are talking about.

[00:02:25]On Saturday, May 16th, Swatch and AP released the Royal Pop collection. So, there are eight pocket watches, $400 for the hours and minutes version, and $420 for the small seconds version. Now, this is in store only, not online.

[00:02:42]But, the bit that I want to talk about is what happened next. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of people queuing in cities across the world, from Tokyo to New York. There were lawn chairs and sleeping bags and resellers selling line spots from 200 to 600 bucks. Swatch had to issue a statement mid-launch, telling people not to rush their stores in large numbers. They confirmed, "This is not a limited edition." They asked customers to be calm.

[00:03:11]But, the question that ran underneath every headline that I've seen is basically the same thing, and it took over my newsfeed this week.

[00:03:20]Is this the new Olabubu? Now, I'm going to be careful because I personally don't think it is. An Olabubu here in the UK, at least, costs £18. A Royal Pop will cost you $400.

[00:03:33]An Olabubu drops in a blind box. A Royal Pop is a watch that you go and you queue for and walk out knowing exactly what you bought. But, what the AP Swatch did borrow, and this is the bit that I find genuinely quite interesting, is the cultural mechanic. The drop, the queue, the in store only, the deliberate scarcity, even when it's not actually that scarce.

[00:03:58]That mechanic is now in every brand's toolkit. The watch world is using it.

[00:04:03]The sneaker world has used it for what, 20 years? Hermes have been using it for decades. Labubu didn't invent or Pop Mart didn't invent this, but Labubu has made it impossible for any other IP holder to pretend they hadn't noticed.

[00:04:19]It works. The Row Pop is going to be on shelves for months, and the resale market is already moving through fast.

[00:04:27]$400 watches flipping for thousands within 48 hours, but I did notice on StockX today the prices are starting to fall. But if you collect watches, this might have been your week. If you collect Labubu just notice this happened because of the framing, is this the new Labubu tells you exactly where the cultural center of gravity sits right now. Right, let's move back into our world. This Friday, May 22nd, is a very substantial release day for UK collectors of Pop Mart specifically.

[00:05:00]There are multiple things landing. So, first, we have the Hirono Behind Time figure. I'm going to start with this one because Hirono has had a brilliant year, haven't they, with Tamed Wild Grass and their independent stores. And I'm genuinely hoping that that momentum carries. Now, this is not a blind box.

[00:05:18]It's a fixed blister style figure. What you see is what you get. It's Hirono in quiet reflection sitting holding still.

[00:05:28]Pop Mart's framing is time stands still.

[00:05:31]A hauntingly beautiful piece that captures nostalgia and quiet reflection.

[00:05:36]And that language completely tracks for Hirono. The series almost always sits somewhere between melancholy and something maybe a little gentler. Now, in store release Friday, May 22nd. And then next up, we have It's a curious one, the Dear Birds series. It's a full lineup, plushies and fragrance and actually these super cute little eggs that they sit in to hatch, tiny fluffy birds with sweet little faces. A clip-on format for our bags.

[00:06:08]Pop Mart's caption is carry a little flock of feelings. Now, I will not pretend the design has me, you know, on the floor. The previews lean a little soft for me, but the comments under the Pop Mart UK posting is a full of people saying things like they want the full set.

[00:06:24]And I'm genuinely curious to see how this performs at retail because sometimes the things that look quietest in the preview end up being the ones that move the quickest, but I can't pretend my eyes firmly on that Twinkle Twinkle and strangely maybe the Dimoo. I still think they did Skullpanda a little dirty on this one, but Labubu is often the weak in mixed IP series, but I think she's showing up in this one. This going to be available in all stores on Friday and online in selected retailers. And if you're on the Shelf app, get your drop notifications turned on for this one.

[00:07:03]Other thing happening on Friday and in fact right through the weekend is MCM London Comic Con. It's May 22nd to May 24th in the XL in London. And the lineup of exclusives frankly a lot. Pop Mart will be there.

[00:07:21]Their special product list includes things from Peach Riot and Molly the Angry Croc one and Nyota. And the Peach Riot figures are the ones that the comments have completely lost their minds over. The mermaid colorway specifically. And I've seen multiple people say that they were not planning to go to Comic Con, but now are reconsidering their entire weekend.

[00:07:45]There's also this GG figure in there, which collectors are calling and I'm going to quote it because I loved this comment. It was like her hair down moment with a heart, which is genuinely lovely, but the frustration in the comments is kind of real though. Why are these events only in London? Please have a global release. I'm crying because I can't get to London and I do have a lot of sympathy for that. Comic Con exclusives are you know, they're not unique to Pop Mart. In fact, it's how the entire convention economy works, but when you're an international brand with a global community that follows your every move, let's be honest, geography locking your most wanted figures, it's always going to land hard for people who simply just cannot get there. Now, if you're going, these figures are first come first served and I don't think they're going to come cheap either.

[00:08:41]There's also Pop Mart signings happening on Friday with the designers behind Naiota and Zee Zee Go, but you had to purchase that before the event. Sure Fun are at MCM Comic Con this weekend as well, bringing Nomi and Maymay and Hayme to London. Now, their teaser image is the three characters posing in front of Big Ben and I think Nomi in particular looks beautiful.

[00:09:06]And this is kind of meaningful because Man Ni Sa's designer toy arm showing up at the same convention as Pop Mart on the same weekend with the same kind of noise around it, I mean, that's kind of a big deal. If you're heading to the Excel this weekend, I think both stands are worth your time. There's actually going to be a whole blind box alley and I will be there. I'm going to Comic Con this week and I am embarrassingly excited about it. Those Peach Riot exclusives, mhm, I'm kind of keeping my eye on them. If you're also planning to head to Comic-Con this weekend, do tell me in the comments. Drop the day that you're going, and I will definitely keep an eye out. If you spot me on the floor, please come and say hi. And if you're not going, please expect a full haul and walk-through video with me next week.

[00:09:56]Beyond the Friday wave and Comic-Con, Pop Mart has been teasing all across Instagram this week. First up with the Mega Royal Molly on May 22nd coming soon teaser. Molly continues to have her 20th anniversary year in these really stunning increments. And I will say this, Royal Molly is the line where the craftsmanship really sings. If you're not a Molly person, but have ever kind of thought about it, I think the Royal Mollys are where I would start. Next, we have the Dimoo, and the Dimoo birthday live happening on Friday, May 22nd, as well. Friday's doing a lot of work this week. The teaser image is show Dimoo in this beautiful soft elephant gray costume, tiny blue hat, which, I've got to be honest, I'm kind of into. If Dimoo's your boy, definitely check the live out. Next, we have a story from Pop Mart and McDonald's with Twinkle Twinkle figures showing up in McDonald's-themed Shanghai stores. Now, this is Twinkle Twinkle characters dressed as kind of like McDonald's mascots. And this one, to be honest, has me feeling mm, really conflicted. It's silly. It's adorable, but, and I know this might be an unpopular opinion, it's McDonald's.

[00:11:12]And I kind of have a professional issue with McDonald's, and a broader moral one about fast food chains advertising to a younger demographic in a global obesity epidemic. Now, it's not a topic for this video, but as a Twinkle Twinkle girl, this one has me feeling all sorts of ways, and not ways that I'm entirely comfortable with. Next we have a quick story, but I think a very important story. So, PSG won the French domestic football title just last week. And the kit they walked out on was a special edition Le Booboo jersey. Now, the comments split exactly the way you would expect. Half of them was like, "This is the best kit ever." And half was like, "This is the worst kit I've ever seen in my life." But the noise itself, it's kind of the whole story. So, back in April when I covered the Monsters FIFA collab, I said the question wasn't whether the figures themselves were particularly exciting. The question was whether Pot Limit was actually willing to go into football's world and into the spaces where football actually lives.

[00:12:20]This is that. This is what's happening.

[00:12:23]It's Le Booboo on a kit at >> [music] >> a title decider. One of the biggest clubs in the world on actual shirts that the players are wearing. Now, it's not a marketing crossover. That is actual presence. The World Cup is still ahead.

[00:12:40]And the runway from the PSG title kit to this collab in front of billions of football fans this summer is genuinely now a very, very short one. I think this is one of the most strategically interesting things Pot Limit has done this year. And I think the people in my group chat who shrugged at this collab originally are going to look back at this PSG moment this week as this is the week the strategy started to click. Now, if you're a LEGO collector, it's been a lot recently, hasn't it? There have been two big reveals, both arriving on June 1st for LEGO Insiders, both general release on June 4th. So, first up we have the LEGO Disney Main Street USA set 43302.

[00:13:24]And I Oh my god, I can't wait. 3,899 pieces with three buildings, a fire station with Walt Disney family apartment, the Emporium, and the Crystal Arcade. There are 16 mini figs, Mickey and Minnie and the Dapper Dans quartet, the fire chief, a popcorn seller, the Emporium seller, seven park guests.

[00:13:47]£320 in the UK, $400 in the US. It is genuinely a beautiful set. The kind set that rewards a real budget because it I think anyway actually delivers on it, but landing in the same week, and we talked about this last week, is the Minas Tirith set. 8,278 pieces. That is not a mistake. It is the biggest Lord of the Rings set that LEGO has ever made. It's £580 here in the UK, $650 in the US. And if you buy that set between June 1st and June 7th, you get the LEGO Icons Battering Ram gift with purchase, which is exactly the kind of gift with purchase that makes a flagship set even more obvious. This is the 25th anniversary of the Lord of the Rings, and LEGO clearly knows that, and this design is extraordinary, but for me personally, it's the Disney Main Street that's singing so much more loudly. There is something about that fire station and the apartment detail that I find genuinely hard to get out of my mind, but Minas Tirith is calling my husband, and that is £900 worth of LEGO released on the same day. Both incredibly exciting sets, but why release them on the same day?

[00:15:13]Because now it feels like you're forcing people to choose, which mm, makes no sense to me from a business perspective. But June 1st for insiders, June 4th for general release. We have three Pop Mart US stories this week, all pointing in the same direction, more expansion. First up, we have Hello Topanga Mall, Pop Mart's new stores opening at Westfield Topanga in California. This is the LA suburbs, not Hollywood, not Beverly Hills, not Santa Monica. It's a proper neighborhood mall in the valley, which is strategically quite interesting. Pop Mart is not just doing its flagship moment anymore. It's going into mall traffic that mainstream American shoppers just actually pass through in the course of their lives.

[00:16:04]Next up, we have Destiny USA. Honestly, when I read that, I keep wanting to repeat it. It sounds just magical.

[00:16:11]They're getting a new Robo shop opening soon. And third, we have ComplexCon LA.

[00:16:16]Now, the Complex Style account posted only today that ComplexCon LA October 3rd to October 4th, 2026. Now, ComplexCon is, if you don't know, a streetwear meets art toy kind of convention that has been the single best mood read on where this category is heading in, gosh, the last few years.

[00:16:37]It's where Funko launched. It's where Miniso has shown up. It's where Pop Mart has dropped exclusives.

[00:16:44]Now, if LA is your city, I would get yourself on the mailing list now because tickets tend to move really quickly.

[00:16:52]Now, I convinced my husband to go to Paris in March for the Monsters exhibition, but LA in October, mm, might be a little bit of a stretch.

[00:17:02]Let's quickly move through everything else because we're not done. Human Made and Pokémon collection two. It releases Saturday, May 23rd, 11:00 a.m. in Japan.

[00:17:13]It's >> [snorts] >> the second drop of Human Made and Pokémon collab. There are 15 pieces in the lineup. There's a Farfetch'd jacket with this little dedicated leak pocket.

[00:17:23]It's a lottery entry only at the Tokyo store this weekend and it will be available on the Human Made store online. Another story worth talking about is the Bad Bunny Zara collab. The Benito Antonio collection launched at a pop-up last week on May 16th and Bad Bunny showed up in person. Currently exclusive to the Puerto Rico stores but online through zara.com from May 21st.

[00:17:48]Now, the reason this is worth flagging is because Zara has pointedly described this as a renewed commitment to strategic collaborations, which tells you what the next 12 months for Zara is going to look like and in general in the mainstream. I think collabs is where it's at. The viral bit of the week is this reactive robot bag charm by Yukai Engineering. It clings to your bag. It turns its head when you talk to it. The pendant is meant to last up 6 months on a single charge.

[00:18:20]Pink and gray and white colorways coming from a Kickstarter. It's meant to start shipping now and somehow it's the bag charm conversation that I am seeing everywhere at the moment. I think it's genuinely very interesting because it's not it's not a character. It's not an IP. It's a tiny piece of consumer electronics that has positioned itself inside the bag charm aesthetic that the toy world built. It's definitely worth watching. Before we wrap, I want to sit with that AP Swatch story just one more time because headline writers ask the same question all week. Is this the new Labubu? Is it the male Labubu? And the answer almost universally has been no, not really, not in the way you would think.

[00:19:12]But, the question itself is the thing I find genuinely worth pausing on because we collectively have built a hobby that the rest of the consumer world is now using as a reference point. So, when a Swiss watchmaker runs a $400 in-store drop and the queues snake around the block, the comparison that the rest of the world is reaching for is a small Chinese designer toy company that has been doing this with vinyl figures and collabs for years. That, when you say that out loud, is kind of extraordinary. Now, the toy world has stopped being a category that other categories occasionally borrow from and it's become the category that everyone else is watching. The watch world, the fashion world, the streetwear world, the football world. Now, that doesn't mean the hobby is better. It doesn't mean that everything has to scale. It doesn't mean that every collab is going to be meaningful. It just means that what you and I have been doing matters more to more people than it did even just a year ago. And the thing I keep landing on is that's not pressure. That's not noise.

[00:20:33]That is quietly a hobby finding its place. But, this week was a lot of news, a lot of noise. The AP Swatch chaos and what it borrowed from Popmart and the Labubu, the Friday Popmart drops with Harono and Dear Birds and Comic Con all weekend in London with their exclusive Peach Riot and Molly and Niota with Shore Fun also being there, mega raw Molly teasers and Demi birthday live special, Labubu on a football kit, Lego Disney and Lego Minifigures, Popmart opening a the state with new stores and new Robo Shops. We got Complex Con confirming for LA in October. And all of it, every bit of it is optional. We can follow one corner of this hobby and ignore the rest. You can be excited about the Hirono figure and completely unbothered by the watch queues. You can collect what you collect at a pace that works for you. And honestly, just let the rest wash over. But do comment below which one of this week's news story actually stopped you scrolling. Not necessarily the biggest, not necessarily the loudest, but the one that got you. I would genuinely love to know. And one last thing before we before we go. If you've been waiting on Shelf, the app that I've been building to track our collections, match with traders, and keep all our collected news in one place, those waitlist invites are going out and so many of you are downloading the app. If you're not on the list yet, the sign-up link is below and I will pin it in the comments. Invites are going to continue going out in waves, so do get on the list now and you will be in the queue. But that's it. You are officially calmly caught up. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you for your company and I'll see you in the next one. I'm out of the rain song I'll make you stay.

[00:22:35]I'm out of the rain song I'll make you stay.

[00:22:43]>> [screaming]