Category: Economic Outlook

Viral Toys, Real Profits: How Labubu Sparked a New Kind of Global Trade China’s newest cultural export isn’t a smartphone or a new EV—it’s an “ugly-cute” toy elf with bunny ears. Labubu, the fuzzy figurine from Beijing-based toy titan Pop Mart, has captured the global imagination and exploded in popularity across markets from Asia to Europe. While demand for the toys has intensified, so has a simultaneous shadow economy-drove by unlicensed replicas and gig workers crafting the replicas in private homes. Labubu's success story is not just about a viral trend....