ADVERTISEMENT A gang of masked burglars has stolen roughly $7,000 (€6,010) worth of Labubu dolls from a toy store in California – the latest sign of just how wild the global craze for the collectible figures has become.
The break-in happened around 1:29 a.m. on Wednesday 6 August at One Stop Sales, a shop in La Puente, just east of Los Angeles, known for stocking the hugely popular dolls. Surveillance footage posted online shows at least four people in hoodies and face coverings smashing their way into the store, rifling through shelves, and carrying out box after box of merchandise.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the group used a stolen white Toyota Tacoma to flee the scene. The truck was later recovered, but the suspects remain on the run.
“We are still in shock,” the store posted on Instagram, alongside footage of the incident and images showing shattered glass and trashed displays. “We worked so hard to get to this point, [only] for them just to come in and like nothing take it all away,” co-owner Joanna Avendano told local ABC affiliate KABC-TV.
The burglars made off with the shop’s entire Labubu inventory – and given the dolls’ exploding popularity, that’s no small loss.
Created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung, Labubu’s creepy-cute characters first launched in 2015 and have since become a global obsession. Originally retailing for about $30 (€25,75) , the dolls now sell for hundreds – even thousands – on the resale market.
Pop Mart, the Chinese toy giant behind Labubu, reported a whopping $1.8 billion (€1.55 billion) in revenue in 2024, more than double the previous year.
The dolls have found fans among A-listers like Rihanna, Lizzo and BLACKPINK’s Lisa, and scenes of fans queuing around the block at Labubu pop-ups are now a regular feature on social media.
