Argument

Plush Power

How Labubu dolls became China’s first contemporary cultural export. October 24, 2025, 2:40 PM Comment icon View Comments ( )

A tight shot of a a Labubu character's face.

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It is just possible that posterity will mark Oct. 13 as peak Labubu. At a Shanghai exhibition celebrating the 10th anniversary of the plush toy, Apple CEO Tim Cook posed for the cameras with a custom doll bearing his signature black turtleneck and glasses. “I’m putting it right on my desk,” he told China Daily .

The leadership at Pop Mart, the Chinese company that produces the dolls, will have been gratified by resulting spike in its share price. But this success seems short-lived. On Chines

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