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EPISODE · Sep 1, 2025 · 20 MIN

Labubus: China's plushy, soft power tool

from Post Reports · host The Washington Post

Labubus — small plush toys that look like mischievous monsters — have taken the world by storm. Chinese toymaker and retailer Pop Mart has sold millions of dollars’ worth of Labubus. There’s even a booming resale market, on top of a thriving operation of counterfeits called Lafufus.Host Elahe Izadi speaks with reporter Kelly Kasulis Cho about how Labubus became the latest trend, and why these little toys have become a symbol of China’s developing economic strategy.Today’s show was produced by Thomas Lu. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Sep 1, 2025

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Why Labubus are everywhere — and what their rise in popularity tells us about global economics.

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Labubus: China's plushy, soft power tool

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