If you know what a Labubu is you might be wondering the same thing I am: why are Labubus so popular in 2025?
The 2020s:
Labubus were invented in 2015 but didn’t start trending until a decade later. Labubus can be bought on Popmart.com, the brand that owns Labubu.
What is a Labubu? A Labubu is a plush toy designed to look like a monster with bunny like ears and 9 teeth. You can choose your Labubu or you can get a blind box where it is a mystery. They can be described as ugly-cute.
“In my opinion they are ugly,” says Roop Kaur (‘29).
The word Labubu doesn’t have a translation from Chinese to English. No one knows if Labubu means something or if it was just a random word. In my opinion the creator of Labubu’s was probably trying to find an ugly-cute name to match the ugly-cute appearance of them.
Jellycats are another example of modern day popular plushies although they are made for children. These plushies are available in the forms of keychains, purses, and stuffed animals. Some of them are animals, food, and objects with faces. Jellycats are at least cute, but in the 2020s, as soon as something starts trending it becomes annoying and cliche.
1990s-2010s:
Beanie Babies and Beanie Boos (TY company) are plushies with names, birthdays, and even poems on their tag. The difference between Beanie Babies and Beanie Boos: Boos are generally fuller and a bit harder to the touch whereas Beanie Babies are more floppy. Beanie Boos also have large, prominent, and often different colored eyes while Beanie Babies have small, plain, single colored eyes.
I was born in 2011 and I had a lot of Beanie Boos as a kid. They became really popular and people were obsessed with collecting them. Before Beanie Boos, Beanie Babies were very popular among children from the 1990s to 2010s. Beanie Babies were discontinued in 2009. Beanie Boos were invented in 2009, following the downfall of Beanie Babies.
I personally think the best plushie is the Squishmallow because I have one named Yollie. She’s a yeti she’s cute and I like hugging and laying my head on her when I’m sad or lonely.
