Can Labubu, This Ugly Elf, Make China Cool?

In China’s campaign to win over hearts and minds worldwide, its latest weapon is a fanged, bunny-eared, arguably quite ugly plushie.

The grinning fuzzy toy, called Labubu, is made by a Chinese company and has become a global craze. It has in recent months been toted by celebrities including Rihanna and David Beckham; set off brawls among competing shoppers in England; and prompted overnight stakeouts in Los Angeles. It has even shaped the travel itineraries of some devotees, who have planned trips to China around hopes of buying one there. Resale prices for the roughly $30 figurine have run into the hundreds of dollars.

“I flew all the way to China just to visit the BIGGEST POP MART STORE IN THE WORLD,” read the caption on a TikTok video by one vlogger from the Philippines, Lianna Patricia Guillermo, referring to the company that makes Labubu. (Ms. Guillermo clarified in an interview that she had visited the store during a long layover in Shanghai.)

The enthusiasm over Labubu may pass like any other viral trend. But it could also be another sign that China, which has struggled to build cultural cachet overseas amid longstanding concerns about its authoritarian politics, is starting to claim some victories.

Chinese state media outlets have sought to frame it that way. “The furry, nine-toothed elf created by Chinese toymaker Pop Mart has become a benchmark for China’s pop culture making inroads overseas,” said an article in People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece.