LABUBU PHOTO COURTESY OF POP MART

How a Spooky Toy Took Over the Internet, and What It Says About Organic Virality Today

TL;DR: A $10 keychain sparked a global craze. But here’s the twist: it wasn’t just a marketing stunt.

Using Rolli IQ™, I analyzed millions of social media posts.

The verdict? The Labubu phenomenon is real, organic, and still growing. Here's how I know.

It Started with BLACKPINK

In April 2024, Lisa from BLACKPINK was spotted with a Labubu keychain on her handbag.

COURTESY OF BLACKPINK'S LISA/INSTAGRAM @LALALALISA_M

It Spread from Thailand... Fast!

Using Rolli IQ's global engagement map, we saw something fascinating: Labubu didn’t just catch fire in K-pop fan circles, it ignited first in Thailand, and from there spread rapidly to Indonesia, the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and beyond.

And the numbers told a story we’d soon see playing out in streets and stores around the world: a small keychain fueling massive, real-world reactions.

Rolli IQ Emotion Mapping (clustered by country)

From Celebrity Sighting to Global Frenzy

After Lisa’s post, the collectible’s popularity surged almost overnight. Within weeks, Pop Mart stores in Bangkok and Jakarta reported sell-outs, with customers queueing for hours before opening. By mid-2024, resellers on Shopee and eBay were listing rare variants for more than 20 times their retail price, and unlicensed “Lafufu” knock-offs began flooding Chinese and Southeast Asian markets. In early 2025, the craze reached new extremes: a 4-foot mint-green Labubu sold at a Sotheby’s auction for nearly US $170,000, and crowds in Hong Kong and Seoul shut down shopping districts during limited-edition drops. The frenzy wasn’t without backlash: UK customs seized hundreds of counterfeit dolls over safety concerns, and pop-up releases in Moscow and Baghdad sparked fights and police interventions.

From Niche Toy to $418 Million Global Phenomenon

By 2025, Pop Mart’s Labubu line had exploded to $418 million in global sales, growing at a staggering 726% year-over-year.

Collaborations with One Piece and Coca-Cola only poured fuel on the fire. Over 300 Labubu variants have now been released globally, and they’re still selling out.

And Labubu’s popularity hasn’t peaked... far from it.

Rolli IQ Media Monitoring (with source clustering)

The Craze? It’s Still Accelerating

If you thought the Labubu moment had peaked, think again.

Using Rolli IQ’s narrative velocity tracker, we looked at engagement trends across platforms over time, and what we saw was a sharp, sustained rise in mentions beginning in early July, with no signs of slowing down.

Rolli IQ Cross-Platform Analysis

But Was It Real... or Coordinated Marketing?

When I see a spike like this, my first instinct is: This has to be orchestrated. Bots? Hype loops? Influencer seeding?

So I dug into the data using Rolli IQ's proprietary tools designed to cut through noise and surface authentic behavior.

What I found surprised me.

Rolli IQ Shows: The Craze Is Organic.

We analyzed Labubu mentions across social from March to August 2025.

Key finding:

Only 11% of amplification on X came from the top 10% of users. That’s well within normal range, not what you’d expect from a manipulated campaign.

Rolli IQ Coordinated Behavior Detection

Same story on YouTube, where average posts per user held steady. Even Reddit, which showed slightly higher concentration, reflected an enthusiastic, loyal fan base, not astroturfing.

Rolli IQ Coordinated Behavior Detection

Rolli IQ Coordination Score: Low

The algorithm flagged low signs of coordinated inauthentic behavior.

In plain English: people just love Labubu.

Rolli IQ Coordinated Behavior Detection

But Not Everyone Is a Fan…

With virality comes backlash.

Rolli IQ also surfaced hidden narratives around Labubu. Some users praised the dolls as adorable. Others called them “ugly”… and a few even claimed they were possessed. Yes, really.

Rolli IQ Summary and General Sentiment Analysis

• Positive posts: “My first Labubu! So cute 😍”

• Negative posts: “These are creepy and demonic.”

C'mon, this cute guy? Demonic?

I'll leave that to the experts...

Access verified experts on culture, identify, and society. All in one place with Rolli IQ.

Why This Matters: Most Viral Trends Are Manufactured. This One Wasn’t.

In a time when so many “viral” trends are driven by bots, paid ads, or closed influencer loops, Labubu stands out as a genuine cultural moment, one born from real people, not PR machines.

But here’s the problem: Manufactured virality doesn’t just shape what we scroll, it can influence news coverage, business decisions, even public opinion.

And when those decisions are based on distorted or inauthentic signals, the consequences can be costly.

Bad data leads to bad decisions.

And the only reason we know that for sure? We had the right tool.

Try it for yourself at rolli.ai/iq

The Power of Rolli IQ

Rolli IQ™ helps journalists, marketers, and researchers detect what’s real vs. what’s manipulated, using live data, behavioral signals, and coordination detection across every major platform.

Want to see for yourself? rolli.ai/iq

Labubu is just the tip of the iceberg.

Rolli IQ Dashboard

Your Turn

What viral moment do you want to see analyzed next? Drop a comment or DM me, and I’ll run it through Rolli IQ.

If you found this interesting, consider resharing, I’d love to spark more conversations about what’s real vs. coordinated online.

– Nick (Founder, Rolli)