Fan fury as viral Labubu dolls pulled from UK stores over 'safety concerns'
23 May 2025, 12:24
Fans of the dolls have responded angrily online after maker Pop Mart paused sales of the dolls in its UK stores following reports of customers fighting over them.
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Pop Mart announced on Instagram on Monday: "Due to the increasing demand for our beloved Labubus, we've seen a significant rise in customer turnout on restock days - with long queues forming outside our stores and Roboshops."
"To ensure the safety and comfort of everyone, we will temporarily pause all in-store and roboshop sales of THE MONSTERS plush toys until further notice."
Pop Mart said they are working to "improve the shopping experience" both in-store and online.
Fans witnessed chaos in the Stratford store in London last week, with reports of customers fighting over the toys. One fan, Victoria Calvert, said: "It was just getting ridiculous to be in that situation where people were fighting and shouting and you felt scared."
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She said she said she witnessed "a fight between a worker and a customer" and left the store after feeling unsafe.
Pop Mart said no employees have been injured, but the store has chosen to "act early" and "prevent any potential safety issues from occurring."
Former Love Island star Mal Nicol posted a video to TikTok, where she asks: "Did I really just get in a fight at Pop Mart?"
She describes telling a woman in the queue at the Stratford Pop Mart store: "You're so selfish", after witnessing the woman buy four dolls at once to resell them.
Fans on social media reacted angrily to Pop Mart's announcement.
One user commented: "It's your fault for drip feeding stock to us that caused this hype."
Another said: "Stratford was an absolute nightmare this morning. Maybe stop letting 20/30 men in balaclavas who've been camped outside since 10pm yesterday intimidate the line and assault your staff??"
Others directed their frustration at resellers.
One said: "Gutted but also glad you're taking people's experiences seriously and (hopefully) helping to stop the scalpers."
Another commented: "Sooo upset that resellers ruin everything."
The Labubu dolls went viral on TikTok after celebrities including Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, and Dua Lipa were seen with them.
In the UK, prices range from £13.50 to £50 - but rare editions sell for hundreds of pounds on sites like Vinted and Ebay.
One doll, signed by the dolls' creator, is currently listed on Vinted for £700.
The fluffy monster-like character was created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung as part of his Nordic folklore-inspired "The Monsters" series and made popular through the collaboration with Pop Mart.
Sales of the toys are continuing online. Pop Mart have told fans to "stay tuned" to their social media accounts for updates on upcoming releases.
