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The huge popularity of Labubu soft toys in Germany caused a fresh surge of fans of the creatures on Monday, this time at Berlin’s famous Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe) department store.<\/p>\n
A long queue formed in front of KaDeWe in the morning to enter a new outlet of Chinese retailer Pop Mart, which makes the cuddly monsters with big eyes and pointed teeth.<\/p>\n
In July, there was a rush on Germany’s first Labubu store in the Alexa shopping centre on the city’s eastside.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of people waited with umbrellas and camping chairs outside of that mall on the city’s Alexanderplatz, some having travelled specially from as far away as Bavaria.<\/p>\n
The queue at KaDeWe wasn’t quite as long, perhaps due to the end of the school holidays, with mainly adults waiting in line to snag a Labubu figure for their children.<\/p>\n
Many influencers were also present, including one woman in a pink suit that matched the pink Labubu in her arms. Others also brought their toys to KaDeWe for the new opening.<\/p>\n
Cute and ugly at the same time, the furry toys have become a global phenomenon.<\/p>\n
The trend is being fuelled by influencers on TikTok and Instagram who film themselves unpacking the surprise boxes.<\/p>\n
Labubus have long been popular in China, where collectors flock to shops and carefully shake the boxes to guess which character might be inside.<\/p>\n
Pop Mart, founded in 2010, says it plans to open a total of three locations in Berlin.<\/p>\n