Beijing-based Pop Mart is part of a rising tide of Chinese cultural exports gaining traction abroad, furry ambassadors of a “cool” China even in places associated more with negative public opinion of Beijing such as Europe and North America.
The dolls are “a bit quirky and ugly and very inclusive, so people can relate”, interior designer Lucy Shitova told AFP at a Pop Mart store in London, where in-person sales of Labubus have been suspended over fears that fans could turn violent in their quest for the toys.
While neighbouring East Asian countries South Korea and Japan are globally recognised for their high-end fashion, cinema and pop songs, China’s heavily censored film and music industry have struggled to attract international audiences, and the country’s best-known clothing exporter is fast-fashion website Shein.
“It has been hard for the world’s consumers to perceive China as a brand-creating nation,“ the University of Maryland’s Fan Yang told AFP.
Brands such as designer womenswear label Shushu/Tong, Shanghai-based Marchen and Beijing-based handbag maker Songmont have also gained recognition abroad over the past few years.
TikTok effect
Malmsten said she believed social media could boost China’s global image “similar to that of Japan in the 80s to 2010s with Pokemon and Nintendo”.
Joshua Kurlantzick from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) told AFP that “TikTok probably played a role in changing consumers’ minds about China”.
The app has become a focus of national security fears in the United States, with a proposed ban seeing American TikTok users flock to another Chinese app, Rednote, where they were welcomed as digital “refugees”.
Labubumania
“I don’t know how much, if at all, this impacts images of China’s state or government,“ he said, pointing to how South Korea’s undeniable soft power has not translated into similar levels of political might.
“The connection many make between the seeming decline of US soft power and the potential rise in China’s global image may reflect how deeply intertwined the two countries are in the minds of people whose lives are impacted by both simultaneously,“ she told AFP.
“It’s like a virus. Everyone just wants it,“ Kazakhstani mother-of-three Anelya Batalova told AFP at Pop Mart’s theme park in Beijing.
“In our country, they love Labubu,“ she said.
“So, when they realise that the origin of Labubu is in China, they’d like to come to see the different types of Labubu in China.”
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