When Labubus first hit the market in late 2019, the collectible toy began to gain traction. Like Beanie Babies and Furbies before them, the toy—a collaboration between Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung and toy developer Pop Mart—came in several different types all under one brand, making them plenty, varied and, ultimately, collectible. They also shared another common theme: they were made for kids, but they appealed to adults.

“Kids seem to age out of toys around age 13,” says Andrew Wagar, president & CEO of Swerve Strategic Marketing, who has worked in the toy marketing industry for more than two decades with clients such as Mattel, Fisher Price and Squishmallows, “but when you hit 14,15,16, and you’re buying and collecting children’s toys, [you’re] in this adult demo and the industry sees sales patterns in [lisenced] products like Friends [toys] and The Office. They’re being purchased for themselves, for their own enjoyment, their own collections, their own showcase—that’s how the term ‘kidult’ was coined.”

Now, a handful of B.C.-based businesses are picking up on the kidult toy trend—in the form of Labubu-themed parties, cookies, drinks and more. These business moves are cashing in on the novelty of the sharp-toothed, large-eared toy, but some are saying that the public’s preoccupation with them could be a recession indicator.

“It remains to be seen what Labubu is going to be—if it’s going to be a trend or evergreen—and how long it’s going to last. I would say it’s currently in the growth stage and has yet to hit its peak,” Wagar says, noting that the fad has a similar growth pattern to Squishmallows, which exploded for kids and adults alike in recent years.

So it makes sense that local businesses are currently going full-steam ahead with their own products based on the popular craze. Among them are Burnaby’s Punk Rock Pastries, who are making Labubu-themed cookies for purchase ($6.50 and up), Japanese-Vietnamese bakery Broyé Cafe who first started putting their panna cotta Labubu on its ice cream treats during the Vancouver Ice Cream Festival (and is now adding them to bubble teas and pudding treats) and Vancouver-based novelty convenience store, Lucky’s Exotic Bodega, who is starting to sell Labubu-themed tote bags and bespoke clothing for the little monsters.

Check out what these three B.C. based businesses are doing with Labubus.

Labubu cookies

Punk Rock Pastries – Burnaby

 

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Labubu panna cotta

Broye Cafe – Vancouver

 

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Labubu totes and clothes

Lucky’s Exotic Bodega – Vancouver