Labubu Takes Over Hangzhou in Pop Mart’s Latest Fantasy

In a campaign that blurs the lines between art toy, fantasy, and lifestyle branding, Pop Mart has unveiled its most ambitious Labubu experience to date. Taking over Hangzhou Kerry Centre, the brand launched China’s first “The Monsters: Forest Secret Base”—a supersized, 100x magnified playland that brings the mischievous charm of Labubu to life.

Labubu, the wide-eyed, sharp-toothed, pointy-eared sprite from Pop Mart’s cult-favorite character universe, is more than just a toy. To millions of Chinese collectors, it’s an emblem of joy, escapism, and self-expression. And now, for the first time, fans can step directly into Labubu’s enchanted world—rendered in immersive scale and powered by the imaginative storytelling of Pop Blocks, Pop Mart’s new modular brick brand.

At the heart of this pop-up fantasia is a storybook-style adventure: the building of a secret forest base by Labubu and friends. Meticulously designed using Pop Blocks, the activation taps into the emerging intersection of DIY artistry and character-driven play. Visitors are invited not just to observe, but to participate—becoming the dolls’ friends armed with limited-edition passports, collecting forest-themed stamps across eight challenge zones, and crafting their own Labubu prints in whimsical workshops.

Beyond the base itself, Labubu fever has taken over the city. A dedicated Labubu-themed bus now tours Hangzhou, while a social media scavenger hunt—tagged “searching for Labubu”—has ignited playful competition across platforms, drawing in a legion of fans eager to document sightings and win campaign exclusives. On RedNote, the hashtag “Labubu” has already surpassed 1 billion views, with users pairing their rare finds alongside luxury fashion staples, including Hermès Birkin and Kelly.

Much more than a children’s activation, the Labubu campaign speaks directly to a new class of cultural collectors in China: digitally native, emotionally attuned, and driven by a desire for playful sophistication. For this audience, Pop Mart’s vinyl figurines are not toys—they’re lifestyle statements, artistic companions, and sometimes even speculative assets. Priced between $16.99 and $114.99, limited editions routinely command resale prices of over $1,000, placing them squarely within the realm of aspirational collectibles.

Timed to coincide with the May Day holiday, the campaign will crescendo with the world’s first Labubu drone light show—a luminous tribute to the character’s soaring popularity and symbolic weight in Chinese youth culture. Running through June 8, “The Monsters: Forest Secret Base” immersive wonderland marks a fully realized brand world—one where joy is collectible, imagination is immersive, and softness comes with unexpected edge.