Psst, wanna buy a Lafufu? Fakes cashing in on China's monster cult

Trolleys piled high with decapitated silicon monster heads, dealers lurking in alleyways, bin bags of contraband hidden behind shop counters: welcome to the world of Lafufus.

- Amy Hawkins

Fake Labubus, also known as Lafufus, are flooding the hidden market. The furry bunny-eared elf sold by the Chinese toy company Pop Mart has gone viral this year, and as demand soars, entrepreneurs in the southern trading hub of Shenzhen are wasting no time sourcing imitation versions to sell. But the Chinese authorities, keen to protect a rare soft-power success story, are cracking down on the counterfeits.

"Labubus have become very sensitive," says one unofficial vendor, in her small, unmarked, fake designer goods shop hidden on the 17th floor of a bland office building in Shenzhen's Huaqiangbei district, an area known for cheap electronics.

Labubus have been touted by celebrities from Rihanna to Blackpink's Lisa and in the UK Pop Mart pulled the "ugly-cute" dolls from stores because of the risk of fights between customers.

In Britain they retail for £17.50, and in China for between 99 and 399 yuan (£10.30 - £41.40), with resale prices far higher.

The hype has been embraced by the Chinese authorities, who have hailed Pop Mart as the latest Chinese brand to gain popularity overseas, following the viral video game Black Myth: Wukong and artificial intelligence app DeepSeek.

In June, People's Daily, the Chinese Communist party's official newspaper, praised Labubus as representing the shift from "made in China" to "created in China".