Labubu doll craze drives £3.5m trade in unsafe fake toys

Fake Labubu dolls accounted for 90% of counterfeit toys seized at the UK border this year, with many found to contain banned chemicals or pose choking hazards.

- Sarah Marsh Consumer affairs correspondent

Border officials intercepted almost 259,000 counterfeit toys worth more than £3.5m, including 236,000 fake versions of Pop Mart’s toothy, fluffy Labubu dolls.

Most of the seized toys - 75% - failed safety tests with banned chemicals and choking hazards found, while 46% of the people who bought them experienced serious safety issues, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) reported.

Labubu dolls have exploded in popularity among children and adults after going viral on social media. They are also favoured by celebrities including Rihanna, and many owners like to attach the dolls to handbags or backpacks.