What is a Lafufu? Counterfeit Labubus find some fans online

If your Labubu doll has more than nine teeth, or if it came in a box with a shiny bright finish, it may not be a Labubu at all. It may be a “Lafufu.”

- JESSICA ROY

Knockoffs of the wildly popular elf-like doll, which are collectively called “the Monsters” and are sold exclusively by the Chinese toy retailer Pop Mart, have become almost as popular as the real thing — and they are much easier to find.

Many of the real Labubus come in blind boxes with limited availability, so you don’t know which one you're going to get until you open it, fuelling a sense of scarcity and surprise that adds to the appeal — and a growing resale market, where the dolls can go for much more than their $20 to $30 retail price range. As key chains, the dolls have been wholeheartedly adopted by the fashion set; it's not uncommon to see a $20 Labubu hanging from a $20,000 Birkin bag.

The hype is real: A life-size version of one of the dolls recently sold for more than $170,000 at auction, and Pop Marts in Britain briefly halted sales of the dolls in May after reports of chaotic crowd surges and fights among customers hoping to snag new releases.