Why I love my Soviet Labubu

Marina Galperina is a senior tech editor at The Verge who works with staff writers and freelancers on reports and theme weeks. She recently started a new newsletter called The Stepback, which breaks down one essential story from a writer of the week every Sunday. (From Marina: “Please subscribe!”)

During a recent discussion of Labubus on Slack (yes, this is the kind of topic that comes up during the workday), Marina introduced us to a strange-looking object that she called her “Soviet Labubu.” So, understandably, I had to ask her about it.

Let’s start with: what is a Labubu?

For some reason, these godawful stuffed small toys / large keychains made by Pop Mart have taken consumers by storm, despite or maybe because you have to jump through all kinds of gamified hoops to get one, as The Verge’s Mia Sato reported. Usually, you can score a blind box, so you won’t even know which kind you’re getting, but generally, they look like tiny demented teddy bears (?) with fur-less faces and distorted smiles, snarls, or pouts. There are a variety of outfits, sold separately. It never ends!

Yours is certainly not an everyday Labubu. There’s something, well, wistful about it.

Technically, it might be a Lafufu, which is what they call fake Labubus. (I would have called them Fauxfufus, but whatever.) I would estimate that this creature was made in 1972. It’s very likely a bootleg of a very famous Russian Soviet-era cartoon character — Cheburashka — which is sort of a bear-monkey mutant child that shows up in a crate of oranges and a crocodile-man takes care of it as his own. Yes, it has a rather goth demeanor, partially intentional (the character is frequently sad) and partially because of the lo-fi bootleg quality.

A Ukrainian vintage memorabilia seller on Etsy. I had previously collected a variety of ancient gadgets, straw-filled toys, and battered homegoods from Etsy. There’s a deep orange resin-encased wind-up clock in my house, too. It’s not really cultural nostalgia. I just think they’re neat!

Is there anything I should have asked that I didn’t?