So, overconsumption's fine if it's a little trinket?
labubus, sonny's angels, and pop mart galore! my search to acquire a labubu.
After months of scrolling through TikToks of Pop Mart Unboxings and Instagram memes of Labubus, I decided to buy my own Labubu. At first, like most trend-averse people (haters), I was hesitant to spend more money on a glorified troll doll. Especially when the capitalistic trend-cycle is 2 weeks long online and up to 1,000 years long in landfill IRL time.
But then I remembered, I am in fact like every other girl, and only internalized misogyny is stopping me! Cue Chaka Khan’s I’m Every Woman. Although, I’m sorting through my own inherited clutter-proneness (or as the girlies are calling it: “immigrant cluttercore”), I thought one Labubu couldn’t hurt. And mostly because anytime other Latinos start putting their sazon on something—crocheting Labubu sized clothes, attaching mini Patron bottles, selling paired ramos (bouquets for you monolinguists)—I decide it’s time for me to participate with my community.
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That was until I tried to buy a Labubu. A Pop Mart branded The Monsters™️Labubu to be exact. To my dismay they were sold out… Everywhere… The trend globalized, even re-sellers are struggling to keep up. And I’m not paying $100+ for a $21.99 retail priced plushie.
Sure, I could attempt to purchase a vinyl yoga posed figure through a gamified purchasing process. Which means refreshing an online blind box and choosing which options I didn’t want to increase my likelihood of a coveted child’s pose.
That’s usually where the obsession stops for me. A) it’s too many steps B) I come from a family of chronic gamblers. (which is much more embarrassing when you’re a woman in your 20s and not my pot-bellied Sicilian grandfather. The condition’s aesthetic is cuter on Italian grandpas and uncles).
But a plastic figurine is simply not the same as a soft plushie that will hang on my purse—as my bookshelf of several Kuromi figures will attest. And yes, I know there’s “Lafufu” knockoffs but I am a survivor of the early-aughts-plastic-toy-lead-poisoning scares [my mom made me throw away all of my Dollar Tree toys]. So what is a girl to do? I dropped the obsession and dreamed another day.
That was until I was visiting my friend in LA for spring break and the likelihood of my purchase increased. Venturing out solo to Little Tokyo, I was on the hunt. After a few stores—and a Sanrio haul—I made it to the Neko store. Where safe from thieves behind the counter—she appeared. A Coca-Cola edition Labubu.
I’m not a big soda fan, but I figured this was as close as I would get. For the low-price of 39.99 (seriously for these things), I finally purchased my first Labubu after 3 months of searching and 6 months of watching the craze online. I got the coke bottle one in my blind box—he’s a cute critter. But should he have been so elusive?
My LA trip wasn’t the intended purpose of my trip but it exemplifies how hard it was to come by a Labubu or my first Sonny’s Angel, which I also purchased there. I don’t know if I’ve ever travelled that far to make a purchase in my short 23-year-old life, especially for a children’s toy.
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So why the craze? (or the serious part of my article)
Content creator Theresa Cornelia explained FOMO is the reasoning behind why people are buying so many blind boxes. Since advent of Amazon, impulse purchasing and what she calls repeat buying are encouraged by design, “the increased access we get through online shopping. Products featured in Tiktok videos are usually linked in the Amazon storefront YouTube link.”
Before, as Cornelia points outs in her YouTube video, consumers would have to drive to the store, factor in gas money, time spent in the store talking to an attendant, and loading up the item(s) in our car. Which for non-Gzers might sound like the Middle Ages, but is very prescient in the minds of our elders. For us, the sudden desire to purchase something we see on TikTok or Instagram is often met with instant gratification. “As consumer’s we need to consider the consequences… of our consumption… and what will happen to these items when the trend dies down?” as Theresa says.
So true, what will I do with my size small Hello Kitty skirt when I’m 40, if I’m no longer obsessed with Sanrio and no longer a size small (these are things I think about). Sure there’s Goodwill, but what if no one picks it up off the shelf? Any junk-filled thrift store will just send it to the landfill.
On Collecting/Collector’s Items
Sure, there is collecting for collector’s sake. We all know that one old lady with 87 cherub figures in her house (which her descendants will unfortunately have to wade through in the settlement of her assets). We all have that one friend who collects Pokemon cards or Funko POP figures. But if we’re being honest here between us girls — is ‘collecting’ not just another form of overconsumption?
But, hey I get it, I’m not gonna fault anyone who indulges in a splurge purchase when we’re living in a dystopic hellscape. Buy a trinket for yourself or a friend, if you need. Because, statistically, 25% of Gen Zers can’t afford dogs. So a $20 plushie you can take to the store might as well do.
In the meantime though, maybe it’s ok to buy only 1 blindbox of a series, or support local artists who craft Labubu clothes to satisfy that urge to splurge.
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This post made me realize I’m ur old friend 🤨