Decorating your bag with a figurine, a soft toy or even a piece of jewelry is very trendy. The Labubu are particularly popular, but these retro figurines could well overshadow them.
The Labubu are characters with rabbit ears and pointy teeth, created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung in 2015 and available as figurines by Pop Mart. Almost 10 years later, in 2024, the popularity of this cute monster has exploded, thanks in part to Kpop singer Lisa, who sported a Labubu keychain on a handbag. Other celebrities have gotten involved, like Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Emma Roberts and Cher. The trend has won over the general public, as well as the fashion world. So much so that today, we can see them attached to many handbags, but also to school bags, because children have also been won over. Every month, new models are revealed, and some of these plush toys are sold at high prices. The phenomenon is such that a Labubu film was recently announced!
This regressive trend is the result of a mixture of many factors: certainly, celebrities have adopted it, and we know that their fans like to be inspired by them, but that’s not all. Labubu correspond to the kawaii universe and the “ugly-cute” trend, that of collectible toys, as well as that of mystery products (since you don’t know which one you have until you open the box). On top of that, 2000s fashion is making a big comeback lately, and decorating your bag was already a way to stand out at the time, whether with a bag jewel or a figurine. We remember, for example, the Kipling key rings with a stuffed monkey, which also made a comeback in 2024.
Obviously, as soon as something is this popular, people who want to adopt the trend while marking their uniqueness look for alternatives. Concerning the latter, something tells us that they could be seduced by the key rings of a cult toy, which is also very popular on social networks: the famous Monchhichi! This stuffed monkey, which also has a vinyl figure (although much less scary than the Labubu one) was created in Japan in the mid-1970s, and is an iconic toy of the 1980s-90s. Even today, it remains very popular with children, but also with nostalgic adults. Well, Monchhichi recently launched keychain plushies.
As with the Labubu, there are several models to collect, but they are less expensive, since the recommended retail price varies between 9.99 and 14.99 euros, while those representing the monster can reach 30 euros. We find the classic Monchhichi, girl or boy, but also a colorful version, with blue, pink, green or yellow hairs, or even a (cute) Bearchhichi version. Something to please both children and adults, who will be able to adopt this memory of their childhood with the good excuse that it is fashionable.
