By Liu He, Shi Yinglun

Few could have imagined that a spiky-toothed, mischievous imp called Labubu from China's toy-maker Pop Mart would capture a number of global fans and ignite a shopping frenzy worldwide. Pop Mart is telling a Chinese IP globalization story in an unexpected way.

According to its Q1 2025 earnings report, Pop Mart's first-quarter sales surged 480 percent year-over-year in overseas markets.

The Beijing-based firm, known for selling collectible "designer" toys like Molly and Labubu, reported explosive growth abroad: Sales in the Americas surged by 900 percent, in Europe by 600 percent, and in the Asia-Pacific by 350 percent.

Pop Mart's global prominence is largely driven by two key elements: its capacity to form emotional connections and facilitate personalized expression, and its strategy of local cultural integration during the company's global expansion.                                                                                                            

Created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung, Labubu defies traditional cuteness. With large ears and a fixed grin featuring nine pointy teeth, its oddball charm resonates with a young generation that sees itself in its mischievous, soft-hearted persona.

This unique, personalized value it embodies gets amplified by the emotional connections forged among Pop Mart fans. 

On social media, fans cultivate a shared aesthetic identity, and through activities that include sharing photos of their figures, dressing them in special outfits, and collecting, social media effectively guides this process, helping them achieve a strong sense of emotional belonging, said Chen Siqin, Associate Professor of the Communication University of China.

Customers purchase products at a Pop Mart store in London, Britain, on May 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

Labubu's global success can also be attributed to its widely appealing and flexible design. Labubu is not tied to a fixed storyline, allowing fans to project their own meaning onto it. The open-ended narrative also fuels user-generated content and a secondary market, making it emotionally accessible to diverse audiences.

In addition, Pop Mart blends local and global design to connect better with international audiences. It integrates localization with globalization by introducing country- and region-exclusive IPs that merge international designer toy aesthetics with local cultural influences, said Chen Xiaoyun, Vice President of Pop Mart International Group.

Labubu's story is just one vibrant example of a larger trend: Chinese enterprises are increasingly making their mark on the global stage and challenging traditional perceptions.

From the hit video game "Black Myth: Wukong" last year that amassed 1.04 million concurrent players merely an hour after its debut, to the cinematic marvel of "Ne Zha 2," which has risen to the fifth spot on the worldwide box office chart, success of Chinese IP shows the rise of both cultural confidence and the empowerment of the country's industrial system, said Wang Ruotong, a researcher with the Tianjin Foreign Studies University.

For Chinese enterprises in international communication, what truly resonates with global audiences is their profound engagement with local contexts, issues, and emotional landscapes, achieved through respect, adaptation, and cultural re-creation, said Chen.