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A significant portion of the £3.5m worth of counterfeit toys confiscated at the UK border this year were Labubu dolls, accounting for 90% of the seized items, as revealed by Home Office data. Labubu, a whimsical monster character designed by Hong Kong-based artist Kasing Lung and made famous through a partnership with toy store Pop Mart, is primarily marketed as a collectible for adults and a fashion accessory, despite warnings on the packaging that they are only suitable for those over 15. Nevertheless, Labubu dolls have gained immense popularity among young people and children.
Unfortunately, the majority of the seized counterfeit toys – almost 75% of them – did not pass safety checks, with these “dangerous fakes” containing harmful chemicals or posing choking hazards, according to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO). To raise awareness about the risks associated with purchasing counterfeit goods, the IPO has launched the Fake Toys, Real Harms campaign. The agency discovered that 70% of buyers of fake toys are driven by cost, with only 27% considering safety factors when making a purchase.
While authentic limited-edition Labubus can fetch hundreds of pounds on resale platforms, the high demand for these toys led Pop Mart to halt in-store sales across its 16 UK outlets after reports emerged of customers fighting over the products. The dolls are now exclusively available through an online lottery system. In 2025, out of the 259,000 fake toys seized by the IPO, a staggering 236,000 were counterfeit Labubus. Nearly half of individuals who bought fake toys reported encountering problems, ranging from immediate breakage to incorrect labeling, toxic odors, and even instances of sickness in children.
Helen Barnham, the IPO’s deputy director of enforcement, emphasized the dangers posed by these counterfeit products, noting that they have circumvented the necessary safety assessments mandated by law. She urged parents to prioritize child safety and avoid subjecting their children to potential harm by purchasing fake toys. The IPO cautioned that the Labubu trend represents only a fraction of the broader issue of counterfeit toys flooding the market, underscoring the need for vigilance and caution when making toy purchases
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