Fake Labubus don’t dampen the fun at the Minnesota State Fair

On a recent afternoon at the Minnesota State Fair, fairgoers flocked to a vendor selling plush toys and other novelty items.

But they weren’t coveting classic stuffed bears or inflatable green aliens. They were after Labubus, the ugly-cute collectibles hidden in blind boxes that have taken the world — and the Minnesota State Fair — by storm this year.

Labubu, made by the Chinese toy company Pop Mart, have become extremely popular and difficult to find since celebs like K-pop star Lisa from Blackpink and Rihanna were spotted with them last year. Their popularity has spawned a thriving market for resellers and fakes, with counterfeit Labubus known as “Lafufus.”

Kinsley, 12, was one of many fairgoers who purchased a blind box from a vendor. Her family looked on as she tore open the silver, crinkly package that held a toy resembling a Labubu. Kinsley gasped when she revealed what was inside.

“Ooh, I got the pink one,” she exclaimed. “I heard about it on YouTube and I’ve been wanting one forever.”

But the tween’s new toy wasn’t exactly like what she saw on YouTube.

“These aren’t the real ones,” said Kinsley’s mom, Jen, of Otsego, who declined to give her last name. “Apparently the only real ones that are available are the ones that are directly sold from Pop Mart.”

Chinese customs authorities are seizing fake Labubus almost daily. In June alone they confiscated more than 200,000, the New York Times reported.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has also seized thousands of units of counterfeit dolls at ports, warning that Lafufus violate a ban on small parts for children under 3 and pose “a serious risk of choking and death.”

“These fake Labubu dolls are dangerous, illegal, and have no place in American homes,” said acting CPSC Chairman Peter A. Feldman. “No parent should have to wonder if a toy will stop their child from breathing. Protect your children and buy only from reputable sellers.”

There are ways to inspect the toys for authenticity. The real toys have tags with a code and holographic silver QR code stickers on their boxes.

As for Kinsley’s new toy, her mom said she planned to look into the other tells, like counting its teeth or shining a special light on the doll’s foot at home.

The Labubu trend is showing up at other places at the fair, too. There was Labubu crop art in the Agriculture Building, signs announcing them as prizes in the arcade and plenty of fairgoers displaying the charms on their bags.

Each vendor at the Minnesota State Fair selects the items they will offer for sale, fair officials said in a statement when asked about the authenticity of the products.

“We recommend that all guests inquire about any product they choose to purchase to make sure it meets their expectations,” the statement said.

One employee at Wee Dazzle Novelties, a vendor at the fair, estimated that more than half of customers came to their booth to buy Labubus.

A group of 20-somethings carefully analyzed the Labubu options outside one of the Wee Dazzle booths. Some of the packages — which weren’t even in their standard boxes — had a small hole in the corner that revealed which Labubu (or Lafufu) was inside.

The group gasped as Greta, 23, ripped it open and immediately clipped to her purse the Labubu she’d wanted.