It’s the latest trending ‘must have’, and it’s stirring up controversy about demon possessions.
Labubu dolls, the saw-tooth mischievous-looking monster plushies from China are taking the internet by storm.
But now, conspiracy theories are flying about how the dolls could be… dramatic pause… possessed by demons.
An Iraqi town that’s banned the dolls is just the latest in a series of controversies surrounding the innocuous toys.
Officials ban all Labubu dolls in Erbil, Iraq in part due to the ‘blind box’ sales method
Image credits: Declan Sun/Unsplash
Image credits: Dushawn Jovic/Unsplash
According to Rudaw.net, who reported the story, the “ugly-cute” Labubu collectibles have been officially banned in Erbil, in the Kurdistan Region of north-eastern Iraq, with authorities citing consumer exploitation and cultural concerns as the primary reasons behind the move.
Rudaw.net says officials don’t approve of the toys’ blind box sales, in which customers do not know which particular doll they will be getting until after purchasing the product.
Image credits: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg)/Wikimedia
“These sales tactics misled consumers,” Hogir Ali, director of Erbil’s commercial monitoring body, told Rudaw.net, “especially when lower prices were advertised for dolls that were unavailable, pushing buyers toward more expensive options.”
The outlet says so far about 2,000 dolls have been confiscated and legal actions have been taken against six businesses.
But that’s not the only reason the dolls are banned in Erbil.
Some people think Labubus resemble the mythic evil creature, Pazuzu
Image credits: jessicavibezx
Officials in Erbil have also said that the dolls do not represent the type of cultural products that most of its consumers are interested in.
“The appearance of the doll is far from our customs and traditions,” Ali told the outlet, adding that provincial authorities and civil police are fully cooperating with the ban.
Labubu’s appearance has been criticized by people around the world who say it has demonic looking features.
On TikTok, comparisons to a winged-looking devil from ancient Mesopotamian mythology known as ‘Pazuzu’ are rampant.
Image credits: notgivingsh**t
The mythological figure is often depicted as having a lion-like face, bird talons and wings and it was even featured in the 1973 classic horror film, The Exorcist.
In side-by-side photos, Labubu, with its fluffy body and perky ears, bears little resemblance to the muscled mythological creature, save for their toothy grins.
That hasn’t stopped netizens from spreading rumors that the doll is actually possessed by evil spirits.
Labubus’ creator says the dolls are “kind hearted and eager to help”
Image credits: Mill MILK
The Hong-Kong born artist behind the dolls, Kasing Lung, says demonic spirits were never an inspiration for his toys.
In an interview with NPR, Lung explained that he created the elfish creatures as a series of children’s storybook characters.
After moving to the Netherlands at the age of 7, “he quickly fell in love with Nordic fairy tales — especially those about elves.”
NPR says, “Lung launched an illustrated book series called The Monsters in 2015, featuring a playful tribe of female elves known as Labubus.”
Image credits: Vadim Russu/Unsplash
Lung describes the Labubus, of which there are roughly 100, “as kind-hearted and eager to help — though their good intentions can sometimes lead to chaos.”
Nothing to do with demons. And yet…
“Why would you want to give your child the doll of the demon?” Priest says Labubu dolls aren’t good for kids
The truth of Labubus’ origin story has not stopped people from labeling them as dangerous.
According to Know Your Meme, one of the earliest conspiracies started taking flight in November last year.
That’s when a priest named Fr. Carlos Martins, originally from Ontario, went on a podcast and said that the toys were not appropriate to give to children.
Adrian Milag, a Catholic content creator from the Philippines asked Martins what he thought about the dolls.
Image credits: The Wall Street Journal
Image credits: The Wall Street Journal
In the :37 video second clip, it’s not clear how Milag described the dolls to Martins, who said he was not aware of the toys.
But we hear Martins use the word demon, implying that that’s how Milag described them to Martins.
Because of Fr. Martins’ background as a leading demon exorcist in the Catholic Church, it’s no surprise what he said next, which has become the fodder for many conspiracies.
“Well if the word is demon,” Fr. Martins said about the dolls, “why would you want to give your child the doll of the demon, even if it's cute?”
Pop Mart pulled all Labubus from stores in the UK after reports of customers getting violent
Image credits: The Wall Street Journal
Still, other controversies surrounding the toys are related to, not demonic possession, but shopping obsession, as acquiring the toys has become dangerous, with violence breaking out in some stores in the U.K.
According to the BBC, the maker of the dolls, Pop Mart, reportedly pulled the toys from all UK stores after reports that people were fighting over them.
“Pop Mart told the BBC it had paused selling them in all 16 of its shops until June to prevent any potential safety issues," the BBC reported.
Image credits: South China Morning Post
Fans at a store in London recalled to the publication how “it was just getting ridiculous to be in that situation where people were fighting and shouting and you felt scared."
Other fans told CNN that people had been camping out in front of the various Pop Mart stores overnight in order to be the first in line.
Figures reported by CNN say Pop Mart’s revenues outside China skyrocketed by more than 375% last year to about 700 billion U.S. dollars, with Labubus alone generating about $420 million of the company's $1.8 billion in total revenue.
Online, some people claim to have had evil experiences with Labubus, with others calling foul
