EXCLUSIVE: How Labubu popularity reveals broader collectible trends
The "it" product of this holiday season is the current peak in a bigger wave of consumer interest in popular collectible products.
The Labubu line of plush collectible accessories is selling extremely well, helping to drive the recent opening of a new Pop Mart store at the Mall of America.
[READ MORE: Pop Mart to open at Mall of America amid Labubu craze]
Further illustrating the popularity of Labubu products, one-in-three respondents to a recent survey of U.S. consumers conducted by CouponFollow and exclusively released to Chain Store Age have already bought a Labubu or are considering getting one this holiday season.
In addition, one-in-five (19%) Labubu-interested shoppers (19%) are willing to spend $100 on a single collectible plush toy. On average, interested respondents interested are willing to spend about $85 on a single Labubu.
Interest in Labubu plush toys is highest among Gen Z respondents, with 46% planning to buy or having already purchased one this holiday season. Millennials followed at 38%, while only 20% of Gen X and older reported interest. More than one in 10 Labubu-interested respondents overall (13%) admitted to buying a "Lafufu" imitation.
Interested respondents generally favored specific Labubu designs, such as rare or collaboration special edition drops (31%), rainbow or multicolor designs (14%), and blue and pink editions (12% each). One-in-10 said they want to collect every available design.
Consumers like collectibles
The survey also revealed that consumer interest in Labubus is part of a larger behavioral pattern around shopping for collectible products:
- More than one-in-10 respondents who buys collectibles (14%) has gone into more than $1,000 of debt to afford viral collectibles.
- One-in-10 collector respondents has paid 75% or more above retail for a hype item.
- The most frequently sought-after collectible items include adult Lego sets (34%), sneakers or streetwear (30%), Pokémon or trading cards (29%), and tech gadgets or accessories (27%). Squishmallows and Labubu figurines both made the list, generating interest from 23% and 20% of collector respondents, respectively. Funko Pop figures and Hello Kitty/Sanrio items attracted 19% of collectors, followed by Stanley cups at 17% and vinyl records at 16%.
- Collector respondents are willing to spend an average of $230 to secure the hottest holiday 2025 collectible items. Gen Z would spend the most at $270, while millennials averaged $235, and older generations landed at about $185.
- On average, collector respondents estimated their collections to be worth about $2,300. Gen X and older reported collections worth $2,700, millennials averaged $2,400, and Gen Z's collections totaled around $1,500. When looking at the highest-value collection categories overall, Funko Pop figures topped the list at $3,800, followed closely by vinyl records at $3,700 and adult Lego sets at $3,500.
- Forty-four percent of collector respondents said they would still buy a collectible item even if it had no resale or viral value.
- Nearly three-in-five respondenrs overall reported feeling pressure to buy the "hot" item of the year, with Gen Z (71%) and millennials (67%) being more affected than older generations (57%). One-in-three (34%) collector respondents said rare or trendy items make them feel more "in the loop" and socially connected, including more than half of Gen Z (51%), 37% of millennials, and 23% of Gen X and older.
In November 2025, CouponFollow surveyed 1,000 U.S. consumers about to their feelings and behaviors relating to viral collectibles like Labubu.
