Original Series: The Monsters Foundation (2019–2021)
The first Pop Mart Labubu series drew directly from Kasing Lung's 'The Monsters' picture books. 'The Monsters Forest In Wonderland' (2019) was the landmark debut — a series of 12 regular variants plus hidden figures, all featuring Labubu dressed in costumes inspired by woodland creatures and fairy tale archetypes. This series established the visual template: a core Labubu face across all variants, with the differentiation coming from outfit, colorway, and accessory.
Subsequent early series included 'The Monsters Have a Wish' and 'The Monsters Exciting Macaron,' which introduced the flocked/velvet texture finish that became one of the most popular Labubu surface treatments. These early series are now retrospectively collected and trade at significant premiums on the secondary market — first-print figures from the 2019-2020 series are among the most valuable in the ecosystem.
The foundation series established Labubu's core collector audience in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. International distribution was limited in 2019-2020, meaning early series are relatively scarcer outside Asia, which is a factor in their secondary market pricing. Collectors focused on completionism often prioritize tracking down these early releases as the 'roots' of the catalog.
Major Series 2022–2024: The Global Expansion Era
From 2022 onward, Pop Mart expanded Labubu series releases to roughly 4-6 per year, each with 8-12 regular variants and 1-2 hidden figures. Notable series from this period include 'The Monsters Exciting Macaron 2' (continuing the popular flock finish series), 'The Monsters Be Myself' series, and multiple seasonal and holiday-themed releases. Each new series carries a distinct visual theme while maintaining the Labubu character constant.
The 2023-2024 period coincided with the celebrity visibility surge driven by Lisa's public Labubu adoption, which accelerated the frequency of series launches as Pop Mart moved to capitalize on unprecedented demand. Series from this period tend to sell out faster at retail and maintain secondary market value better than earlier releases, simply because the global collector base grew dramatically in a short time.
Select series from this era introduced new format innovations: the first Mega Labubu releases (40 cm), the first glow-in-the-dark variants, and the first series with metallic paint finishes. These technical innovations gave collectors additional differentiation dimensions beyond just colorway and outfit.
Collaboration Editions: Fashion, Music, and Brand Partnerships
Collaboration releases represent a distinct category within the Labubu universe. Major documented collaborations through 2025 include: Gentle Monster (eyewear brand, multiple releases), various luxury fashion brands, and a series of artist collaborations where other designers' aesthetics are applied to the Labubu form. Collaboration editions are typically sold through the partner brand's own retail channels in addition to or instead of Pop Mart's standard channels.
Music-related collaborations — Labubu series tied to album releases, artists' tour merchandise, or music-brand partnerships — have been a growing sub-category. The figure's bag-charm format in particular has made it a natural fit for merchandise programs in the K-pop and broader Asian pop music ecosystem, where artist merchandise is a significant revenue stream and fan culture drives purchasing behavior.
Brand collaboration Labubu figures typically command premium prices both at retail and on the secondary market, because they serve two collector audiences simultaneously: Labubu collectors and fans of the collaborating brand. The limited-edition nature of most collaboration releases (often single drops with no restock) means secondary market prices are typically higher and less volatile than mainline series.
Special Format Releases and Limited Editions
Beyond regular series and collaborations, Pop Mart produces several categories of special releases: convention exclusives (figures only available at specific events like art toy fairs, Pop Mart Fan Festivals, or industry exhibitions), anniversary editions marking milestones in the character's history, and regional exclusives available only in specific markets.
The convention exclusive category is particularly valuable for collectors willing to attend events in person. A convention-exclusive Labubu may have a production run of 500-1,000 units, making it far rarer than a standard series hidden figure. These figures rarely enter official resale channels and are primarily traded within dedicated collector communities.
Lucky bag and mystery bundle releases — where Pop Mart packages discontinued or excess figures in blind bags for events — are another special format that occasionally surfaces retired variants at relatively affordable prices. These lucky bags are popular at physical Pop Mart events and can include figures from discontinued series, making them of interest to collectors chasing specific older editions. The Voxelyo.com four-edition range (Duck Bubu, Snow Wing Bubu, Angel Bubu, Pink Fang Bubu) represents curated open-edition availability outside the blind box and series format.