Origins and Design Philosophy
Labubu was conceived by Kasing Lung as part of his broader 'The Monsters' universe, a cast of characters rooted in Nordic mythology and European fantasy illustration traditions. Lung's background as a fine art illustrator shows throughout the design — Labubu's character has an illustrative quality, a sense that it exists within a narrative world rather than as a toy designed from the ground up for retail. This artistic pedigree distinguishes Labubu from more purely commercial art toy designs.
The Monsters series figures don't depict Labubu alone — the full cast includes multiple monster characters sharing the series aesthetic. Labubu became the breakout character of the lineup, eventually achieving recognition that eclipsed the full cast, but the original series positions Labubu within a family of creatures designed to coexist in a shared world. Early series releases retain this ensemble character, making them different in spirit from later Labubu-only focused releases.
Lung's original design intention was to create monsters that read as simultaneously unsettling and endearing — the open-tooth grin is key to this effect. It reads as menacing from a distance but charming up close, a visual paradox that gives Labubu unusual emotional range for a collectible figure. This design sophistication is part of what drives the character's crossover appeal beyond toy collectors.
Original Series Lineup and Evolution
The earliest Monsters releases established the fundamental Labubu aesthetic in a relatively restrained palette — earthy tones, forest greens, dusty pinks, and browns that reflected the character's nature-spirits origin story. These early releases are distinctly different in color philosophy from later neon and pastel series, and the consistency of the earth-tone approach across the early lineup is part of what makes first-generation pieces identifiable.
As the series evolved, subsequent Monsters waves introduced new characters from the broader cast alongside Labubu, and began expanding the color vocabulary while maintaining the illustrative character design. The series progression is well-documented in the Pop Mart collector community, with wave numbers serving as a loose taxonomy for identifying figure generation.
First-generation Monsters figures are now considered vintage collector pieces, particularly the earliest releases before Labubu's mainstream breakthrough. These figures trade at significant premiums over retail on the secondary market — not just because of scarcity, but because of their historical significance in the Labubu origin story.
Key Variants and Most Valuable Pieces
The original series secret rares are among the most valuable Labubu figures in the secondary market today. Because the character had not yet achieved mass-market recognition at the time of original sale, these pieces sold at standard blind box retail prices to a smaller audience — creating a supply constraint that drives current secondary market values significantly higher than post-breakthrough releases.
Among The Monsters variants, the earliest colorways are most sought-after by serious collectors for their historical status. Figures from pre-breakthrough waves trade at 5–15x original retail on the secondary market for standard variants, and significantly higher for confirmed early secret rares. Authentication of generation and condition is critical for these high-value transactions.
Special size releases — oversized 'Mega' format Monsters figures — are a separate category of sought-after pieces. These larger format figures were produced in limited quantities and are distinct display pieces that function differently from standard blind box figures. The Mega format Monsters command their own premium tier in the collector market.
Displaying The Monsters Series
The Monsters' earth-tone, nature-spirits aesthetic suggests specific display approaches. These figures look at home on wooden shelves, in natural material display environments, and alongside botanical elements (small plants, moss, stones). The earthy palette connects to organic materials in a way that bright neon or pastel series do not.
Because the early Monsters releases include multiple characters from the full cast (not just Labubu), building a complete set creates an ensemble display that tells a visual story. Consider organizing The Monsters display to reflect the character relationships in Lung's original universe rather than organizing by color or size.
For collectors who have early generation pieces alongside later series, The Monsters makes a strong origin-story anchor for a larger display. Positioning early Monsters pieces prominently — perhaps at the center or highest point of the display — honors the historical progression of the collection.