Brand History and Current Position
Kidrobot launched in 2002 and popularized designer toy blind boxes in the US — their Dunny, Munny, and licensed collaboration formats set the template for the category. In 2026, Kidrobot continues with new releases, artist collaborations, and their classic formats, but cultural momentum is significantly lower than its peak.
Labubu through Pop Mart represents the current cultural peak of the blind box art toy format globally. The combination of Kasing Lung's character design, Pop Mart's distribution infrastructure, and celebrity adoption has driven mainstream recognition that exceeds what any previous art toy brand achieved.
For collectors who value heritage and established community: Kidrobot has decades of catalog and community. For collectors who want what's culturally current: Labubu is the undisputed 2026 answer.
Format and Collecting Experience
Kidrobot is known for the Dunny blank platform (customizable art toy) and licensed blind box series. Their artist collaboration model means each series is visually distinct — high variety across series, but less coherent brand identity than a single character line.
Labubu is a single character in multiple colorways — more coherent visual identity, easier to build a cohesive collection. Studio editions remove the blind box mechanic entirely, which is a significant UX improvement over both Kidrobot and standard Pop Mart blind boxes.
For blank platform and customization: Kidrobot's Munny is unique. For display-focused collecting of a specific character: Labubu is stronger.
Availability and Community
Kidrobot is available through their website and select retailers. Secondary market for older editions is active on eBay. Current community is smaller than peak years.
Labubu is available through Pop Mart globally, on resale platforms at premium, and through Labubu Studio at voxelyo.com. The collector community is the largest of any designer toy brand currently active. Entry is accessible; the ecosystem is rich.
For today's new art toy collector: Labubu offers the largest community, most cultural relevance, and most accessible entry point.