What Would a Labubu Read?

Perhaps you’ve seen folks with troll-like dolls hanging off of their purses, or watched online videos of people unboxing blind boxes, eager to find out which creature is inside. These creatures are Labubu dolls, cute and evil-looking plushies who, according to creator Pop Mart, are "kind-hearted and always want to help, but often accidentally achieve the opposite.” Labubus first appeared in The Monsters, a picture book influenced by Nordic mythology by Netherlands-based Hong Kong illustrator Kasing Lung.

Now that you know the history of Labubus, let’s investigate the more important questions: what are these mischievous little critters reading? These Labubus undoubtably would love to sink their pointy teeth into one of these weird and freaky fictional narratives. 

The ten stories in Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur, range from body horror to science fiction to fairytales and everything in between. The title story, Cursed Bunny, is most like Labubu in that it is about a haunted object shaped like an adorable rabbit that was created for revenge... and the karma that follows. These stories are highly original, sometimes gross and sometimes meditative, but always something unique.

The universe of Little Eyes explores a world where a Furby-like fad, Kentuki, is taking the world by storm. Kentukis have a camera inside them, and someone in another country might be watching (the dweller) while the Kentuki’s owner (the keeper) is none-the-wiser. Each chapter follows a new set of keepers and dwellers as the fad spreads throughout the world. While some of the book is unsettling, Samanta Schweblin makes a statement on human connection in the midst of capitalism, similar to the TV show Black Mirror. 

Natsuki, the main character of Sayaka Murata’s Earthlings is a little odd. Well, that might be an understatement. Natsuki thinks she is an alien. She carries around a plush hedgehog toy named Piyyut from the planet Popinpobopia who may or may not be talking back to her. But Murata knows how to get dark in her stories and this one takes a turn that no one expects. This book is cute on the outside and contains disturbing commentary on societal norms on the inside. Read at your own risk. 

A creepy and cozy fall tradition in my household is to watch the TV series Over the Garden Wall. This Cartoon Network original follows a pair of brothers (voiced by Elijah Wood and Collin Dean) who venture into the woods with a trusty talking bluebird (Melanie Lynskey) and meet all sorts of creatures great and small. The vibe is gothic Americana but they encounter some seriously scary-cute monsters, much like Labubu. Also like our favorite plushie, this series is for kids and adults alike.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the comic strip Moomin Adventures by author Tove Jansson. Moomin is a hippo-like troll who lives in Moominvalley with an exciting cast of characters like Snork Maiden and Little My (who is a fierce and sometimes aggressive friend, like our buddy Labubu). While we are technically following the lives of trolls, it never feels too menacing in Moominvalley. Moomin Adventures is probably the cutest, least weird/evil title on the list. Plus, this classic comic was published from 1945-1993 and undoubtedly influenced Lung’s The Monsters.

If you have a Labubu, what do you think they’d read?