A shipment of fake Labubu dolls that would be worth more than half a million dollars if the items were genuine was intercepted last week at Seattle’s airport, authorities said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to inspect air cargo at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport seized 11,134 dolls with a suggested retail price value of $513,937.76, a CBP spokesperson said Tuesday.
The dolls were seized Aug. 26 after the officers determined the shipment violated federal law prohibiting unlawful imports and those that profit from others’ intellectual holdings, the spokesperson said in a statement.
The shipment was falsely labeled as “LED Bulb” and originated in South Korea, the spokesperson said.
The ones intercepted in Seattle will be destroyed, the CBP spokesperson said. No arrests have been made, but they haven’t been ruled out, the spokesperson said.
Fake Labubus are often called “Lafufus.” A London community council this month warned consumers that buying Lafufus comes with risks: Poor construction could lead to choking hazards if parts of the dolls fall off, it said, and the materials could include “harmful chemicals.”
The real dolls are made under the Pop Mart brand and are part of a group of characters, “The Monsters,” that debuted in a Nordic mythology-inspired picture book trilogy in 2015.
The characters and the story are the brainchild of Hong Kong artist and author Kasing Lung. By 2019, toy giant Pop Mart turned them into viral vinyl collectibles, in part by selling them in “blind box” packages that don’t reveal the version of Labubu within until they are opened.
Labubu, a girl, made an appearance this month at the U.S. Open in New York City, where two-time champion Naomi Osaka showed off custom versions that included “Billie Jean Bling,” made to look like pioneering champion Billie Jean King, and other tennis legends.
In the city of La Puente, California, this month, the owners of a store called One Stop Sales said burglars stole its inventory of Labubu dolls.
A 2020 report by the Library of Congress’ Federal Research Division estimated that counterfeit goods are worth more than the illicit drug trade in the United States. “Counterfeiting is the largest criminal enterprise in the world,” it said.
The division estimated 80% of counterfeit goods in the country come from China.
Precious metal is sometimes used to help separate fakes from collectibles when it comes to other goods, such as Swiss watches. Some Labubu fans are obsessing over the possibility that a 24-karat gold version may exist, though that’s unclear.
Pop Mart did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Brian Humphrey, CBP’s Seattle operations director, praised his officers on X for finding the fake Labubus and said the agency will remain diligent.
“Excellent work by our diligent and meticulous CBPOs!” he said. “P.S. we’re still on the lookout for the one and only 24K GOLD Labubu.”
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