SINGAPORE: The craze for Labubu dolls continues to run hot in Singapore and other parts of Asia.
It has even spread to the United States, where queues have recently begun to form in the middle of the night at Pop-Mart stores.
One of the latest stories attesting to “Labubu fever” in Singapore involves a woman who returned from a business trip from London and whose suitcase contained a number of pricey items, including Labubu dolls.
She ended up paying thousands of dollars in fines.
Singapore Customs said in a media release on Nov 15 that, unfortunately, she “failed to truthfully declare the goods in her possession.”
An inspection of her bags showed her “undeclared branded bags and accessories (e.g., LV, Prada, YSL, Dior, Balenciaga)” and Popmart toys among her possessions.
These items had been intended as gifts.
Singapore Customs added that the woman admitted she knew about the Goods and Services Tax (GST) relief limits; however, she mistakenly believed that declaration was only needed for personal items.
The woman was given a maximum composition fine of S$5,000 fine, and a GST of S$3,963.69 was recovered for the items
Meanwhile, police are investigating an incident after three boys were seen tilting a claw machine at Yishun on Monday (Nov 18).
The incident resulted in five Labubu dolls getting stolen. The items are worth around S$300 in all. Footage from a CCTV camera showed that the boys were at the claw machine at a pet shop earlier that morning.
In the clips, the boys tilt the machine, and one of them is seen putting his hand into an opening in the machine.
Derrick He, who owns Little Pets Kingdom, said the claw machine originally had 11 Labubu dolls from “The Monsters Tasty Macarons Series.”
After the tilting incident, five had gone missing, according to a Straits Times report.
Last month, 8world reported that a teenage girl had been shopping when a Labubu doll hanging from a keychain was stolen from her bag.
When she looked down at one point, the doll was gone, and only the keychain hook was left behind.
Labubu is a female elf created by Hong Kong illustrator Kasing Lung as part of his popular story series, The Monsters.
In October 2023, Labubu plush charms were launched and became a hit, especially after Lisa from the K-pop supergroup Blackpink was seen with them on her bags.
They have since become one of the must-have items for 2024 and are so popular that they reportedly sell out as soon as they’re released for sale at Pop Mart. /TISG
Read also: Police report filed against fake Plaza Singapura FB page advertising discounted Labubu dolls
