The incident gained public attention after male influencer “Little Azheng,” also known as “Tail Brother,” shared the story on social media, according to the South China Morning Post.
He said a relative visited his home with a young boy who noticed his Labubu doll decorated with expensive jewelry and demanded to have it. When refused the toy, the boy threw a tantrum, grabbed a remote control, and hurled it into the air, breaking the mirror-glass living room ceiling valued at 100,000 yuan and an Italian crystal chandelier worth 300,000 yuan.
“The repair work for the ceiling alone requires removing and replacing all the remaining glass panels,” the influencer said, as cited by the South China Morning Post.
He added that the boy showed no remorse, while his parents offered to sell everything they owned but could only pay 20,000 yuan of the total cost. He said he decided not to sue, believing the family was “too poor” and legal action would be futile, The Straits Times reported.
|
A Labubu toy in customized outfit. Photo from Instagram |
The parents also asked him not to post about the incident, saying it could “affect the boy’s mood.” In his post, the influencer criticized the family for using “trivial family ties” as “emotional blackmail” and for lacking boundaries.
The story has sparked heated discussion on mainland social media. One user called it a “parenting issue,” saying petulant children are the result of how they are raised. Another commented: “You should be glad the glass did not injure the kid; otherwise you would be extorted again.”
Labubu, a mischievous monkey-like forest elf character from Beijing-based toy maker Pop Mart, has become a global phenomenon for its “ugly-cute” design. The toys have soared in popularity thanks in part to endorsements from celebrities like Lisa from the K-pop group Blackpink, pop stars Rihanna, and Dua Lipa, as well as viral TikTok “unboxing” videos.
Sold mainly in “blind boxes” for typically $20–30, rare “secret” versions, found only in 1 of 72 boxes, can sell for thousands of dollars on resale markets, Forbes reported. One sold for more than 1 million yuan ($140,000) at a Beijing auction in June.
Founded in 2010 by then-23-year-old Wang Ning as a small toy shop, Pop Mart has grown into a global giant with a market capitalization of $40 billion, fueled by the success of Labubu.
