As LABUBU, the POPMART-owned toy IP remains the hottest collectable in the world, Chinese netizens are growing interested in the person behind the adorable yet wily MONSTER. That person, is the celebrated artist and designer Kasing Lung (龍家昇).
Kasing Lung, the creator behind the MONSTERS IP Franchise and its main character LABUBU, was born in Hong Kong in 1972 and moved to the Netherlands when he was 6. Lung’s work took inspiration from Nordic fairies, and he has been publishing his illustrated books and releasing collectible figurines since 2011. He created THE MONSTERS in 2014 but it wasn’t until Wang Ning, founder and CEO of POP MART spotted his potential and signed THE MONSTERS to the label in 2018 that his work finally found its way to the masses.
- No. 1 on Weibo’s Hot Search list with 58.97 million views: #Labubu设计师曾失意30年, #LABUBU designer’s 30-year frustration
However, some netizens didn’t share the sentiment that working hard before his big break was a true 30-year frustration, as Kasing Lung wasn’t in debt or in more trouble than other working artists before his big break with LABUBU. The comment section is also split between those “addicted to” or interested in the toy and those who simply don’t understand the hype. It appears that the IP and its creator’s meteoric rise have confused and divided people online. However, despite POP MART’s high revenue, certain pundits warn of a bubble forming from the surge in investor expectations.