Huge 4ft Labubu doll sells at auction for \u00a3100,000

The human-sized Labubu figurine sold for a huge sum (Picture: REUTERS)

The popularity of Labubu dolls has reached new heights as a human-sized doll sold for more than £110,000.

The dolls were created 10 years ago by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung,but they’ve recently exploded in popularity.

That’s thanks in part to celebrities like Rihanna,Dua Lipa,K-pop star Lisa and even David Beckham posing for pictures and endorsing the toys.

An auction at Yongle International Auction in Beijing this week was dedicated solely to Labubu,with 48 items put on sale.

One of the lots was a 4ft 4in (131cm) Labubu doll,which sold for a record 1.08million yuan (£110,435),the auction house said.

In total the auction house raised about 3.37million yuan (£345,000) from the weekly sale.

Hundreds of people attended the auction (Picture: REUTERS)

Usually the dolls,sold by Chinese company Pop Mart,cost around 50yuan.

But global demand for the toys has skyrocketed in recent weeks,with crowds forming outside shops and even physically fighting over the items.

Pop Mart even had to pause Labubu sales in its 16 UK stores ‘to prevent any potential safety issues’ due to the overwhelming demand.

This explosion in popularity has driven major success for Pop Mart,which made 13million yuan in 2024,more than double its revenue for the previous year.

The brand opened shops in five new countries including Italy and Spain.

Part of Labubu’s success comes from selling the toys in ‘blind boxes’ – where shoppers only discover the design of the doll after buying the box and opening the packaging.