Labubu began as a character designed by Kasing Lung (1972–),[8][9] a Hong Kong–born artist raised in
Utrecht, Netherlands, who later settled in Antwerp, Belgium.[10] Labubu was part of Lung's story series
The Monsters, which was influenced by Nordic folklore[11][12] and mythology that he enjoyed during
his childhood.[5]
Labubu was first introduced in 2015[5] with "Monsters" figurines produced by the company How2Work;
[1] the toy gained wider recognition in 2019 following a collaboration with Pop Mart.[3][1] This
partnership boosted Labubu's popularity among collectors.