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SAN DIEGO: San Diego Comic-Con is the latest location where the ugly-cute dolls named Labubu have been trending, with fans carrying the plushies globally popularized by celebrities Rihanna, Lizzo, Dua Lipa, and Lisa from the K-pop group Blackpink. The wide-eyed and grinning doll was created in 2015 by Hong Kong artist and illustrator Kasing Lung. In 2019, Lung allowed them to be sold by Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company that sells collectible figurines, often in “blind boxes.”
“Blind boxes” are sealed boxes containing a surprise item that is usually part of a themed collection.
Naomi Galban, from San Diego, waited in line on Sunday at the Pop Mart booth in the San Diego Convention Center for a chance to get her first Labubu.
“Every time I go to a Pop Mart store, they’re sold out,” the 24-year-old told Reuters. She hoped to buy one for her little sister.
Emily Brough, Pop Mart’s Head of IP Licensing, spoke to Reuters on Thursday about Labubu fans at Comic-Con.
“We love to see how fans are personalizing it (Labubu) for themselves,” Brough said next to the Pop Mart booth.
While Brough noted that there were many people with a Labubu strapped to their bags and backpacks at Comic-Con, the doll’s popularity did not happen overnight. Labubus had a huge boost in 2019 after Pop Mart began selling them, and in 2024, when Blackpink’s Lisa, who is Thai, created a buying frenzy in Thailand after she promoted Labubu on social media.
Pop Mart saw sales skyrocket in North America that same year, with revenue in the US in the first quarter of 2025 already surpassing the full-year US revenue from 2024, Pop Mart said.
When he created Labubu, Lung gave the character, who is female, a backstory inspired by Nordic mythology.
He called her and his other fictional creatures “The Monsters.”
Diana Goycortua, 25, first discovered Labubu through social media, and before she knew it, it felt like a “game” to try and collect the dolls.
“It’s a little bit of gambling with what you’re getting,” the Labubu fan from San Diego said on Sunday while waiting at the Pop Mart booth, concluding that her love for the character made it worth trying blind boxes.
Goycortua already has three Labubus, and was hoping to score her a fourth one at Comic-Con.

DUBAI: Dubai-based Hollywood star Lindsay Lohan is making a dazzling return to the spotlight with the “Freakier Friday” press tour, flying from the UAE to Los Angeles before heading to Mexico City.

Lohan, who is married to Kuwaiti financier Bader Shammas, wowed at the world premiere in LA last week in a pink custom Miu Miu gown, featuring a sweetheart neckline, flowing skirt, and sparkling crystal embellishments. Her accessory of choice? A crystal-studded karaoke mic clutch by Judith Leiber — a playful nod to her character’s band, Pink Slip, in the original “Freaky Friday.”

She also took a moment to pose alongside “The Parent Trap” co-stars Lisa Ann Walter and Elaine Hendrix, the latter of whom even makes a cameo in the sequel.

For the next leg of the tour in Mexico City, Lohan hit the red carpet in a dramatic magenta Balmain gown from the brand’s Resort 2026 collection, featuring a strapless draped silhouette and gold chain neckline.

“Freakier Friday” is the sequel to 2003’s “Freaky Friday” starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lohan. In the follow-up film, Curtis and Lohan reprise their roles as Tess and Anna Coleman. The story picks up years after Tess (Curtis) and Anna (Lohan) endured a swapped identity crisis. Anna now has a daughter of her own and a soon-to-be stepdaughter.

As they navigate the myriad challenges that arise when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover that lightning might indeed strike twice. Nisha Ganatra directs the sequel with Kristin Burr and Andrew Gunn as producers.

Speaking to Empire, Lohan confirmed that punk-rock Anna still lives on: “The second I started with my guitar coach again, it was like we never left,” she said. “It was the same guitar, everything.”

As for Anna’s new solo? “We made it more difficult for this one,” she added. “I’m such a perfectionist — we rehearsed a lot.”

About playing a grown-up version of her character Anna, Lohan said, “The whole world looks different. Everything is about your child. But we have to remember to make time for ourselves too, live our lives, fulfill our dreams. Moms are always trying to juggle it all, and that’s what Anna’s going through in this.”