NSW Fair Trading warns Australian consumers about fake Labubu dolls

If you find the viral goblin-like collectible doll, Labubu, distasteful, then you haven’t yet met its mutated sidekick, Lafufu. The counterfeits are so scary that on Tuesday, NSW Fair Trading issued a warning to Australian consumers about Lafufus, telling shoppers to beware.

Via its Facebook account, Fair Trading warned consumers that Lafufu – the nickname given to Labubu counterfeits, which look like a worse-off version of the furry elf doll – have infiltrated the Australian market of Labubus.

“Labubu toys are all the rage right now – but beware, some online sellers are tricking shoppers with counterfeit Lafufu [fake Labubu] products or not delivering at all,” the warning read.

It told collectors to look out for the Lafufus’ disfigured ears spread far apart from each other, and to count the number of its teeth (if there are more or fewer than nine fangs), which it also said may be “poorly shaped”.

Labubu, a helpful elf-like monster, was created in 2015 by a Belgium-based artist from Hong Kong, Kasing Lung. Labubu was one of several monsters illustrated by Lung for three children’s books based on Nordic folklore.

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While the original Labubu is already off-putting to many, its evil twin can be told apart by its frequently mangled features. Some Lafufus’ heads can be removed from their furry bear suits, others’ faces are completely upside-down. Some Lafufus are even more sought after than the originals they are mocking.

Part of the Labubu hype derives from their packaging in “blind boxes”, meaning buyers can’t see which Labubu they get before they buy them. The rarity of some colours and special editions keeps customers buying more, but also makes it harder to detect when one is fake before taking it home.

Fair Trading advised collectors to limit their purchases to legitimate businesses and to beware of overseas websites offering Labubus at “suspiciously low prices”. It added that scam stores could be reported on the Fair Trading website.