By Gerui Wang
The global frenzy around China鈥檚 Labubu, the candy-coloured monster character with the mischievous smile adorning bags, desks, streets and social feeds worldwide, is often hailed as a triumph of Chinese soft power.
But Labubu鈥檚 success reveals something deeper: the unmatched sophistication of China鈥檚 integrated platform economy. Pop Mart, Labubu鈥檚 retailer, started with a small shop in Beijing in 2010 but has leveraged China鈥檚 unique digital ecosystem in recent years to build a global intellectual property (IP) phenomenon, showcasing a new model for technology-powered commercial and cultural influence.
This model echoes history. Since the 15th century, when European royalty craved Chinese porcelain, the reach of China鈥檚 cultural exports relied on the technologies that supported trade, such as shipbuilding. Today, the success of toys like Labubu is propelled by the infrastructure of digital technologies.
China鈥檚 booming e-commerce and social media platforms such as RedNote, TikTok and WeChat are digitising the Silk Road. But instead of promoting IPs particularly linked to Chinese history and culture, companies like Pop Mart achieve success with cosmopolitan offerings like Molly, Pucky and Labubu that appeal to a broader audience.
Pop Mart exemplifies a broader shift in China鈥檚 economic engagement. Unlike earlier internet giants such as Tencent Holdings, JD.com and Baidu, whose dominance stemmed primarily from the vast domestic market, a new generation of Chinese companies across diverse sectors is prioritising global growth.
Pop Mart鈥檚 international footprint 鈥 it has stores across Europe, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia 鈥 reflects the overseas expansion of many Chinese companies, including electric vehicle leaders such as BYD and Nio, tech companies like Unitree Robotics and Longi Green Energy Technology, artificial intelligence start-ups including DeepSeek and Manus AI, and entertainment powerhouses like Game Science and miHoYo.
As the Chinese government announces policies to help small and medium businesses develop overseas markets, those in the entertainment and toy industries in particular benefit from platforms like RedNote, TikTok, Bilibili and WeChat. These mobile-friendly platforms blend social networking, entertainment, e-commerce and finance, with their algorithms tracking and predicting consumer desires.
This infrastructure helped power Pop Mart鈥檚 rapid physical expansion and online dominance 鈥 it has even launched a film studio and announced plans for an animated series.
Pop Mart harnesses the power of digital platforms through three platform-native strategies. First, Pop Mart鈥檚 blind-box sales model is supercharged by clicks, likes and shares: Labubu videos on the company鈥檚 Bilibili channel can receive millions of views in just a few weeks; its US TikTok account has more than 6 million likes and over 900,000 followers.
These platforms spread unboxing videos of Pop Mart toys within hours, generating clout for aspiring influencers and celebrities alike. Platform algorithms rapidly circulate promotions, unboxings and memes, turning Labubu into an inescapable digital sensation. The constant stream of unboxing pleasure fuels endless user-generated content.
Secondly, it transforms a single IP into a universe, where one character comes with countless expressions, colours, sizes and textures. Consumers can buy Labubu keychains, bags, sculptures, plush toys and even jewellery, meeting a range of demand.
This diversity in design and 鈥渘ew but familiar鈥 variations of the same character can catalyse popularity on digital platforms. The many Labubu outfits, paired with its signature jagged-toothed grin, make it seem trendy.
Thirdly, the thrill and anxiety of the unknown in blind boxes, coupled with rare editions, tap into the fear of missing out. As social interaction thrives online, owning and showcasing a rare Labubu, or sharing information about a store location where a Labubu can still be bought, becomes a kind of social capital.
Seeing friends unboxing sought-after toys on Instagram or Facebook creates psychological pressure to keep up to stay digitally present and relevant. The platforms provide the stage, an audience and constant comparisons, making collection a social imperative amplified by trend-focused algorithms.
In addition to social media, China鈥檚 wide adoption of digital payments also helped accelerate Labubu鈥檚 popularity. Daily transactions, from paying for groceries to transport, run on QR codes via WeChat Pay or Alipay, a habit that enables impulse purchases of blind boxes and blind cards.
This integrated digital ecosystem offers China a unique edge in creating global fervour for products while increasing transactional efficiency. For instance, unlike the fragmented structure in the United States of Instagram/Facebook for social engagement, WhatsApp for chat, individual e-commerce apps for shopping and card-based payment systems, Chinese apps like WeChat, TikTok and RedNote can combine them all.
This empowers users as micro-entrepreneurs, directly monetising content, a capability nurtured by initiatives like the TikTok Academy. This ecosystem is the true engine behind China鈥檚 IP boom and global commercial expansion: not just creativity or industrial capacity, but a digital environment that breeds viral hits, facilitates commerce and turns users into marketers.
Labubu鈥檚 monster aesthetic resonates with many in a tense global climate, offering a playful outlet for defiance. While the gambling-like mechanics of blind boxes have incurred criticism, the global embrace of Pop Mart鈥檚 IP redefines business models to take advantage of the viral nature of social media posts on consumer experience.
While the concept of the blind box originated elsewhere, China鈥檚 platform economy has uniquely amplified its allure, transforming user curiosity into a highly shareable, 鈥渟ticky鈥 experience suited for societies craving instant gratification.
In a world increasingly shaped by digital technologies, a holistic infrastructure for connection, commerce and cultural influence is necessary for economies. For any nation or company seeking global engagement, building or leveraging such a participatory digital ecosystem is paramount.