Sydney, Australia (EFE).- Australian police arrested a man and seized stolen Labubu collectible dolls valued at approximately AU$9,000 ($6,000), during an operation in Melbourne, authorities reported Wednesday.
Officers in Melbourne’s east end executed a search warrant at 6 am Tuesday at a home where they found 43 Labubu dolls, some of them limited edition, valued at approximately AU$500 each.
The dolls are thought to have been stolen in four separate robberies at a shopping center located in downtown Melbourne since July, police said.
A 40-year-old man was charged with four counts of burglary and two counts of theft. He was later released on bail and is due to appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on May 5, 2026.
Labubu dolls were created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung and produced by the Chinese brand Pop Mart. They are known for their distinctive aesthetic, somewhere between the cute and the grotesque.
Their popularity stems from limited editions and exclusive collaborations, which see some models fetching high prices on the resale market.
Fans often queue up in long lines to get their hands on them, making Labubu a symbol of the global craze for designer toys.
Pop Mart rose 4 percent on the stock market on Wednesday after announcing that its third-quarter revenue had increased by up to 250 percent year-on-year after the toys went viral worldwide. EFE
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