More than 11,000 counterfeit Labubu dolls worth over half a million dollars were seized by Customs and Border Protection (CPB) officers in Seattle.
Officers at Seattle Air Cargo confiscated 11,134 counterfeit Labubu dolls on Tuesday, Aug. 26, officials announced.
The knockoff collectibles were shipped from South Korea and falsely labeled as “LED bulb” to avoid detection, CBP said. The toys carried an estimated retail value of $513,937.76 and were classified as pirated copyrighted goods.
The dolls will be destroyed, which CBP noted is standard procedure for seized counterfeit merchandise.
“Excellent work by our diligent and meticulous CBPOs,” Brian Humphrey, director of field operations for CBP’s Seattle field office, wrote on X. “P.S., we’re still on the lookout for the one and only 24K GOLD Labubu.”
Labubu dolls have exploded in popularity in recent years, fueling both a booming resale market and a surge in counterfeits. The furry, sharp-toothed toys are typically sold blind-box style, meaning buyers don’t know which version they’ve purchased until opening.
While many sell for $20 to $300, rare editions and collaborations can command thousands—or even tens of thousands—on resale sites.
The craze has been a windfall for Pop Mart, the toy retailer that legally produces the dolls. The company reported its revenue more than doubled in 2024 to $1.81 billion, with plush toys like Labubu accounting for nearly a quarter of that growth.
