A cargo of faux Labubu dolls that might be value greater than half one million {dollars} if the gadgets have been real was intercepted final week at Seattle’s airport, authorities stated.
U.S. Customs and Border Safety officers assigned to examine air cargo at Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport seized 11,134 dolls with a urged retail worth worth of $513,937.76, a CBP spokesperson stated Tuesday.
The dolls have been seized Aug. 26 after the officers decided the cargo violated federal legislation prohibiting illegal imports and people who revenue from others’ mental holdings, the spokesperson stated in an announcement.
The cargo was falsely labeled as “LED Bulb” and originated in South Korea, the spokesperson stated.
Those intercepted in Seattle will likely be destroyed, the CBP spokesperson stated. No arrests have been made, however they have not been dominated out, the spokesperson stated.
Pretend Labubus are sometimes known as “Lafufus.” A London group council this month warned shoppers that purchasing Lafufus comes with dangers: Poor development may result in choking hazards if elements of the dolls fall off, it stated, and the supplies may embrace “dangerous chemical substances.”
The true dolls are made underneath the Pop Mart model and are a part of a gaggle of characters, “The Monsters,” that debuted in a Nordic mythology-inspired image e book trilogy in 2015.
The characters and the story are the brainchild of Hong Kong artist and creator Kasing Lung. By 2019, toy big Pop Mart turned them into viral vinyl collectibles, partly by promoting them in “blind field” packages that do not reveal the model of Labubu inside till they’re opened.
Labubu, a woman, made an look this month on the U.S. Open in New York Metropolis, the place two-time champion Naomi Osaka confirmed off customized variations that included “Billie Jean Bling,” made to appear like pioneering champion Billie Jean King, and different tennis legends.
Within the metropolis of La Puente, California, this month, the homeowners of a retailer known as One Cease Gross sales stated burglars stole its stock of Labubu dolls.
A 2020 report by the Library of Congress’ Federal Analysis Division estimated that counterfeit items are value greater than the illicit drug commerce in the USA. “Counterfeiting is the biggest felony enterprise on the planet,” it stated.
The division estimated 80% of counterfeit items within the nation come from China.
Valuable metallic is typically used to assist separate fakes from collectibles on the subject of different items, akin to Swiss watches. Some Labubu followers are obsessing over the chance {that a} pure gold model could exist, although that is unclear.
Pop Mart didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Brian Humphrey, CBP’s Seattle operations director, praised his officers on X for locating the faux Labubus and stated the company will stay diligent.
“Glorious work by our diligent and meticulous CBPOs!” he stated. “P.S. we’re nonetheless looking out for the one and solely 24K GOLD Labubu.”
Lindsay Good contributed.
