Life-size Labubu doll sells for over $170,000 at Beijing auction amid global frenzy

A life-size Labubu figure has been sold in China for more than $170,000, a record for the highly sought-after toothy monster toy boosted by celebrities.

HONG KONG — A life-size Labubu figure has been sold in China for more than $170,000, a record for the highly sought-after toothy monster toy boosted by celebrities.

The 4-foot-tall mint-green doll, whose price included a 15% commission, was traded in Beijing on Tuesday at what was billed as the world’s first auction dedicated to Labubu collectibles. Event organizer Yongle Auction said the life-size doll, which is made of hard-plastic PVC, is the only one of its kind.

The auction sold all 48 lots for total sales of 3.73 million yuan, or about $520,000, with nearly 1,000 collectors making bids either in person or online, Yongle said in a statement Wednesday. The event came amid a global frenzy over Labubu, which is sold in “blind boxes” by Chinese toy company Pop Mart.

The “intense” bidding showed the “growing momentum of pop art in the auction market,” Yongle said, adding that it will start holding Labubu auctions “regularly.”

The Labubu item that received the second-highest bid was another life-size figure that sold for more than $130,000 and measured 5 feet tall. Coming in third was a set from a series called “Three Wise Labubu” — one doll crossing its arms, one making a peekaboo gesture and one covering its mouth — that sold for more than $80,000, including commission.