Is Labubu’s success the beginning of a broader cultural acceptance of Chinese products?

In a recent Brand Futurist Thought, I reflected on Labubu’s success and on the evolving skill requirements in brand communication, arguing that brand owners and managers must develop a “viral skillset” (see previous Brand Futurist Thought). Yet this little cute‑ugly doll continued to fascinate me, leading me to question whether there might be an additional element behind Labubu’s extraordinary success. The precise application of Jonah Berger’s STEPPS framework appears to be central, but Labubu also seems to be one of the first emotionally charged consumer products from China to achieve substantial success in Western markets. This raises the question of whether a broader cultural shift towards the acceptance of Chinese products is currently underway.

Cultural acceptance of Chinese products – research findings:


When analysing the existing research, three main themes emerge.

Growing Soft Power of China

Joseph Nye, a Harvard Professor and political scientist, defines soft power as the capacity of a country to “get others to want what you want” through the attractiveness of its culture, political values and foreign policy, instead of threats or payments.[i]

Global‑image analyses and think‑tank reports similarly mention Labubu as one example among several (alongside TikTok, Chinese EVs, games) in arguing that Chinese brands are improving China’s soft‑power profile.[ii]

An international political‑economy paper analyses Labubu’s popularity among US youth against the backdrop of US‑China tensions, combining media content, sales data and opinion surveys to argue that the toy functions as a soft‑power “micro‑bridge,” slightly decoupling product affection from geopolitical suspicion.[iii]

The Conversation, a publication in which articles are authored by university-based researchers, then edited by journalists, links Labubu to broader survey data and infer that hits like Labubu may gradually normalise Chinese cultural exports. [iv]

China – from copycats to emotional brandbuilders

Labubu is often cited as evidence that Chinese design can originate global trends rather than imitate Japanese or Korean aesthetics.[v]

A master’s thesis uses Pop Mart as a main case and applies visual/content analysis plus interview material to show how Chinese brands craft global, non‑overtly‑Chinese identities that still shift perceptions of China as creative rather than just cheap. Labubu features as a key example of IP that travels internationally and contributes to perceived Chinese cultural sophistication. It argues that audiences increasingly accept “Created in China” aesthetics.[vi]

Normalisation of positive Image of Chinese products

A phenomenological / consumer‑behaviour study of Labubu collectors examines motivations such as comfort, status, escapism and identity expression; it notes that many respondents consciously know Labubu is Chinese and still attribute “cool/creative” qualities to it. That finding is consistent with the idea that Labubu normalises positive images of Chinese products.[vii]

A quantitative paper on Labubu’s premium prices focuses on scarcity and consumer psychology; it supports the idea that a Chinese IP can command global willingness‑to‑pay, contradicting stereotypes of Chinese products as purely low‑price.[viii]

Designer‑toy IPs like Labubu are framed as sophisticated emotional brands: they offer narrative worlds, social currency and identity signalling similar to K‑pop fandoms or Japanese character brands, but with distinctly Chinese creative and digital ecosystems behind them.[ix]

Research points out that China is moving away form the ‘copycat’ image and Western consumers and consumers outside of China are open to accept emotional brands coming from China. We could conclude: the end of the Western emotional brand monopoly.

For decades, global consumer emotion was largely structured by Western cultural products: Disney, Coca‑Cola, Nike, luxury fashion – just to name a few. They supplied the main aspirational narratives (individualism, freedom, coolness, romance) and visual codes that defined what “desirable” felt and looked like, even when consumed in non‑Western markets. The Western markets produced emotional brands, while the rest of the world mostly adapted, localized or copied them.

Brand Futurist Thoughts & Predictions:

The emotional centre of gravity in branding is shifting from a Western near‑monopoly to a polycentric system in which Chinese and other Asian brands generate their own powerful worlds of feeling. 

Any future‑oriented brand strategy of Western‑dominated brand portfolios must take this new emotional geography seriously.  This implies proactive brand‑portfolio management that embraces emotional and cultural differences, for example through collaborations, co‑creation and cross‑influences, as well as new forms of regionalised communication rather than one‑way globalisation. 

In the coming years, competition for Western brands is likely to increase substantially, as newly created emotional Chinese and other Asian brands can compete at significantly lower cost levels.  This emerging landscape warrants close, ongoing observation of how different market actors respond to this shift in emotional and economic competitive dynamics.

From a brand‑futurist perspective, these developments raise important questions regarding how Western firms will adapt their portfolio architectures, partnership strategies and cultural capabilities in order to remain attractive in a more polycentric brand world.

The Brand Futurist will continue to observe this major market development.

If you want to contribute or have any reflection on the above, please do not hesitate to comment.

[i] Nye, J. S. 2004. Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics. New York: PublicAffairs.

[ii] Wineland, D., 11. November 2025, The Economist, ttps://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2025/11/12/chinas-cultural-exports-are-boosting-its-soft-power

[iii] Temel, Z., 2025. Tariffs, toys, and transnational youth: An IPE analysis of Pop Mart’s Labubu dolls amid rising U.S.–China trade tensions. International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research, 10(6), 1947–1964. https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2025.v10i06.003

[iv] The Conversation, 8. September 2025, https://theconversation.com/labubu-is-not-the-only-chinese-cultural-icon-to-be-making-a-big-hit-in-2025-263872

[v] Mujeeb, S., 30. August 2025, Modern Diplomacy, https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2025/08/30/chinese-influence-diversification-across-the-world-through-toys-the-case-of-labubu/

[vi] Zhal, M., 2025, Cultural Strategy and Identity Construction in Chinese Emerging Brands - Global Expansion: The Case of Pop Mart https://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=9203080&fileOId=9203092

[vii] Rofiah, C., & Arrahima, I., 2025. Fomo phenomenon: Cyber-phenomenological exploration in the Labubu limited edition product collector community. Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Studies, 8(1), 383–395. https://doi.org/10.47191/jefms/v8-i1-36

[viii] Chen, M., & Lu, J. (2025). Analysis of the POP MART LABUBU product premium phenomenon: A case study based on behavioral finance. Finance & Economics, 1(6). https://doi.org/10.61173/j9v4ez96

[ix] Mujeeb, S., 30. August 2025, Modern Diplomacy, https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2025/08/30/chinese-influence-diversification-across-the-world-through-toys-the-case-of-labubu/