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Ashlyn Chak

Ever since Lisa of K-pop girl group Blackpink posted her Labubu on Instagram in April 2024, there has been a global frenzy over the ugly-cute soft toys created by Hong Kong-born artist Lung Ka-sing a decade ago.
Now, a new kind of Labubu is hitting the market.
Tattoo artist Hunter Chao is adding his personal touch to these cuddly, sharp-toothed monsters and reselling them as “Tabubu” toys.
Chao, 27, who was born in the US state of California to Taiwanese parents, also posts Labubu content online, making unboxing videos in collaboration with mainland Chinese toy retailer Pop Mart.

Chao is no stranger to collectibles. In his teenage years, he would collect plush toys from claw machines. As an adult, he started collecting blind box figurines from Pop Mart, which has multiple physical locations in the United States.
It all began with Hirono blind boxes in late 2022 – he spent “tens of thousands of dollars” on the plastic figurines – before he moved on to plush pendants such as Labubu, Hacipupu and Crybaby, which can be used as keychains or charms.
“I always kept an eye out for Labubu even though my boyfriend said they were ugly, but every time I went to Pop Mart, the pendants were never in stock,” he says.
When Chao, a self-taught tattoo artist since 2020, finally procured his first Labubu toys in early 2024, his boyfriend suggested he work his tattoo gun on one to personalise it.
“People have done stuff like that, tattooing on dolls, but it [had not been] done on a Labubu. I ended up tattooing a couple of them just for fun,” he says.
“I didn’t think about selling them. I just had them [as charms] on my bags.”
He began posting his tattooed Labubu toys on social media in August 2024.
One of his first Tabubu videos that blew up online was inspired by Jujutsu Kaisen, a popular Japanese manga series. Since then, he has tattooed Labubu charms with ink inspired by celebrities such as Lisa and American rapper Post Malone.












View this post on Instagram























A post shared by Hunter ⊹ LA Tattoo Artist ⊹ (@crybabyhunter)



Chao’s most popular Labubu video on Instagram has more than 17 million views and 1.3 million likes, while a work-in-progress clip of him tattooing a Labubu, posted on May 31, has racked up nearly 82,000 views.
In the months since Chao’s first Tabubu, other influencers have started passing off tattooing Labubu toys as their original content. While Chao was upset at first, he has now chosen to adopt a healthier, more optimistic mindset.
“I am very confident in saying that I’m one of the first people, if not the first, who started [the ‘Tabubu’ movement]. But social media has been a huge challenge for me. Is it meant to be competitive? Or is it meant to be fun?
“I try to record content for fun, post it and just run away. I really try not to look at other people’s posts. Comparison is the thief of joy, right? After a while, I just took more pride in creating customs.”

Chao has now been selling his customised Labubu charms for several months via Instagram direct messages. When he officially opened an online shop on June 1, they quickly sold out. He also hosts pop-up events where he tattoos toys brought in by others.
“[My shop] offers very limited drops at a time, because I’m personalising them [in small quantities]. Every time it sells out, I lock the website,” he says.
While Chao still tattoos more human skin than Labubu plastic, he is venturing into tattooing on Bratz fashion dolls, as well as adding surprise customisations to his Labubu toys. He has also been taking orders where customers tell him exactly what tattoos they want and where on their Labubu toys.
In the meantime, he says that “a couple of big companies” have reached out to him with offers to commercialise his Tabubu creations, which he has politely declined.
“If I do it as a job, it can too easily become, ‘I’m just going to push them out.’ I’d rather have fun and be like, ‘This is just one thing I created this morning. It’s so cute.’ Then, I leave it there,” he says.
“I want to keep it as a home-made brand. I think a lot of the time, people come to you for something personalised because it’s you. Once it becomes e-commerce, with too many people involved, there’s no personal feel and exclusivity any more.”

On May 30, auction house Sotheby’s sold a set of three wooden Labubu figures from Lung’s Three Wise Labubu series for HK$203,200 (US$26,000), well exceeding the estimated HK$40,000 to HK$80,000 range.
On June 10, the set was sold again for 510,000 yuan (US$71,000) at an auction in Beijing, China. At the same event, a 131cm-tall (52-inch) Labubu figurine sold for 1.24 million yuan (including commission), making it the most valuable Labubu ever sold.
Currently, Chao’s Tabubu toys are priced between US$170 and US$200, which depends on “the level of custom, if I made it specifically for someone or if it’s already made”, he says. The rate includes a mark-up of less than US$100 on top of regular Labubu prices.
“Labubu was already big, but I didn’t think that the culture of tattooing Labubu would become this big,” he says. “The tattooing industry is still dominated by a lot of stereotypically masculine people, so it’s surprising how many ‘grown men’ are tattooing Labubu.
“It’s been really crazy to see the influx of people who want one, and to see other artists do it. I can’t even complain.”
As both a tattoo artist and a content creator, Chao is happy to have found a sweet spot at the intersection of the things that he is interested in.
“It’s been giving me tattoo business [outside selling Tabubu]. For me, this has been such a great, validating experience,” he says.
“I don’t want to be only known for Labubu, but I’m riding that wave for as long as I can. I love challenging myself and trying to win people over in a different way.”


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Tattoo artist Hunter Chao works on a “Tabubu”, his line of tattooed Labubu toys that typically sell for between US$170 and US$200. Photo: Hunter Chao/Bryam Heredia

A Tabubu by Hunter Chao. Photo: Hunter Chao

One of Chao’s Tabubus. Photo: Hunter Chao

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Fashion & Beauty

Hunter Chao’s tattooed Labubu plush figures quickly sell out online. Now he’s taking customised orders and venturing into other collectibles


Hunter Chao’s tattooed Labubu plush figures quickly sell out online. Now he’s taking customised orders and venturing into other collectibles.


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Labubu

‘Tabubu’ Labubu toys by US tattoo artist take social media by storm

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Hunter Chao’s tattooed Labubu plush figures quickly sell out online. Now he’s taking customised orders and venturing into other collectibles

Hunter Chao’s tattooed Labubu plush figures quickly sell out online. Now he’s taking customised orders and venturing into other collectibles