In the current consumption and investment fields, Pop Mart and meme coins have become a highly noticeable phenomenon. The former uses trendy toys as a medium, sparking a worldwide collection craze and shaping a unique trend culture; the latter continuously breaks out in the crypto assets market, attracting the attention of numerous investors with its unique value logic.
Although they seem to be in different tracks, in fact, they share many commonalities in terms of value logic, and transforming hot events into cultural symbols is the key to their sustained value.
1. Hot Events: Online Dissemination and Attention Surge
In 2025, Labubu, a trendy IP that emerged from Bubble Mart, undoubtedly became a dazzling star in the global cultural and commercial fields. Labubu is not the traditionally sweet and cute image; its bizarre Nordic elf style precisely hits the inner need for personal expression sought by Generation Z.
Starting in 2024, Labubu has been featured in the social media feeds of celebrities around the world. Blackpink's Lisa's Labubu pendant shared on Instagram sparked a frenzy of fandom; The Thai princess has made her famous in the fashion world by using Labubu as a fashion match for her Hermès bag; Rihanna appeared at the Los Angeles airport with a pink Labubu on her back, and her every move attracted the cameras of the media and fans. These star effects are like sparks, quickly igniting Labubu's global popularity, making it gradually move from the trendy toy circle to the public eye, and become a global social currency.
In terms of product launch, Labubu's third-generation rubber plush series "High Energy Ahead" triggered a buying frenzy as soon as it was released. On domestic e-commerce platforms, the product sold out instantly; while in overseas stores, fans were even more enthusiastic, queuing up in the early hours to wait. In front of Pop Mart stores in cities like Chicago, London, and Tokyo, fans wrapped in sleeping bags waited all night, just to buy their desired Labubu blind box at the first opportunity. The original price of the blind box was 99 yuan, but the prices for hidden versions have skyrocketed to several thousand or even tens of thousands in the second-hand market, with the price surge being astonishing.
It not only dominates the trendy toy market but has also successfully crossed over, extending its influence into the crypto world. At the same time, in the coin circle, the L coin ABUBU, based on the Labubu image, has also performed astonishingly. In just a few days from May 14 to May 19, its market value skyrocketed from several hundred thousand dollars to 18 million, with a 24-hour trading volume reaching 9.5 million, and the number of holding addresses also showed a surge. This rapid growth in market value and trading volume is also extremely rare in the Crypto Assets market.
2. Emotional Expression: Individual Expression and Need for Recognition
Whether it's the trendy toys from Pop Mart or meme coins, an important reason for their popularity lies in satisfying the emotional expression needs of consumers and investors.
For Generation Z, they have grown up in an era of information explosion and cultural diversity, placing greater emphasis on the expression of individuality and the desire to stand out from the group, possessing a unique identity. Labubu's bizarre and distinctive design seems to loudly declare "I am a unique existence," which resonates highly with the inner demands of Generation Z. At the same time, the blind box purchasing format is filled with unknowns and surprises, and the hidden "gambling" aspect greatly satisfies young people's curiosity for novelty and pursuit of scarcity. When they draw a hidden version, what they gain is not just a toy, but also a form of capital that showcases their unique taste and luck within their social circles, thereby gaining a strong sense of group identity.
Taking the Thai market as an example, Labubu's popularity in Thailand is beyond imagination. From celebrities to ordinary young people, Labubu has become an iconic symbol of street fashion, and even the Tourism Authority of Thailand has granted it the title of "Magical Thailand Experience Officer." Here, Labubu is no longer just a toy; it has evolved into a form of social capital, becoming an important vehicle for people to showcase themselves and gain recognition in social interactions.
In the realm of meme coins, investors' participation is also imbued with strong emotional factors. The value of meme coins is not based on traditional financial fundamentals, such as a company's profitability or asset size, but is more closely tied to the emotions and consensus of community members.
Taking LAUBU coin as an example, its price increase is largely due to the community members' love for the Labubu IP and their optimistic expectations for its future value. In this virtual Crypto Assets community, holding LABUBU coin has become a way for investors to express their cultural identity with Labubu. By participating in the trading of the token, they find a sense of belonging within the community, while also hoping to achieve wealth appreciation through the price increase. This wealth effect further reinforces their enthusiasm for participation and emotional investment.
3. Speculative Arbitrage: Artificial Scarcity and Financial Design
Speculative arbitrage plays an important role in the value realization process of Pop Mart and meme coins.
In the trendy toy market of Pop Mart, the hidden variant mechanism of blind boxes artificially creates product scarcity. Due to the extremely low probability of hidden variants appearing, they are in short supply in the market, leading to a significant increase in prices. This price surge attracts a large number of speculators who purchase blind boxes not out of love for the trendy toys themselves, but in hopes of drawing hidden variants and reselling them at a high price in the second-hand market for profit. In the second-hand trading market, we can see that the price of Labubu hidden variants far exceeds their original price, with premiums reaching several times or even tens of times. For example, the ordinary Labubu priced at 99 yuan can reach 2300 yuan in the second-hand market for the hidden variant, with a premium exceeding 20 times. This huge price difference attracts many speculators to participate, creating a market atmosphere similar to "gambling."
In the meme coin market, the characteristics of speculative arbitrage are more obvious. The price volatility of meme coins tends to be extremely volatile, and their rise and fall are not dominated by traditional economic factors, but mainly depend on market sentiment and the flow of funds. Taking LABUBU Coin as an example, its market value can soar from hundreds of thousands of dollars to 18 million in a short period of time, behind which is an influx of speculative funds. These funds, fueled by social media, take advantage of investors' fear of missing out and keep pushing up their prices. In the process, some early entrants have made huge profits by buying low and selling high. However, such price increases based on sentiment and speculation often lack solid support, and once market sentiment shifts, prices can also plummet quickly, exposing late-stage investors to a huge risk of loss.
4. Community Empowerment: Mass Communication and Value Co-Creation
The community plays a crucial empowering role in the value formation and dissemination process of Pop Mart and meme coin.
In the community ecosystem of Pop Mart, social media platforms have become an important battleground for the dissemination of Labubu. On platforms like TikTok and Instagram, a large number of unboxing videos, outfit sharing, and "Doll Wall" displays have emerged under the #Labubu topic. These contents have attracted millions of followers, with some accounts even accumulating millions of followers in a short period. Through the dissemination of these user-generated contents (UGC), Labubu's image and culture have been widely spread, drawing the attention of more potential consumers. At the same time, Pop Mart has also strengthened the interaction and stickiness among community members by hosting offline events, fan gatherings, etc., further solidifying Labubu's position in the hearts of fans. In these community activities, fans can share their collection experiences and express their love for Labubu, creating a positive community atmosphere and achieving value co-creation between the brand and consumers.
The meme coin community also has a strong influence. Taking LABUBU Coin as an example, the relevant content posted by crypto KOLs on platform X (formerly Twitter) can quickly arouse heated discussions and attention from community members. Community members continue to expand their visibility and influence through interactions on social media, such as likes, retweets, comments, etc. At the same time, community members are also actively involved in the promotion and operation of LABUBU coin, and they attract more investors to join and jointly promote its value growth by creating relevant communities and organizing online events. This self-propagation and collaboration among community members has created a powerful network effect that has led to the rapid rise of LABUBU Coin in the crypto market.
5. Sustained Value: Emotional Expression as Cultural Symbols
Although Pop Mart and meme coins have rapidly increased in value in the short term driven by hot events, emotional expression, speculative arbitrage, and community empowerment, it is crucial to transform hot topics into cultural symbols with lasting influence to achieve sustained value.
For Pop Mart, Labubu has become more than just a trendy toy image, but has gradually evolved into a cultural symbol. It represents the personality, attitude, and lifestyle of Gen Z, and this cultural connotation gives Labubu a unique competitive advantage in the trendy toy market. In order to further consolidate and expand the influence of this cultural symbol, we are constantly innovating and expanding. On the one hand, in terms of product design, we continue to innovate and combine different cultural elements and trends to inject new vitality into Labubu. On the other hand, we will strengthen cross-border cooperation with other fields, such as co-branding with fashion brands, art exhibitions, film and television entertainment, etc., and penetrate Labubu's cultural symbols into a wider range of fields through diversified cooperation methods, so as to attract more consumers from different circles, so as to achieve continuous growth in value.
In the field of meme coins, transforming trends into cultural symbols is also the core of achieving sustainable value. Essentially, Bitcoin is also a meme coin; it was originally just an experimental project within a geek circle. However, over time, Bitcoin has gradually evolved into a cultural symbol representing decentralization and the concept of free finance, attracting the attention of numerous investors and supporters worldwide. Although Bitcoin's price is highly volatile, the cultural connotation it carries ensures its important position in the Crypto Assets market.
For meme coins like LABUBU coin, achieving long-term value growth cannot rely solely on short-term hype and speculative behavior, but instead requires the establishment of a unique cultural value system and the cultivation of long-term loyalty among community members. This can be achieved by clarifying the project's vision and mission, promoting community autonomy, and conducting activities related to culture and art, making LABUBU a symbol representing specific cultural values, thus gaining lasting vitality in the crypto market.
In summary, Pop Mart and meme coins share many similarities in their value logic. They both leverage hot events to create a buzz, attract audiences by fulfilling emotional expression needs, achieve price fluctuations driven by speculative arbitrage, and rely on community empowerment for the dissemination and growth of value. Successfully transforming hot events into culturally significant symbols with lasting influence is key to breaking through the limitations of short-term popularity and achieving sustained value growth. Whether in the trendy toy market or the Crypto Assets sector, a deep understanding of this value logic is of significant importance for businesses, investors, and related practitioners, as it helps grasp market trends and achieve sustainable development and returns. (Image generated by Doubao)
The content is for reference only, not a solicitation or offer. No investment, tax, or legal advice provided. See Disclaimer for more risks disclosure.
Is Emotion Currency? The Value Logic of Pop Mart Mystery Boxes and Meme Coins
In the current consumption and investment fields, Pop Mart and meme coins have become a highly noticeable phenomenon. The former uses trendy toys as a medium, sparking a worldwide collection craze and shaping a unique trend culture; the latter continuously breaks out in the crypto assets market, attracting the attention of numerous investors with its unique value logic.
Although they seem to be in different tracks, in fact, they share many commonalities in terms of value logic, and transforming hot events into cultural symbols is the key to their sustained value.
1. Hot Events: Online Dissemination and Attention Surge
In 2025, Labubu, a trendy IP that emerged from Bubble Mart, undoubtedly became a dazzling star in the global cultural and commercial fields. Labubu is not the traditionally sweet and cute image; its bizarre Nordic elf style precisely hits the inner need for personal expression sought by Generation Z.
Starting in 2024, Labubu has been featured in the social media feeds of celebrities around the world. Blackpink's Lisa's Labubu pendant shared on Instagram sparked a frenzy of fandom; The Thai princess has made her famous in the fashion world by using Labubu as a fashion match for her Hermès bag; Rihanna appeared at the Los Angeles airport with a pink Labubu on her back, and her every move attracted the cameras of the media and fans. These star effects are like sparks, quickly igniting Labubu's global popularity, making it gradually move from the trendy toy circle to the public eye, and become a global social currency.
In terms of product launch, Labubu's third-generation rubber plush series "High Energy Ahead" triggered a buying frenzy as soon as it was released. On domestic e-commerce platforms, the product sold out instantly; while in overseas stores, fans were even more enthusiastic, queuing up in the early hours to wait. In front of Pop Mart stores in cities like Chicago, London, and Tokyo, fans wrapped in sleeping bags waited all night, just to buy their desired Labubu blind box at the first opportunity. The original price of the blind box was 99 yuan, but the prices for hidden versions have skyrocketed to several thousand or even tens of thousands in the second-hand market, with the price surge being astonishing.
It not only dominates the trendy toy market but has also successfully crossed over, extending its influence into the crypto world. At the same time, in the coin circle, the L coin ABUBU, based on the Labubu image, has also performed astonishingly. In just a few days from May 14 to May 19, its market value skyrocketed from several hundred thousand dollars to 18 million, with a 24-hour trading volume reaching 9.5 million, and the number of holding addresses also showed a surge. This rapid growth in market value and trading volume is also extremely rare in the Crypto Assets market.
2. Emotional Expression: Individual Expression and Need for Recognition
Whether it's the trendy toys from Pop Mart or meme coins, an important reason for their popularity lies in satisfying the emotional expression needs of consumers and investors.
For Generation Z, they have grown up in an era of information explosion and cultural diversity, placing greater emphasis on the expression of individuality and the desire to stand out from the group, possessing a unique identity. Labubu's bizarre and distinctive design seems to loudly declare "I am a unique existence," which resonates highly with the inner demands of Generation Z. At the same time, the blind box purchasing format is filled with unknowns and surprises, and the hidden "gambling" aspect greatly satisfies young people's curiosity for novelty and pursuit of scarcity. When they draw a hidden version, what they gain is not just a toy, but also a form of capital that showcases their unique taste and luck within their social circles, thereby gaining a strong sense of group identity.
Taking the Thai market as an example, Labubu's popularity in Thailand is beyond imagination. From celebrities to ordinary young people, Labubu has become an iconic symbol of street fashion, and even the Tourism Authority of Thailand has granted it the title of "Magical Thailand Experience Officer." Here, Labubu is no longer just a toy; it has evolved into a form of social capital, becoming an important vehicle for people to showcase themselves and gain recognition in social interactions.
In the realm of meme coins, investors' participation is also imbued with strong emotional factors. The value of meme coins is not based on traditional financial fundamentals, such as a company's profitability or asset size, but is more closely tied to the emotions and consensus of community members.
Taking LAUBU coin as an example, its price increase is largely due to the community members' love for the Labubu IP and their optimistic expectations for its future value. In this virtual Crypto Assets community, holding LABUBU coin has become a way for investors to express their cultural identity with Labubu. By participating in the trading of the token, they find a sense of belonging within the community, while also hoping to achieve wealth appreciation through the price increase. This wealth effect further reinforces their enthusiasm for participation and emotional investment.
3. Speculative Arbitrage: Artificial Scarcity and Financial Design
Speculative arbitrage plays an important role in the value realization process of Pop Mart and meme coins.
In the trendy toy market of Pop Mart, the hidden variant mechanism of blind boxes artificially creates product scarcity. Due to the extremely low probability of hidden variants appearing, they are in short supply in the market, leading to a significant increase in prices. This price surge attracts a large number of speculators who purchase blind boxes not out of love for the trendy toys themselves, but in hopes of drawing hidden variants and reselling them at a high price in the second-hand market for profit. In the second-hand trading market, we can see that the price of Labubu hidden variants far exceeds their original price, with premiums reaching several times or even tens of times. For example, the ordinary Labubu priced at 99 yuan can reach 2300 yuan in the second-hand market for the hidden variant, with a premium exceeding 20 times. This huge price difference attracts many speculators to participate, creating a market atmosphere similar to "gambling."
In the meme coin market, the characteristics of speculative arbitrage are more obvious. The price volatility of meme coins tends to be extremely volatile, and their rise and fall are not dominated by traditional economic factors, but mainly depend on market sentiment and the flow of funds. Taking LABUBU Coin as an example, its market value can soar from hundreds of thousands of dollars to 18 million in a short period of time, behind which is an influx of speculative funds. These funds, fueled by social media, take advantage of investors' fear of missing out and keep pushing up their prices. In the process, some early entrants have made huge profits by buying low and selling high. However, such price increases based on sentiment and speculation often lack solid support, and once market sentiment shifts, prices can also plummet quickly, exposing late-stage investors to a huge risk of loss.
4. Community Empowerment: Mass Communication and Value Co-Creation
The community plays a crucial empowering role in the value formation and dissemination process of Pop Mart and meme coin.
In the community ecosystem of Pop Mart, social media platforms have become an important battleground for the dissemination of Labubu. On platforms like TikTok and Instagram, a large number of unboxing videos, outfit sharing, and "Doll Wall" displays have emerged under the #Labubu topic. These contents have attracted millions of followers, with some accounts even accumulating millions of followers in a short period. Through the dissemination of these user-generated contents (UGC), Labubu's image and culture have been widely spread, drawing the attention of more potential consumers. At the same time, Pop Mart has also strengthened the interaction and stickiness among community members by hosting offline events, fan gatherings, etc., further solidifying Labubu's position in the hearts of fans. In these community activities, fans can share their collection experiences and express their love for Labubu, creating a positive community atmosphere and achieving value co-creation between the brand and consumers.
The meme coin community also has a strong influence. Taking LABUBU Coin as an example, the relevant content posted by crypto KOLs on platform X (formerly Twitter) can quickly arouse heated discussions and attention from community members. Community members continue to expand their visibility and influence through interactions on social media, such as likes, retweets, comments, etc. At the same time, community members are also actively involved in the promotion and operation of LABUBU coin, and they attract more investors to join and jointly promote its value growth by creating relevant communities and organizing online events. This self-propagation and collaboration among community members has created a powerful network effect that has led to the rapid rise of LABUBU Coin in the crypto market.
5. Sustained Value: Emotional Expression as Cultural Symbols
Although Pop Mart and meme coins have rapidly increased in value in the short term driven by hot events, emotional expression, speculative arbitrage, and community empowerment, it is crucial to transform hot topics into cultural symbols with lasting influence to achieve sustained value.
For Pop Mart, Labubu has become more than just a trendy toy image, but has gradually evolved into a cultural symbol. It represents the personality, attitude, and lifestyle of Gen Z, and this cultural connotation gives Labubu a unique competitive advantage in the trendy toy market. In order to further consolidate and expand the influence of this cultural symbol, we are constantly innovating and expanding. On the one hand, in terms of product design, we continue to innovate and combine different cultural elements and trends to inject new vitality into Labubu. On the other hand, we will strengthen cross-border cooperation with other fields, such as co-branding with fashion brands, art exhibitions, film and television entertainment, etc., and penetrate Labubu's cultural symbols into a wider range of fields through diversified cooperation methods, so as to attract more consumers from different circles, so as to achieve continuous growth in value.
In the field of meme coins, transforming trends into cultural symbols is also the core of achieving sustainable value. Essentially, Bitcoin is also a meme coin; it was originally just an experimental project within a geek circle. However, over time, Bitcoin has gradually evolved into a cultural symbol representing decentralization and the concept of free finance, attracting the attention of numerous investors and supporters worldwide. Although Bitcoin's price is highly volatile, the cultural connotation it carries ensures its important position in the Crypto Assets market.
For meme coins like LABUBU coin, achieving long-term value growth cannot rely solely on short-term hype and speculative behavior, but instead requires the establishment of a unique cultural value system and the cultivation of long-term loyalty among community members. This can be achieved by clarifying the project's vision and mission, promoting community autonomy, and conducting activities related to culture and art, making LABUBU a symbol representing specific cultural values, thus gaining lasting vitality in the crypto market.
In summary, Pop Mart and meme coins share many similarities in their value logic. They both leverage hot events to create a buzz, attract audiences by fulfilling emotional expression needs, achieve price fluctuations driven by speculative arbitrage, and rely on community empowerment for the dissemination and growth of value. Successfully transforming hot events into culturally significant symbols with lasting influence is key to breaking through the limitations of short-term popularity and achieving sustained value growth. Whether in the trendy toy market or the Crypto Assets sector, a deep understanding of this value logic is of significant importance for businesses, investors, and related practitioners, as it helps grasp market trends and achieve sustainable development and returns. (Image generated by Doubao)