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Discussion keeps the world turning. This is Roundtable.
You're listening to Roundtable with myself He Yang. I'm joined by Yu Shun and Steve Hatherly in the studio. Coming up, have you ever wondered why quirky plush toys such as Labubu and Jellycat have captured the hearts of so many adults around the world? These aren't just childhood keepsakes, they've become meaningful collectibles and even fashion statements. What
What is it about these ugly cute toys that make them so irresistible?
Who says tech pulls us away from nature? In China, it's doing the opposite, helping people explore wild flowers, heal sick plants, and even find poetic inspiration in a walk through the park. We explore how smart technology is transforming the way people connect with nature. Our podcast listeners can find us at Roundtable China on Apple Podcasts.
From the world of entertainment and what fuels your passion, our Heart to Heart segment is all about you. Share your thoughts with us at roundtablepodcast at qq.com. Or better yet, record a voice memo and send it over to us and we'd love to hear your voice. Now let's switch gears. From the ever-huggable jellycat bunnies to the forever iconic Hello Kitty and now a mischievous...
Little creature from China, stealing hearts everywhere. Laboo-boo is what I'm talking about. With this quirky grin and offbeat charm, laboo-boo is what some might call ugly cute. And that's exactly the point. Today's toys aren't just adorable, they are collectibles. So how do these cuddly creatures spark a global craze? And you know what? They're not for cuddling. They're for...
clipping on your hag and making a statement without actually saying it. So toys these days are no longer just for kids. Young adults are the fastest growing demographic for toys. What's the latest lay of the toy land? Oh, yeah. So according to data from the China Toy and Juvenile Products Association,
Young consumers born in the 1990s and 2000s have become the largest demographic for plush toy purchases. And also a report by Business Insider also shows that in the U.S. and Europe, adult consumers aged 18 and above are accounting for a growing share of total toy sales. And among them, ugly cute plush toys represented by brands like
Jellycat, if you say that's ugly cute and Pop Mart's Labubu are particularly popular and and since we're talking about Labubu, this is something that a lot of people are actually fighting for. Yeah. Fighting for? Yes. You know, because this is the nature of the product itself is is something that you need to fight for because it is
In some way rare because it's in the blind box, which means you will buy the box of this toy and you will not know what's inside, which means some limited editions are quite rare. Yeah, it makes them collectible, right? Which it's really smart marketing because it just adds to the craze surrounding the character. Yeah, people and it's in London. There was a huge crowd.
crowd at a mall there trying to get their hands on the latest La Boo Boo music
And people are very passionate about getting their hands on the latest Labubu. Let's put it like that. People are using them as charms, as you mentioned. Pop stars, Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Lisa from Blackpink, they're wearing these like charms. They were spotted at Paris Fashion Week, apparently. Wow. It's big business outside of China. The company involved in 2024...
Their revenue skyrocketed 375% plus to about 5 billion yuan. That's about $700 million. And Labubu's alone generated 3 billion yuan or 420 million of the company's total revenue last year. The character is big business for the company. Yes. And you guys mentioned the blind box sales strategy. That is...
correct me if I'm wrong, pioneered by Pop Mart, which is the Chinese company behind Labubu. And it's been rolling out all kinds of characters, but Labubu is the latest one that is the superstar stealing hearts everywhere. But if you look closer into Labubu's upbringing,
It's actually been around for... About a decade now. Yeah, so we thought it's the superstar new kid on the block, but what? Tell us a little bit more about its story. Yeah, actually, it's created in 2015 by Hong Kong artist Kai-Sing Lan. La Boubou is part of the Monster series of this Chinese toy company, Pop Mart.
Also, the elf-like creature sports high-pointed ears, a set of nine serrated knees, and a grin that's both mischievous and oddly heartwarming is the fact or the factors that are attracting a lot of people, despite the slightly... Ugly? Ugly or... Cute? Cute.
Both. Yeah, kind of both in some way. Appearance, Labubu is portrayed as kind-hearted and always wants to help but often accidentally achieves the opposite. So this is the storyline that this brand is creating for Labubu. So this brand, they are known for creating the whole storylines for their own toys. They have different names, I think, Mom.
Molly or Demo. I think I hope I named them right. But anyway, they have different names, different storylines, and they created different characters for their toys. And people are loving the ugly slash cute aspect of Labubu. And I'll say again, this is international. I mentioned in London, people were fighting to get their hands on them also in the US. And
In other parts of Europe. In Australia. David Beckham was seen with a Labubu accessory, apparently. In Australia, fans are lining up at 3 a.m. to buy them. And some of them are quite expensive. Some of them, prices have soared to about $1,500 for some editions. So...
That's more than 10,000 yuan. People are really, really, really desperate to get their hands on one of these dolls. And whenever you see this kind of popularity, so much hype, so much spotlight, and then there's...
bound to be some backlash, I suppose. Well, at least people are going to talk like both sides about it. And then some are rolling their eyes. Why? Why are these people not even children queuing up online or offline for toys like this?
You could argue it's the celebrity influence. There's a lot of different factors at play here, I think. One of them is the celebrity influence. I mentioned a list of celebrities there, right? Rihanna, David Beckham, and the list goes on. That means that people are going to have a curiosity about what that thing is, and they're probably going to...
want one of them for themselves. Also, I think the blind box culture aspect makes it a little bit more viral. It's more exciting, right? It's more mysterious. You don't know which one you're going to get. And I think that adds to it as well. Also, the scarcity in the marketing strategy. They have limited releases, PopMart does sometimes, and that kind of fuels the frenzy, if you will, and also the resale demand too. Yeah. Oh, that's a very good point.
PopMart has been playing with this blind box concept for years now. And I think at least in China, people are very familiar with it now. And then with the second
is it called secondhand market, the resale market, which is also thriving. And then for first time, well, not first time buyers for the buyers, they feel like, okay, if I get too many of one character that I don't want, I'll just resell it. Yeah. And I'll get some money back.
Sounds like they're going to get more money back from the resale of the toy than your old smartphone. And they'll just buy a new one. Yeah. And finally, the final point I want to make there is that it's not just a toy, right? You can treat it like a toy, but it's not just a toy. It's become a luxury bag charm and it's become this kind of grown up fashion statement. It was even featured in GQ recently.
for men's style. - Men's style? - Yeah, and so it's not for kids, it's not for women, it's not for men, it's for everyone, it seems. - Why is that? The more you say, the more I do not understand. - Yeah, it's the ugly cuteness appeal, right? So ugly cute, it refers to the idea that something can be both at the same time simultaneously unattractive and attractive.
And it's this contradiction that actually enhances the character's charm. And beyond LeBoubou, I think there are plenty of examples of things that are ugly cute. Have you seen that green fish headgear thing? Oh yeah, that was quite popular on, I think, Chinese social media back then. People will wear that kind of green fish gear to...
I think scare their friends or just making fun of themselves or just expressing themselves. That one was more on the ugly than cute side. That's just my own personal opinion. But there's plenty of other examples too. There was a frog shaped spoon.
which had large eyes and an open mouth, which was somehow funny. And people said it made food hard to swallow. Many young people actually referred to it as a slimming magic spoon, because when you saw the spoon, you didn't feel like eating anymore. So kind of like a diet spoon. Yeah. And that reminded me of that dog in the movie Deadpool. If you watch that, they are it is a
utterly ugly dog, I would say, with his tongue hanging out. And people just love it. And people are saying, I think they're cute. Yep. There's science behind it, too. There was a paper called The Aesthetic Experience of General Beauty and Ugly Cute Memes. It was published on Frontiers in Psychology.
And that's a peer-reviewed open access academic journal. And researchers found that while general beauty directly elicits pleasurable emotions leading to attractiveness, ugly, cute...
it achieves attractiveness in this indirect kind of way. So specifically, ugly cute items evoke surprise. When you look at LaBubu, you feel, oh, when you look at that dog in the movie Deadpool, you feel like, oh my gosh, it's a little bit shocking, right? And that triggers surprise.
a humorous response. You kind of chuckle at it or giggle a little bit. And that culminates in pleasurable emotions that enhances the appeal. In contrast, I guess you could say images that are purely just ugly without any cute element, there's no humor evoked in those and people don't find them attractive at all. But if it's so ugly that it makes you kind of laugh at it, then it evokes positive emotions and that's where the ugly, cute
comes into play. And also, in my opinion, LaBouba really plays it safe because it's far more on the cute side than ugly. Then it's actually very palatable for so many people instead of, let's say, just a niche group who are really into gross things.
Well, yeah, I'm still, my mind is lingering on that disgustingly gross makes me want to vomit green fish headgear. Oh, yeah, right. Yes, but I need to come back to Labubu, and it is a champion of ugly cute. It is.
is a striking department. It is a striking departure from the polished perfection of, let's say, Barbie or the sweetness of Hello Kitty, which, well, who is a girl rather than a cat, if you are wondering. Why does it feel so right for our times?
The rise of LaBooBoo. I think it's exactly what you said. Social media requires us often to be perfect, right? People use filters on their photos all the time. They want to look beautiful. So ugly cute
be it LaBooBoo or anything else, it can feel authentic. It can feel relatable. It can feel imperfect. It can feel like something that a child would draw, right?
If you look at LeBoubou, it might look like something that a six-year-old might just, with a crayon, draw on a piece of paper. So there's something adorable about that. And there's something that triggers nostalgic feelings, I think, when we see characters like this as well. Even as adults, it makes us feel like...
We're somehow back in our childhood, even though it might be a very loose connection. Can I please also offer one supporting piece of evidence that is LaBooBoo looks so much like
for me like a visual evolution of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. That's one of my favorite childhood books from the United States. And I know a lot of millennials in the U.S. love that book. And I don't know how to interpret it, but maybe you're seeing, you know, where the wild things are
its face sort of coincide with Labubu's face. And it actually does invoke a nostalgic feeling. And you shouldn't, what do you think explains, you know, all of this? And also I know you've done some research about the company Popmart, which is Chinese that has this time successfully exported its brand internationally. Um,
What do you think they did right there? Yeah. First thing is, of course, we're talking about a lot the influence of social media, no matter its
about the discussion on these celebrities or just the discussion on this single toy. It is, I think the discussions on the social media is evolving into the discussion of the whole phenomenon. You know, there are also like phenomena of fake Labubus. People call it Lafufu. And people are even collecting Lafufus because people like to collect these kind of weird look
fake at a third of the original price. Yes, you know, they they it is becoming a sensation that whenever Labubu is there are discussions and people are discussing about these kind of toys. And another thing is that I think of course this company they are putting a lot of emphasis on developing their brand and also their products. Of course, I mentioned the fake ones. They have different qualities with the original one, of course, but
And they are still developing it. I saw from their public account saying that they're developing or releasing the third generation of Labubu. Yeah, because we are having this conversation. So I look back a little bit. Actually, originally, Labubu does not look like what it is right now. Oh, really? Yeah. In 2015, it was uglier before. Okay. Yeah. Mostly plastic. Okay.
But now it is, I think, plastic-faced with their fluffy hair around it. So they're developing, I think, quite high-quality products. At least they're making people saying that, okay, I'm not paying for astonishingly overpriced money to buy a product or a toy that... Of low quality. Yes. Yeah. So wait, now, there's Labubu. There's Lafufu, a Heoyoung business idea. Oh. We designed one called...
that looks like Yushun. What do you think? I think Yushun's very cute. Cute, cute. No ugly cute. Oh, maybe that will actually, you know, take a notch down of our potential business success. You're just kidding.
You're just way too cute. People in London might be fighting over that adorable face over there. Well, I'm grateful for it if that happens. But anyway, you need to create a very creative story for me because you need to have a good storytelling ability about the whole story and even a whole product line to make people be attracted. Which is what they've done very well with LeBoum. Yes, and this is also very promising for...
I guess for this is from a Chinese perspective, Chinese companies, because previously this country has been known to the world as made in China. But in the future, possibly it could be designed in China, created in China and creating these brands that can be loved by people regardless of where you're from, the language you speak. That is really, really cool.
And that ugly, cute look says vulnerability can be lovable, weirdness can be comforting, and imperfection can be powerful. By embracing characters like Labubu, young people are reclaiming the space for authenticity and emotional nuance. Something more complex and perhaps more human than the flawless icons of the past.
And of course, everybody knows, Labubu won't last forever. Its reign is only as long as the next scroll. Sooner or later, another oddball or beautiful ball with a new face will take its place in the social media spotlight. But for now, at least for now, Labubu speaks to something real. Coming up next in China, spotting wildflowers is no longer just for botanists.
AI-powered apps can now identify plants with stunning accuracy and even offer health advice for your garden greens. Get ready to step into the wild with us with AI as your guide. Stay tuned.
Looking for passion? How about fiery debate? Want to hear about current events in China from different perspectives? Then tune in to Roundtable, where East meets West and understanding is the goal. ♪
You're listening to Roundtable with myself, He Yang. I'm joined by Yu Xun and Steve Hatherly. Snap a flower, learn its name, and get a tip on how to grow it, all before your kid finishes asking, what's that? Welcome to the world of AI-powered plant identification, and that's happening all the time.
all over China. From flower hunts to plant care, we dive into how smart technology is changing how people in China enjoy the great outdoors. How do these apps work?
So plant identification apps primarily work by just leveraging artificial intelligence and extensive image libraries. Users can simply just snap a photo of a plant or a flower or the fruit of this plant. Or the leaves even. Yes. Within seconds, this AI-supported mobile application analyzes the image to identify the plant. That's been
around for four years actually and people are I think quite getting used to using these kind of apps but beyond identification some apps also incorporate a plant doctor feature yeah this is pretty cool so this these plant doctors they can help novice growers
become more confident in their taking care of plant abilities, if you will. There's one tool, there's a WeChat mini program for it called AI Flower, and it was developed by a tech company, and they've recently launched and gained a lot of attention from industry professionals and gardening enthusiasts as well. So how it works is when a plant shows some signs of trouble,
Then growers, they snap a few photos, they upload them into the mini program, and then the image recognition and then this vast plant pathology knowledge base helps to identify what's wrong with the plant and help you to take care of it even better. So it's really helping people...
Sure, out in nature, oh, what's this plant? It's great for young kids and great for parents out with their children exploring nature. Take a picture. Oh, it's this type of plant. This is the history of it, if you will. And then from a personal side, oh, my plant's a little sick at home. I don't know what to do. Take a picture and other programs can help you fix it. Am I the only one that is astounded by how accurate these AI apps are these days? Because to me, all the leads kind of,
more or less similar. I'm obviously not an expert. It's really impressive with at least one application and probably more than that with just a photo, users can identify flowers in just a second. And it supports the recognition of over 4,000 common plant species. The accuracy rate is impressive with an accuracy rate exceeding 98%. Do you think this can spur more interest into going into
out and explore nature? Of course, I think. These apps provide more than just basic facts. They also offer related poetic references, cultural anecdotes, and even practical planning tips for some flowers. And this means you can have more quality time
with parents and the kids, and then you can have a good field trip with all of these plants. Yeah, absolutely. There was one comment on the internet. As a child, I always wished I could learn the names of the roadside plants and the stories behind them. Now, with this app, it makes the dreams come true. I just hope they roll out versions for insects.
and animals soon, too. Yeah, that sounds to be something that could happen in the near future. And with that, we're signing off. Thank you so much, Yu Shun. And... La Yu Yu. La Vivi. Is that Steve? We're going to have to work on that. And La Young Young. Now we're all a big, happy family. I'm He Young. And thank you, Steve and Yu Shun. We'll see you next time.