Great news is ahead for blind-box fans and figurine collectors! There is no more need to wait hours on slow webpages, hoping to grab a box of the highest quality figurines. The renowned Chinese chain store, POP MART, is bringing the joy of collectibles to two Massachusetts locations: Natick Mall and South Shore Plaza! These locations will be the first of their kind in Massachusetts, and the effect they’ll bring to nearby communities has yet to be seen. However, locals have already been buzzing with excitement. 

POP MART is considered an internet trend, meaning a big factor in its popularity was its appearance in photos and videos on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and more. Their rise to fame can be traced back to last summer, when celebrities and other popular figures were spotted adorning their outfits with a POP MART product called Labubus. The first posts of the dolls went relatively unnoticed by the global community – KPop’s Lisa posed with Labubus on Instagram as early as April of 2024 and on Youtube the following November – but as more and more icons like Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, and Sir David Beckham joined the Labubu club, the internet became obsessed. Screens were filled with Labubu art videos, with Labubu cooking videos, and even with fake Labubus (aka “Lafufus”). While people from around the world sought after these gremlins, many lacked the ability to walk into a POP MART store and buy a ‘bubu for themselves, and POP MART’s website was often sold out. So, Labubu-seekers turned to resellers, who marked up the dolls to extreme prices (the most extreme of which involved a $85 Labubu being resold for $10,500).

Although neither Natick Mall nor South Shore Plaza’s POP MARTs have opened their doors, the arrival of the stores brings many questions about their effect on Sharon High. While students have already been spotted with Labubus attached to their bags, and one was even spotted at SHS’s club fair, it is uncertain whether the new stores, with their shorter commute and unscaled prices, will spark the second wave of POP MART hype, or if their debuts are too late for the fading summer trend. Want to learn more? Keep your eyes peeled for the Talon’s follow-up article once the stores open!