Brand: POP MART
IP: LABUBU
As LABUBU continues to gain popularity and attract an ever-growing community of collectors, counterfeit products have become increasingly prevalent in the market. From appearance and packaging to hangtags and anti-counterfeiting labels, some replicas have become remarkably sophisticated, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish authentic products from counterfeits through visual inspection alone.
To help collectors better understand product characteristics and reduce the risk of purchasing counterfeit items, SWAPBOXO Authentication & Research Lab will provide free educational content on LABUBU authentication, sharing practical tips and key identification techniques.
Our guides will cover essential authentication aspects, including official anti-counterfeiting verification, packaging and labeling, product craftsmanship, material details, and purchasing channels. Through these resources, we aim to raise collectors’ awareness of potential counterfeits and help them make more informed decisions when purchasing, trading, and collecting LABUBU products.
Disclaimer: This content is intended for educational and informational purposes within the collector community only. No single feature should be considered conclusive proof of a product’s authenticity. If you are uncertain about the authenticity of an item, we recommend consulting a qualified authentication professional. A comprehensive assessment should consider multiple factors, including the product’s appearance, packaging, materials, craftsmanship, and other relevant characteristics. Taking a comprehensive approach can help reduce the risk of purchasing counterfeit products and support a safer, more confident collecting experience.
Multi-Dimensional Authentication Matrix
Authentication Checkpoint | Authentic Product Characteristics | Counterfeit Product Indicators |
Official Anti-Counterfeiting QR Code | QR code is scannable and redirects to the official verification page. | QR code cannot be scanned or redirects to an incorrect or suspicious destination. |
Packaging Quality and Finish | Packaging materials, surface finishes, and print quality are consistent with the official packaging for the corresponding product version. | Rough materials, blurred printing, unusual color variations, or significant inconsistencies with the official packaging for the corresponding version. |
Packaging Text and Brand Logos | Brand names and markings, including “POP MART” and “THE MONSTERS,” are clearly printed and correctly spelled. | Spelling errors, visibly irregular fonts, misaligned logos, or missing markings. |
Hangtags and Labels | Brand information, product details, printing, and label construction are consistent with the corresponding official version. | Incorrect information, poor print quality, mismatched label content, or obvious signs of imitation. |
Tooth Count and Alignment | The classic Labubu design typically features nine teeth, with their arrangement consistent with the corresponding official version. | Incorrect tooth count, irregular alignment, or poorly defined tooth shapes. |
Ears and Head Contour | Ear shape, spacing, orientation, and head proportions are consistent with the corresponding official version. | Abnormal ear proportions, excessive spacing, or visibly distorted head contours. |
Eyes and Facial Paintwork | Facial features are proportionally aligned, paint edges are clean, and the overall appearance is consistent with the corresponding official version. | Misaligned eyes, paint bleeding, visible paint defects, or distorted facial proportions. |
Facial Coloration | Skin tone, blush, and facial colors are generally consistent with authentic products of the same version. | Noticeably orange, yellow, or excessively vivid coloration. Differences in lighting and screen color reproduction should be ruled out before drawing conclusions. |
Plush Material and Texture | Plush texture, pile length, density, and overall appearance are consistent with the corresponding official version. | Coarse fabric, sparse plush, noticeable shedding, or substantial material differences from the same official version. |
Stitching and Body Construction | Stitching is neat, the head-to-body connection appears natural, and the filling is relatively even. | Crooked stitching, loose seams, uneven filling, or obvious gaps along the seams. |
Step 1: Verify Official Anti-Counterfeiting Information
For LABUBU products featuring official anti-counterfeiting verification information, it is recommended to check the verification label on the packaging as the first step.
- Domain Verification:After scanning the QR code on an authentic product, users should be directed to POP MART’s official anti-counterfeiting verification page. Verify the complete domain name and redirection path rather than relying solely on the visual appearance of the URL.
- Verification Results:Depending on the verification status and scan history, authentic products may display messages such as:
- “QR Code Scan Result: Authentic and Valid – First Scan”
- “QR Code Scan Result: Authentic and Valid – Multiple Scans”
- “QR Code Scan Result: Authentic and Valid – Maximum Scan Limit Exceeded”
Important: A verification message alone does not conclusively establish authenticity. The domain, redirection path, verification result, and other product characteristics should be assessed together.
A QR code verification should not be treated as the sole basis for authentication. The product itself, packaging information, and other relevant characteristics must also be examined to support a more comprehensive assessment of authenticity.
Step 2: Examine Packaging, Labels, and Print Quality
Packaging can provide important clues when assessing the authenticity of blind box products. However, all observations should be evaluated against the specifications of the corresponding official product version.
- Packaging Quality and Finish:Authentic products generally feature packaging materials, surface finishes, and print quality consistent with the official packaging for the corresponding version. Counterfeit products may exhibit rough materials, blurred printing, unusual color variations, or other noticeable inconsistencies with the official packaging.
- Packaging Text and Brand Logos:Authentic products typically feature clearly printed and correctly spelled brand names, including “POP MART” and “THE MONSTERS,” along with other relevant packaging text. Counterfeit products may exhibit spelling errors, noticeably inconsistent fonts, misaligned logos, or missing brand markings.
- Outer Foil Packaging:Authentic products typically feature glossy printing on the exterior and a matte finish on the interior, creating a consistent, layered texture. Counterfeit products may have glossy finishes on both sides, along with blurred printing, fading, or noticeable color inconsistencies, resulting in a visibly rougher overall appearance.
Step 3: Examine Appearance and Overall Craftsmanship
- Tooth Count and Alignment:Authentic LABUBU figures typically feature neatly arranged teeth, with the classic smiling design generally displaying nine pointed teeth. Counterfeit products may exhibit an incorrect tooth count, uneven spacing, flattened tooth shapes, or poorly defined tooth edges.
- Ears and Head Contour:Authentic LABUBU figures typically feature well-balanced proportions between the ears and head, with ear shapes and placement consistent with the design of the corresponding product version. Counterfeit products may exhibit ears that are excessively long or short, unusual spacing, left-right asymmetry, or an overly wide head contour.
- Eyes and Facial Paintwork:Authentic LABUBU figures typically feature naturally glossy eyes, well-balanced facial proportions, and clean paint application with clearly defined edges. Counterfeit products may exhibit dull-looking eyes, misaligned or asymmetrical placement, rough surface finishes, or paint bleeding around the eye area.
- Plush Material and Texture:Authentic LABUBU plush figures typically feature soft, full-textured plush with relatively even fiber distribution and an overall feel consistent with the design of the corresponding product series. Counterfeit products may use coarse, stiff, sparse, or uneven plush materials, potentially resulting in exposed backing fabric, matted fibers, or an unnaturally plastic-like texture.
- Facial Coloration:Authentic LABUBU figures typically feature facial colors that match the official color scheme of the corresponding product version, with natural-looking skin tones, blush, and gradient effects. Counterfeit products may exhibit overly vivid colors, inconsistent skin tones, harsh blush edges, or uneven paint application in certain areas.
- Stitching and Body Construction:Authentic LABUBU figures typically feature neat stitching and body construction consistent with the design specifications of the corresponding product version. Counterfeit products may exhibit exposed loose threads, crooked stitching, uneven seams, inconsistent filling, or disproportionate body features.
- Care Labels and Base:Authentic LABUBU figures typically feature care labels and base details consistent with the specifications of the corresponding official product version, including label information, printing quality, and construction details. Counterfeit products may exhibit incorrect or missing label information, inconsistent fonts, poor printing, irregular base construction, or noticeable discrepancies from the corresponding official version.
The characteristics outlined above are common indicators for preliminary visual screening and may not be entirely consistent across all authentic products. Assessment should be based on comparisons with official product information for the same series and specific model, combined with anti-counterfeiting verification and other relevant authentication factors.
Pop Mart may periodically update its production processes, materials, packaging designs, printing details, and product finishes across different production batches. As a result, authentic products from different production periods may exhibit slight variations in color saturation, QR code placement, font sizing, card texture, or verification page layout. These differences do not automatically indicate that a product is counterfeit. During authentication, such variations should be assessed against reliable references from the corresponding series and production batch, alongside other product characteristics and verification results, rather than being treated as standalone evidence of counterfeiting.