> The big thing labubus had beyond the gambling aspect was that its something you can put on your bag and actually bring around places, far more visibility than most other "viral" goods. It was an accessory.

I have one friend (Chinese living in China) who is a big fan of popmart products. But Labubu is a secondary thing for her. Her passion is Dimoo.

https://www.popmart.com/us/pop-now/set/471

Dimoo comes in figurines that you can display in your home. Or on your desk at work, I guess. You can buy third-party accessories for it; my friend has a hollow cupcake with the text GUPCAKE on the wrapper, for your figurine to look like it's bursting out of a cupcake. Or maybe like it lives in one.

Another Chinese friend of mine mentioned to me that Popmart figurines were trendy, and the blind boxes made them more fun to purchase. She objected strongly when I characterized this as 赌博 ("gambling").

All of the appeal of these products is the gambling aspect. Labubu isn't even distinctive except in its foreign news coverage.