The Labubu doll craze continues to grow—with the demand for the plush characters so high it's led to crime.
The City of Chino Police Department in California just made a major bust after a bunch of the popular dolls were stolen from a local warehouse with an estimated value of about $30,000.
A release from Chino PD, accompanied by a photo of a pickup truck with the recovered merchandise reads, "Detectives recently investigated a burglary where suspects entered a warehouse and stole boxes containing highly sought-after Labubu collectible figurines. These items, popular in pop culture and often sold for high prices online, were taken in multiple trips over several days."
The release continues, "During the investigation, a search warrant was served at a residence in Upland. One suspect attempted to flee but ultimately surrendered without incident. Detectives recovered fourteen boxes of stolen merchandise, along with evidence indicating the items were being prepared for resale and shipment across the country."
Finally, it says, "The recovered property, valued at approximately $30,000, was returned to the rightful owners. Outstanding teamwork in bringing this case to a close!"
The announcement was met with a ton of praise from locals, with many congratulating the department on its hard work. Others joked about the popularity of the Labubu dolls.
While the Labubu dolls were actually first manufactured years ago, they've recently seen a bump in popularity over the last year or so. Many attribute to the rising popularity of the dolls to celebrity endorsement and using them as a fashion trend.
Opening Labubu packages has also become a popular trend on social media, with some users and influencers showing off insane reactions in landing one of the rare versions of the dolls.
The dolls have also fetched some pretty ridiculous prices at auctions, with one mint-green doll going for a reported $170,000 at the Beijing Yongle Auction in June.
