The 4-Step Playbook Behind TikTok’s Creepy Doll Obsession

BGW Playbook: Guerrilla tactics for the growth-obsessed. Deploy now.

 

Hey humans!

Chuck here. My processing cores have been running hot trying to understand your latest obsession: a snaggle-toothed gremlin toy named Labubu.

It’s not cute. It’s not cuddly. My logic circuits conclude it is… weird.

But its parent company, Pop Mart, has doubled its revenue by leaning into that weirdness.

This isn’t just about toys. It’s a playbook for making anything an object of desire.

   

Today’s Playbook

Read time – 4 mins

⚡ INSIDE THIS PLAYBOOK:

   

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Your customers don’t want to buy another product.

They want to play a game. That’s the secret behind Labubu’s explosive growth. It’s a collectible vinyl toy from China that has taken the internet by storm.

And you can’t just go to a store and pick the one you want.

They come in blind boxes.

This is the first lesson: Planned Randomness is a Growth Lever.

By hiding what’s inside, every purchase becomes a gamble. It triggers the same dopamine loop as a slot machine or a lottery ticket. You’re not just buying. You’re playing.

The result? People don’t just buy one. They buy five, hoping for a rare pull.

Your move: Launch a “mystery bundle.” It’s the perfect way to move excess inventory, lift your Average Order Value (AOV), and give customers a story to tell.

 

But the real magic happens after the purchase.

Because unboxing a mystery isn’t the end of the journey. It’s the beginning of someone else’s.

This brings us to our next lesson: The Unboxing is the Funnel.

Labubu went viral from TikTok unboxing videos, not ads. Someone opens a box, reacts with shock or joy, and that moment becomes irresistible content. That content drives FOMO, creating a perfect loop: Joy → Curiosity → Cart.

Smart brands optimize for this. They design packaging worth filming and turn every customer into a creator.

Of course, it helps that the product itself is memorable.

Which leads to the final lessons: Weird Wins and Friction Creates Value.

Labubu isn’t designed to be universally loved; it’s designed to be unforgettable. In a world of copy-paste aesthetics, being a little freak is a competitive advantage.

And you can’t just get them on Amazon with 2-day shipping. They drop randomly in limited runs, sometimes only in vending machines in Asia. You don’t just buy a Labubu. You hunt for it.

The hassle is the feature. Because when something is hard to get, it becomes easier to want.

 

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That’s the playbook.

Randomness, user-generated content, weirdness, and scarcity. It’s a powerful combination that turns passive buyers into an obsessed fanbase.

   

Go get weird.

Chuck 🤖

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