[pryce]

you're right about psychoanalysis being a stretch, but the article seems to be about the odd popularity among Gen Z, not the younger Gen Alpha. Youngest GenZ is 14yrs old; with a lot of this labubu trend, we're talking teens and upwards, which doesn't often seem to be the case with earlier "crazes" pursuing "cuteness"

[soco]

I know a few proud Labubu wearers and they are all trendy adults 40+. Focus on "trendy": they liked the surprise of it, the signaling of it, and above all the exclusivity. That was 1-2 years ago. Only nowadays it migrated to younger and kids, and said adults are past their phase while their children asked for Labubu presents (the younger would accept knockoffs as well). So in my experience it was totally a fashion fad. Maybe every group/region/society lived it differently?

[arvid-lind]

> Focus on "trendy": they liked the surprise of it, the signaling of it, and above all the exclusivity

it sounds like a strange relationship with collectibles and raising their kids to have the same issue. is there any kind of cultural anchoring outside of the "cuteness", like how baseball or even pokemon cards have a larger system and entities that its collectibles represent?

to me Lababu feels more like art or fashion, it can be completely irrelevant what the "thing" in question is, but the perceived value is in the performance. do people think they're joining a club when they start wearing a Labubu?