So Many Labubus (And A Couple Lafufus)

 

 Um, I did a thing. I actually did a couple of things. Ok - I did several things. A bunch of things - I bought a bunch of things.

My Labubus/Lafufu are in the top picture. Briana's are underneath that.

 

Before I start blogging about our trip, I thought I would write about this first.

Only read this post if you want to see how nuts I am or if you want to try to score a Labubu yourself.

So...I went plush Labubu crazy. I did. I admit it. I went crazy. Do I regret it? Yes and no. Yes - because no grown woman needs this many Labubus. And no - because it has been really fun scoring these silly things (it isn't easy), they are ugly cute and they have kept my mind busy from not so pleasant things lately.

 

You might remember that Briana and I got "Lafufu'd" (fake Labubu) at HMart a couple of months back. I didn't realize at the time you couldn't buy a genuine, regular-priced Popmart Labubu from anywhere but a Popmart store or the Popmart website/app (or the Popmart store through Amazon, but there haven't been any regular-priced plushies on there for months). There are no Popmart stores in Georgia (yet) and it is stupid hard getting them off the website because they are always sold out and very sought after - the company only releases so many of these stuffies a week.

 

Lafufu'd...

 

Briana wanted fake BaBa (on the right) and I was happy with fake ZiZi (on the left). Now that I have seen real ones in person, I can tell the difference easily between a fake and a real one. But, our Lafufus are really not that bad. I have seen some BAD ones on line. Hysterical actually. Briana and I still love our Lafufus.

 

But, that trickery triggered something inside of me. I had to figure out how to score some of the real suckers. Was that rational thought? Absolutely not. Did I do it anyway? Of course. And I refuse - REFUSE - to pay resellers to get one. Most are charging double/triple the price of what a Labubu actually costs. Insane. I won't do it. 

Labubus are blind boxes, so though you know from what series you are getting if you buy from Popmart, you don't know the actual one until you buy it/open it. There are three main series of plushies - Exciting Macarons, Have A Seat and Big Into Energy.  (There are a few other "one off" Labubus out there and they also had a Coke series but they aren't making that one anymore.)

The hunt and catch of all this became the mission for me.

 

I found out pretty quickly that simply clicking a pre-order Labubu into your cart on a release day meant nothing. The minute the Labubus were actually released, I would go to check out and get a message immediately saying everything had been sold out already and my item was bumped from my cart. Absolutely frustrating. And you cannot buy a plush Labubu from the Popmart website on your desktop - you have to do it on the app. And there are just SO many bots swiping up these plushies - it's nuts. So between the limited supply and the bots, it makes it hard to score one if you don't know how to do it.

I did my research. Watched some T!kToks and I learned there is a "pop now" opportunity on the app for each series that allows you to chose a blind box, shake it, get a hint of what is not inside and then you can decide if you want to purchase or not.

 

This is what that looks like on the app (there are six boxes to a case)...

 

 The problem is...the minute the Labubus are released, all these colored boxes turn gray (meaning they are taken) and then countdown timers begin for the people who managed to snag those boxes immediately and to go to their carts and purchase. I do believe bots are mostly grabbing everything at first. But I learned a way to try to snag a Labubu is to swipe right through the cases and watch the timers go down really low and then try to click on the individual boxes as quickly as possible - with the hope you can click/snag one when the countdown gets to zero (if you click too much or too fast, the site will think your a bot and limit your access for a period of time - it's happened to me)...

 It's almost like a game - but not a super fun one. And it doesn't always work.

Over several days and many attempts, I managed to snag a number of these things (somehow). I got 5 boxes from the "Have A Seat" series (two were repeats), 3 from the "Exciting Macaron" series and 2 from the "Big Into Energy" Series. My "Big Into Energy" Labubus have not been shipped yet and won't be until mid-September, so I don't have those yet.

I do purchase each plush separately because of the time constraint - so the shipping cost stinks, but since they are coming directly from China, I am fine with each box coming separately. If several were to get lost at one time, it would be harder to handle than if just one got lost. I have been very, very lucky though and I have received all of my purchases. A lot of people online have said theirs have been "lost" or stolen off their porches because the things are in such high demand.

My goal was to give Bri a couple and then keep two (preferably different) stuffies for myself from each series. I actually kept three from the "Have A Seat" series and two from "Exciting Macaron" series and I will keep the two from "Big Into Energy" when I get them. I haven't managed to snag any "secret" ones (which is totally fine). Briana wanted one Labubu from the EM series and one from HAS, but she didn't want anything from BIE, so she now has two real Labubus and one Lafufu.

And if you counted all of that, you will see that leaves me with one Labubu that I haven't opened yet. I already know it is another ZiZi. I am trying to figure out if I keep it or sell it...

So how do I know what is inside of there? Whenever you purchase a Labubu, you have an option to unbox it online before it is sent to you. I always choose to unbox before it comes so I can track everything better.

When you unbox, your Labubu is revealed...

I was able to track my order from the minute it was shipped - and it took about 8-11 days for them to arrive at my doorstep.

It has been fun getting one of these packages every few days.

So when they arrived, I took pictures and documented the openings just in case anything went awry and I needed to contact customer service.

My "Have A Seats" started coming first. This is the outside box with the Popmart logo...

Have A Seat...

I received one box with the original type bag inside. Popmart changed their original foil rip-open bags to ones with drawstrings...

The new drawstring...

Exciting Macaron box and bag...

To make sure your Labubu is authentic, you scan the QR code on the back of the box, scratch it off to reveal numbers and then type in the number to verify your purchase on the Popmart website...

I have verified every one of my purchases except for the one I have not opened and the ones that have not arrived yet - of course.

So these are my Labubus/Lafufus now...

Ququ and Sisi...

Fake Zizi and Zizi (you can see just how different they are)...

All my "Have A Seats"...

Lychee Berry and Soymilk - Exciting Macarons...

Briana's stuffies - Ququ, Green Grape and Fake Baba...

And all the Labubus come with cards (Lafufus do not)...

 These are the Big Into Energy series Labubus that I snagged and purchased but still waiting for - Happiness and Loyalty...

I cannot wait to get them.

 

And a couple of days ago, Bri and I discovered a new line of Labubus is being released tonight - "Pin For Love"...

I am going to try to snag a couple tonight (the releases always open up at 9:30 or 10 EST). I think the app will be absolutely bananas though, so I may not luck out at all, but I will try. I'm just happy to have what I have.

Why did I explain all of this? I have no idea. Do I seem like I have lost it completely? I am sure. I've just been having fun with this the last few weeks and I thought I would share. It is kind of cool getting something that is difficult to get (it is all psychological) - very much like the Care Bear and Cabbage Patch Kid crazes of the 80s. Except you don't have to go to the store now (unless you want to) and you tap your phone like 1000 times to try to "win" or snag a toy. If you "win" it, you have to pay for it if you want it.

So that is my Labubu addiction story. Some people try to get all of them (including the secrets) and they spend a whole bunch of money doing so. I just wanted a couple from each series, so I'm good - seriously this time. 

Wish me luck tonight. Let's see if I get anything! 

(***Quick update - scored a few from the new line! Now I am cutting myself off from my madness. I will do another post about what I got soon - as soon as I get them. Heh.***)

Trip Recap Coming Soon

We had a wonderful time in Amelia Island last week. It was so nice to get away - it had been too long.

This week has been us trying to back into the swing of things at home. Bri still has two weeks to go before heading back to school and we got a bunch of stuff to do in that time.

 So I will come back and blog about our trip soon.

  I really wish I was still hanging out by the resort pool...

Bri's 19th Birthday Recap

My baby turned 19 on Tuesday. I still don't know where the years went. Sigh.

As you know, our family doesn't celebrate birthdays in just one day. We celebrate for several days.

Briana wanted/needed to go shopping for some new clothes for school, so before Doug started his new job, he took her out for a shopping day. I did not tag along because I had some errands I needed to do that day (though I was texted frequently throughout the shopping adventure).

Since Bri somehow ended up with a lot of clothes that day, I am considering them birthday presents - it makes me feel better - heh. Doug spoiled her that day - big time. Mama was not there to reel them both in. But I will say, Bri really doesn't go clothes shopping very often, so I am trying to give giving them a pass. Bri looked very cute heading out that day...

Even the cat (in the bottom right corner) is thinking...that's a lot of clothes!

 

They had lunch out together (they sent me all these photos)...

Let's just say Bri won't need new clothes for a while. And she will be looking quite stylish.

Then Briana had a couple of her besties over one afternoon to watch a movie, play some pool and then go out to eat dinner for her birthday...

Briana's food...

While Briana was out with her friends, Doug and I had a dinner date...

We also met my parents for a pizza lunch one day to celebrate Briana's birthday. They indulged her with sweet gifts...

 

Then Bri's actual birthday rolled around. I once again gave her balloons in the morning...

She and I had a mom/daughter lunch/shopping day. We visited Michaels, Ulta, Target and Starbucks (for a free drink) - all the good places...

We came home and rested a while and then got dressed up for dinner.

But first, it was candles and presents time (Briana wearing a new dress from her shopping spree)...

We did not eat the cheesecake that day, we knew we would be eating dessert out that evening.

We headed to Briana's request, Ruth's Chris...

School just started in our neck of the woods, so the place was practically empty that night. The food was delicious as always...

Briana received a number of birthday texts and also birthday FB wishes (via me - she doesn't have FB) - and she felt very special that day.

And we will be going on a vacation soon, so I guess that could be considered an extension of birthday festivities (sort of)!

Thank you to everyone who spent time and/or reached out to Miss B on her 19th and the days leading up to it.

Happy 19th Birthday Briana!

My amazing girl is 19 years old today. Last birthday in her teens. I cannot wrap my head around this at all. 

 

Just look at her growing up...

 

 She grew up so fast. I blinked. Why did I blink?

 

Happy, Happy Birthday to the most amazing daughter ever!