The Labubu craze has hit one store owner where it hurts. Joanna Avendano, owner of One Stop Sales in La Puente, California, was dismayed to discover her shop had been cleaned out of the wildly popular dolls. Avendano said her store had only been open for two months when the break-in occurred. Security footage shows four masked men smashing their way into the shop and walking off with armfuls of Labubu dolls. “There was a lot taken, maybe like around $30,000 or more of inventory,” Avendano said. “We worked so hard to get to this point, and for them to just come in and, like nothing, take it all away, it’s really bad.” The suspects conducted their raid at approximately 1:30 a.m. Avendano was awoken to the robbery-in-progress by a notification on her security app. She watched helplessly as the thieves loaded up on Labubus, ignoring electronics, cash, and other merchandise. The dolls were created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung and have been popularized by celebrity fans, including Rihanna and Dua Lipa. A single doll sold in late July for $105,000. Los Angeles police are investigating the matter and Avendano is using her Instagram account to appeal for help.
