Labubu fan fury after dolls pulled from stores

Labubu is a quirky monster character created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung, and popularised through a collaboration with toy store Pop Mart.

Since gaining celebrity status they've gone viral as a fashion accessory.

In the UK, prices can range from £13.50 to £50, with rare editions going for hundreds of pounds on resale sites such as Vinted and eBay.

Pop Mart said it was working on a fairer system for when the toys return to its shelves.

But fans on social media were not happy at the decision to pull the dolls.

"It's your fault for drip feeding stock to us that's caused this hype," one commented on Pop Mart's Instagram post.

Others vented their anger at resellers.

"Buyers are re-selling them for £100 for one Labubu, which is unacceptable. How come they get to buy and other people can't?!" one said.

"Sooo upset that resellers ruin everything," replied another.

Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said Pop Mart's restricting stock and selling the dolls in blind boxes had led to the fan frenzy.

"But the big crowds building on stock drop days have clearly become a costly headache to manage," she said.

"Out-of-control crowds could affect ultimately the brand's playful and fun appeal which is likely to be why sales have been paused," she said.

She warned the suspension would probably lead to demand building up and more attempts to buy the dolls online - but they sell out within seconds.

"It could also push more fans to resale sites, but counterfeit Labubus are being sold, so there is a risk customers could be duped into buying fakes.''

Sarah Johnson, the founder of consultancy Flourish Retail, said suspending sales was "a strategic decision".

Collectible brands like Labubu use scarcity as "a powerful tool", she added.