A Labubu Waffle Iron? Pop Mart Considers Small Appliances Next

Coming soon to an electrical socket near you. | Pop Mart

A Molly Lamp? A Skullpanda Coffee Machine? A Dimoo Blender?
(I’m Just Brainstorming.)

⏰ Thu, Jun 26, 2025 @ 6:30 AM PST
🐟 Published from Seattle, WA, USA
🔨 Built by Chase Burns Broderick

Pop Mart is reportedly expanding beyond designer toys into home appliances: new job ads in China show the Beijing-based company behind the global hit Labubu recruiting small-appliance product developers and R&D engineers. The pay ranges from 12,000 to 45,000 yuan per month (≈ approximately US $1,674/month to $6,278/month), depending on the role, on a 13-month cycle. (So, Redditers, don’t expect a Labubu griddle by next month.) Applicants for the leading role must have 10+ years of experience and a track record of launching at least three new appliance categories, such as kettles, breakfast makers, or desk fans.

Pop Mart job ad: “Small Home-Appliance R&D Engineer” opening in Shenzhen. | BOSS

Pop Mart CEO Wang Ning’s founding credo has always been that “uselessness” is the secret sauce: a toy that does nothing but delight stays desirable forever, whereas a gadget invites cost-benefit second-guessing. Back in 2019 he quipped, “If Molly’s head were a USB stick, nobody would buy her,” arguing that functionality kills romance and invites decay. Is this pivot to things like kettles and desk fans a signal of a changing playbook? Not necessarily. If Pop Mart wraps dependable hardware in limited-run, character-driven shells and sells them as art that happens to boil water, the emotional hook survives. In other words, the utility sits in the background while the collectible skin still triggers the impulse Wang celebrates.

This new hiring comes as Labubu’s popularity has driven a surge in the company’s share price. Pop Mart is simultaneously broadening its touchpoints—formally opening the first “Popop” jewelry store in Beijing’s International Trade Mall this month and establishing a film studio to launch the “Labubu and Friends” animation series, whose Season 1 script was registered earlier this year. Add these newly hinted kitchen-electrics and Pop Mart is in the middle of a clear evolution: from art toys to a mega-SKU lifestyle universe spanning home appliances, fashion accessories and entertainment.

Celebrities, They’re Just Like Us: Labubu-Less

Even megastars are chasing the elusive plush: yesterday Kim Kardashian’s nine-year-old son, Saint West, briefly hijacked his mother’s 356 million-follower Instagram account, first posting an IG Story begging viewers to “subscribe to Saint’s YouTube channel,” then replying to @popmart_us with: “hey it’s Saint i got my moms phone can i get some giant labubus and some rainbow teeth ones pls.” The stunt—which prompted Pop Mart to banter back and led to Saint’s YouTube page disappearing—marks his second such takeover recently and underscores just how hard even celebrity households find it to score the viral Labubu toys. Now that’s true luxury.

Saint West (from his mom’s verified account) tags @popmart_us on Instagram, politely requesting “giant Labubus” and “rainbow-teeth” versions.

One last thing: There’s a Pop Mart plane.