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After months of teasing, Pop Mart, the toy retailer behind last year’s Labubu craze, has confirmed the opening date for its permanent new brick-and-mortar store at Dolphin Mall. A representative tells New Times the shop will open on Saturday, September 12, opposite the mall’s food court near the Bass Pro Shop.
The new store will be Pop Mart’s second permanent South Florida location. In June, the brand opened its first local shop at Pembroke Lakes Mall. Robo Shops (Pop Mart vending machines) stocked with the brand’s wares can also be found at Sawgrass Mills, the Galleria at Fort Lauderdale, and Westland Mall. Last year, at the height of the viral Labubu phenomenon, a pop-up vending machine at Dolphin Mall became the most sought-after place to procure the creepy-smiling plush toys.
Founded by Chinese billionaire Wang Ning, Pop Mart launched as a variety store in 2010, but from the start, toys were always its best-selling product. In 2014, the company dropped its other products to focus exclusively on toys and collectibles.
Pop Mart’s shift also coincided with rising interest in blind-box toys among Western consumers. Popular in Asia for decades, blind boxes contain toys, but buyers don’t know what they’ll get until they open the packaging. The selling strategy pushes customers to keep buying more boxes in order to collect all the variations, or until they get the exact toy they want.
Pop Mart’s true ascent into cultural saturation came with Labubu, a line of collectible toys designed by Hong Kong-based artist Kasing Lung. The retailer partnered with Labubu in 2019, and by 2024, the toy had become a viral sensation. Blackpink’s Lisa is credited with sparking the toy’s viral craze after she posted an image of a Labubu attached to her handbag. Then came endorsements from the likes of Rihanna, Dua Lipa, and Naomi Osaka — and the rest is history.
Though the craze has cooled, Pop Mart’s inventory isn’t solely limited to Labubu. There’s Molly, Crybaby, and Hirino, and the brand often does crossovers with popular pop culture brands like Disney, Harry Potter, Sanrio, and SpongeBob SquarePants, as well as K-pop groups like Aespa and Riize.
Pop Mart. 11401 NW 12th St., Miami; simon.com. Opening September 12.
