Helen Bach
27 May, 2025
Opinion

Helen Bach Column: Why are people fighting over Labubu dolls?!

Oooh, I suddenly feel a little bit old - I haven't got a clue what's number one in the charts, what's trending on Tik Tok, and I'd never even heard of a Labubu doll until it was reported in the press that people were physically fighting over them in shops!

Labubu photo by David Kristianto on Unsplash

I'm guessing I'm not alone in this, so I will briefly share with you what my research has gleaned - basically picture a doll which looks a bit like a shrunken Cabbage Patch kid wearing a hooded baby-gro, which people are then collecting and attaching to their bags because the likes of Rihanna and Dua Lipa have done exactly that.

Yes, I don't get it either, but then I'm guessing we're not exactly their target market? But it did get me thinking - what were the 'must have' things that were around when we were younger?

At this point I'm going to re-visit my obsession with the Evel Knievel stuntcycle set that I never personally owned, but would play with when somebody else brought theirs into school on the last day of term when you could bring a toy from home; (remember that? Almost as exciting as when the TV trolley was rolled into class!).

Oh, it was brilliant - wind the handle, set it against the ramp and watch it take off before hurtling across the classroom floor, narrowly avoiding the Teacher's ankles!

I hear the kids these days all want these Stanley drinking cups - I'm all for staying hydrated, but paying around £45 for a glorified/modified fancy flask with integrated straw? No thank you!

But I do have fond memories of my Kermit the Frog Roughneck Thermos which I took to school. They were supposedly unbreakable, but I'm fairly sure a lad in my class decided to prove that wrong!

So while trends change, and items seem to get a lot more expensive, kids have always wanted the 'latest thing' which all their friends have too.

Just retain your dignity and don't go scrapping over them in shops please - it's not a good look!