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How LABUBU Became a Global Phenomenon？

MBA Marketing Lessons in Global Branding, Pop Mart IP, and Consumer Culture

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What you'll learn

  • Decode Pop Mart’s “toy empire” playbook—learn how cute figurines became billion-dollar cultural icons.
  • Build your own IP universe—where characters, stories, and fans co-create a living brand ecosystem.

 

  • Transform ordinary products into obsession-worthy collectibles that market themselves and go viral.
  • Evaluate global expansion tactics, from localization to re-localization, and design market entry strategies for creative brands.

Explore related topics

  • Marketing Strategy
  • Business Model
  • MBA
  • Digital Marketing
  • Marketing

This course includes:

5 sections • 33 lectures • 3h 34m total length

  • 3.5 hours on-demand video
  • Access on Podcast
  • Full lifetime access
  • Certificate of completion
     

Course Content

  1. Section 1: Cultural Symbols and the Psychology of Collectibles

    7 lessons
    1. Lecture 1: Who Is LABUBU?
    2. Lecture 2: The Rise and Monetization of the Trendy Toy Industry
    3. Lecture 3: The Economics of Cuteness: From Emotional Value to Brand Dependency
    4. Lecture 4: Trend Toys ≠ Toys: Redefining "Playthings" and Identity Symbols
    5. Lecture 5: Posting Labubu: Have Trend Toys Become the New Social Currency?
    6. Lecture 6: The Psychology Behind Blind Boxes: Why Can’t We Stop Opening Them?
    7. Lecture 7: How Designer Toys Strategically Harvest Desire

  2. Section 2: Pop Mart's IP Strategy and Organizational Capability

    7 lessons
    1. Lecture 8: The Casting System and Trial-and-Error Laboratory Behind IP Incubation
    2. Lecture 9: "It’s Not About Selling IP—It’s About Investing in the Future"
    3. Lecture 10: Brand Personification: How to Build a Projectable Character Universe
    4. Lecture 11: How IPs Anchor Emotion and Amplify Through Narrative
    5. Lecture 12: How Brands Can Leverage IP to Rebuild Their Own Identity
    6. Lecture 13: How to Build an IP Content Ecosystem: From Toy Universe to Semi-Open World
    7. Lecture 14: Dissecting Pop Mart’s "IP Asset Management Company" Model

  3. Section 3: Business Models and Growth Engines

    6 lessons
    1. Lecture 15: Supply-Demand Dynamics and Value Anchoring in the Designer Toy Industry
    2. Lecture 16: How a Niche Gimmick Evolved into a Billion-Dollar Industry
    3. Lecture 17: Lifecycle Management in the Designer Toy Industry
    4. Lecture 18: How Pop Mart Built Its Own Brand-Driven Retail Engine
    5. Lecture 19: Pop Mart’s Membership System and the "Community Points Trap"
    6. Lecture 20: How Pop Mart Captures Users Across Multiple Touchpoints

  4. Section 4: Internationalization and Cultural Export

    5 lessons
    1. Lecture 21: Pop Mart’s Global Expansion and "Re-localization" Strategy
    2. Lecture 22: The Global Differentiation Strategy of Designer Toy Brands
    3. Lecture 23: Comic-Con, Fashion Weeks, and Global Exposures
    4. Lecture 24: How to Build an Overseas Sales Network
    5. Lecture 25: How Pop Mart’s International Narrative Team Crafts a "Multicultural Brand Voice"

  5. Section 5: Organizational Capability and Product Operations

    8 lessons
    1. Lecture 26: When Product Becomes the Ultimate Marketing Engine
    2. Lecture 27: How Pop Mart Manages Artist Collaboration and IP Synergy
    3. Lecture 28: "Product-Centric Organization" and the Multi-Role Creative Collaboration Model
    4. Lecture 29: The Internal Horse-Racing Mechanism
    5. Lecture 30: NFTs, AI Avatars, and XR Immersive Interactions
    6. Lecture 31: The Rise of Healing in Designer Toys
    7. Lecture 32: Where Is Pop Mart’s Moat?
    8. Lecture 33: How to Build Your Own Designer Toy Business IP

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Requirements

  • No prior experience in business, design, or marketing is required.
  • Curiosity about brands, pop culture, and how creative ideas turn into global business success is all you need.
  • An open mind—ready to combine creativity, strategy, and a bit of playfulness to build the next big IP.

Description

How did a mischievous little character called LABUBU turn from a niche collectible into a billion-dollar global sensation?

This course takes you behind the scenes of Pop Mart’s rise—from blind box economics to global IP strategy—and reveals the business logic that transformed toys into cultural icons.

Designed at an MBA level, the course blends marketing theory, consumer psychology, cultural branding, and IP management with real-world case studies. You won’t just learn what happened—you’ll learn the frameworks, strategies, and creative business models that made it possible, and how you can apply them to your own ventures.

Across 33 in-depth lessons, you’ll explore:

  • The mechanics of blind box economics and why consumers pay more for “emotion than plastic.”
  • How Pop Mart manages artists, communities, and storytelling as long-term assets.
  • The role of membership systems, vending machines, apps, and pop-ups in building fan ecosystems.
  • How global strategies—from Tokyo to Los Angeles—turned LABUBU into a multicultural brand voice.
  • The future of collectibles in Web3, AI avatars, and XR immersive experiences.

Whether you are a marketer, entrepreneur, MBA student, creative professional, or simply a trend-watcher, this course will give you the tools to:

  • Decode the psychology of emotional consumption.
  • Master IP incubation and lifecycle management.
  • Design ecosystems where products become media and communities become growth engines.
  • Build your own culturally resonant brand or IP—perhaps even the next LABUBU.

By the end, you’ll see why Pop Mart isn’t just selling toys—it’s redefining the future of global consumer culture.

Join us, and learn how creativity, commerce, and culture intersect to create global phenomena.

Who this course is for:

  • Anyone who wants to master the intersection of creativity, commerce, and culture—and maybe build the “next LABUBU.”
  • Entrepreneurs and brand builders who want to learn how to transform creative ideas into scalable global IPs.
  • MBA students, business professionals, and marketers eager to explore cutting-edge case studies beyond textbooks.
  • Creatives, designers, and storytellers looking to turn characters, art, or narratives into sustainable business models.
  • Trend-watchers, pop culture fans, and collectors curious about how LABUBU, Pop Mart, and designer toys became global phenomena.

Instructor

Garbo Tian

Garbo Tian is a seasoned business strategist and cross-border education entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in entrepreneurship, investment operations, and institutional partnerships across China, the U.S., and Asia-Pacific.

She is the founder of a cross-border education company with RMB 100 million+ in cumulative revenue, where she built and led academic credit transfer collaborations with over 400 universities and colleges around the world. Her work has helped bridge global education systems, develop sustainable academic programs, and promote East–West learning partnerships.

In the business sector, Garbo has advised on entrepreneurship strategy, ESG integration, and post-investment management across sectors ranging from education to finance.

Garbo is a frequent speaker in both English and Chinese, having delivered over 1,000 professional talks to audiences that include executives, university faculty, policymakers, and international entrepreneurs.

Her academic credentials include:

  • Doctor of Education, University of Southern California (USC)
  • Master's in Economics and Management, University of York, UK

Garbo's courses focus on:

  • Strategic analysis of leading Chinese companies, such as Huawei, Haidilao, Pop Mart, and Xiaohongshu
  • Cross-border business models and how Chinese enterprises scale internationally
  • Real-world MBA-level case studies grounded in system thinking, policy frameworks, and institutional dynamics
  • Entrepreneurial ecosystems and innovation in emerging markets
  • Chinese Culture

Her teaching style combines rigorous research with practical insights, helping learners understand not just what works in business, but why it works—especially in the context of China's fast-evolving market environment.

Her courses are designed for:

  • MBA students and business professionals
  • Entrepreneurs seeking global growth strategies
  • Educators and policymakers interested in Asia's innovation models
  • Anyone looking to understand business logic through real cases

Garbo believes that in a complex world, clarity comes from connecting global strategy with local insight—and that great businesses are built by those who understand both.