A city has reportedly officially banned Labubu dolls, as the wild conspiracy theories surrounding the viral dolls continue to spiral.
The little monster-elf looking plush toys have caused quite the commotion in recent months and have been flying off the shelves at record speed. For those not familiar with Labubus, they’re collectible furry dolls that come in a variety of different colours and collections.
The main appeal for most people is the ‘blind box’ element – meaning you don’t know which one you’ll get until you open up the box.
However, this detail is also party why the city of Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of north-eastern Iraq has put a ban on the toys.
According to local publication Rudaw, authorities have cited consumer exploitation and cultural concerns as the primary reasons behind the controversial move.
The director of Erbil’s commercial monitoring body, Hogir Ali, told the outlet that a large number of citizens have been scammed.
A city has reportedly banned Labubu dolls and around 2,000 have already been confiscated (Edward Berthelot / Getty Images)
He explained that sellers have reportedly been exploiting customers through the ‘blind box’ sales.
Ali said: “These sales tactics misled consumers, especially when lower prices were advertised for dolls that were unavailable, pushing buyers toward more expensive options.”
On top of this, cultural objections have also been raised surrounding the collectible fictional creatures.
Ali added: “The appearance of the doll is far from our customs and traditions.”
With their slightly creepy wide grin, pointy teeth and piercing eyes, we completely get the director’s point.
The article states that so far, roughly 2,000 Labubu dolls have been confiscated, and to drive home their point, legal action has been taken against six businesses so far.
On top of this, the Erbil provincial authorities and civil police are said to be fully behind the ban.
It comes amid a wild conspiracy theory linking the popular trinkets to a mythical demon (Bloomberg / Getty Images)
The ban also comes amid some pretty wild theories and scaremongering that’s been circulating the internet surrounding Labubus.
People online are comparing the dolls to a demon from ancient Mesopotamian mythology known as ‘Pazuzu’.
The mythological figure is often depicted as having a lion-like face, bird talons and wings and it even featured in 1973 horror movie The Exorcist.
As the dark theory gains traction, social media users are even going as far as confirming the dolls carry ‘demonic energy,’ as well as filming themselves burning the dolls.
However, others have joked that ‘satanic’ theories like this one are a ‘tale as old as time’ and have previously been applied to the likes of furbys and cabbage patch dolls.
And of course, the Hong-Kong born artist behind the dolls, Kasing Lung, has never likened the toys to anything of the sort.
The creator instead cites his inspirations as the whimsical folklore and Nordic fairy tales that he grew up with – which is a much more wholesome explanation.
