Labubu lifts Pop Mart past LEGO as top traded collectible

Pop Mart has leapfrogged LEGO to become the most-traded collectibles brand on StockX, a shift recorded in StockX’s Big Facts: Current Culture Index on Jan 13, 2026. The surge was driven largely by activity around Labubu, viral character drops, collaborations that grabbed mainstream attention, and follow-on resale trading that pushed volumes across the platform.

The change matters because it highlights how narrative and scarcity now steer collectible markets as much as legacy scale. StockX leadership pointed to scarcity, storytelling and community as the key drivers of collectible brand performance, not only sheer size. For Pop Mart that combination has translated into frequent spikes in demand when new Labubu releases or co-branded projects hit the market, and higher turnover of secondary-market listings that once belonged primarily to big Western toy brands.

Labubu-driven drops have shown the classic blind-box economics: limited runs, chase variants and collaborative editions create immediate hype and concentrated demand. That concentration feeds resale activity, listings move quickly, floors climb for sought-after variants, and trading volumes swell during and shortly after drops. High-profile collaborations broadened Pop Mart’s reach, pulling collectors who track sneakers, streetwear and accessories onto the same secondary marketplaces and blurring category lines.

This shift sits within broader cross-category trends on StockX. Sneakers, apparel and accessories still anchor the marketplace, but collectible toys now plug into those audiences more directly, with crossover drops and influencer pushes. The result is more integrated demand curves: a Labubu collaboration with a streetwear label can lift both apparel and toy trades in parallel, increasing visibility and resale liquidity for the character and the partner brand.

What this means for collectors and sellers is practical and immediate. Verify authenticity and provenance before buying or listing; condition and packaging matter for resale value. Track release calendars and community channels to time entries and exits around drops. Factor storytelling and scarcity into valuations, not all releases behave the same, and chase variants often carry outsized premiums. For creators and local shops, this is a reminder that building narrative and community engagement around releases can be as impactful as large production runs.

The takeaway? Labubu’s boom shows the market is about stories as much as scale. Our two cents? Stay plugged into drop calendars, respect the chase, and lean on community signals when valuing pieces, that’s where you’ll spot the next Pop Mart moment before the resale floor follows.