Labubu mini-fridges sell out before launch, signaling fandom-driven appliance demand

Pop Mart did not just sell out a mini-fridge. It used a mini-fridge to show that Labubu can still turn almost anything into a collector chase. The two Labubu-themed refrigerators, set to go live on JD.com at 10 p.m. on April 30, were priced at ¥5,999, or roughly US$830 to US$878, and demand hit hard before the release window even opened.

The numbers were ugly in the best possible way for Pop Mart. More than 16,000 reservations came in early, and later reporting put preorders near 38,000 for two limited designs. Depending on the report, each version was capped at 999 units, or the global limit was 1,998 units across both models. Either way, the math was brutal: demand ran at about 19 times supply. On resale platforms such as Xianyu, asking prices climbed to around ¥8,888 to ¥10,000, and some listings briefly spiked as high as ¥90,000 before easing back.

That is the bigger story here. Labubu is no longer being tested only as a blind-box figure, bag charm, or shelf toy. Pop Mart has pushed the character into lifestyle territory before, including its POPOP jewelry concept with Labubu bracelets, rings, and necklaces at multiple price points. The mini-fridge is the next step, and it marks Pop Mart’s first entry into the home-appliance segment as part of a THE MONSTERS lifestyle-series push. In other words, the company is trying to turn fandom into a household habit, not just a collectible habit.

The scale of that franchise makes the bet easier to understand. Pop Mart said THE MONSTERS generated ¥14.16 billion in 2025 revenue, up 365.7% from a year earlier, and accounted for about 38% of total sales. It was the first Pop Mart IP to cross ¥10 billion in annual revenue, which also explains why investors keep worrying about how dependent the company has become on one breakout property. Pop Mart has already signaled more IP monetization ahead, including new Labubu product lines, artist collaborations, a FIFA World Cup tie-in, and a film project with Sony Pictures that was in scripting.

The fridge launch also lands at a moment when Chinese appliance economics look less like a spec sheet contest and more like an emotional one. Samsung Electronics said in May 2026 it would stop selling TVs and home appliances in mainland China after 34 years in the market, while continuing to manufacture in China for export and keep its mobile and semiconductor operations there. Labubu’s instant sellout says Pop Mart has read the room differently: scarcity, identity, and resale heat can still beat pure utility, especially when the product arrives wearing the face of a cultural phenomenon.