Xinjiang Labubu dolls spark viral buying rush in Urumqi
A hand-stitched lamb doll at Jinquan Mall turned into Urumqi’s newest buy-now-or-miss-it craze, with some shoppers carrying out 10 at a time.
A small stall inside Jinquan Mall in Urumqi turned a soft lamb doll in traditional Xinjiang dress into the city’s hottest buy, with travelers heading there straight from the airport and leaving with bags full of customized sheep. The vendor, Abdulla Aimirila, ran the stand, where buyers picked hats, accessories and ornament colors before each doll was hand-assembled on the spot.
Netizens nicknamed the toy the “Xinjiang Labubu,” a label that stuck as videos and buying tips spread across RedNote and Douyin. The dolls wore Xinjiang-style clothing inspired by Atlas silk, topped with flower hats and gemstone ornaments, and visitors said they were paying as much for the personalized cultural experience as for the toy itself. Online users also joked that it was “China’s version of Mario.”
Aimirila’s interactions with customers helped draw an online fan base, and the shop shifted from an ordinary market stall into a tourist stop. Some visitors bought as many as 10 dolls in one visit, while others treated the lamb as a must-have souvenir tied to Xinjiang’s identity and Silk Road imagery.
Demand quickly stretched the supply chain. A Hangzhou-based handicraft company that made the miniature flower hats was running two dedicated production lines and producing about 13,000 hats a day, yet pre-orders were still booked through mid-July. Even during the five-day Eid al-Adha holiday, orders kept growing.
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