(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Pop Mart International Group, the company known for producing and selling Labubus, took a hit to its shares on November 7 after a live-streaming incident.

According to media reports, the decline in shares came after a Pop Mart employee was caught on camera holding a 'blindbox' made by the company suggesting it was overpriced during a live-streaming session on November 6.

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“The company is investigating the situation,” a Pop Mart spokesperson told Bloomberg News.

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The toy maker's viral dolls, known for their eerie smiles and "cute-creepy" aesthetic, led shoppers all over the world to stand in long queues for hours to get their hands on the Labubus before they sell out.

A blindbox, as the name suggests, is all about surprise. When you buy a Labubu doll, the box doesn't reveal which design or colour you will get. You don't choose the Labubu; the Labubu chooses you.

Labubus can sell for over Dh1,000 for limited editions, and the Labubus have sparked a wave of "inspired" merch, from cakes to keychains. After the dolls went viral on social media, shoppers flocked to their nearest Labubu destination.

The craze didn't stop at buying the doll, it was about unboxing, getting an entire collection, and sometimes even dressing up a Labubu. Earlier this year, a TikToker went viral after claiming to own the world's only 24k gold Labubu.

The monster-like doll was created in 2015 by Hong Kong-born, Netherlands-raised illustrator Kasing Lung, who drew inspiration from folklore to create a Nordic fairy tale picture book series, called The Monsters.

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