The POP MART craze is sweeping the globe! But founder Wang Ning isn’t content with relying solely on blind box sales. According to Nanjing Morning Post, POP MART has officially established a film studio and is preparing to emulate Disney’s success. However, their first step will be launching an animated series, starring none other than the hugely popular Labubu. In March, they registered the copyright for the script of Season 1 of the animated series “Labubu and Friends”, and the script itself was already completed back in January. This means fans can not only collect Labubu blind boxes, but also enjoy the Labubu animation.
POP MART holds numerous IPs including Labubu, Molly, Crybaby, Dimoo, Skullpanda, and Hirono, allowing for a variety of designer toys and peripheral licensed products. Combined with celebrity endorsements, these have quickly been monetized. However, as Labubu becomes a global sensation, discussions have arisen about whether POP MART’s main IP characters need stories and plots to support and further the appeal.
Industry insiders observe that Disney deepens fan loyalty through film and TV IP content, with gross profit margins reaching 3-5 times those of blind box products. It seems Wang Ning has taken note, beginning to diversify the development of POP MART’s IPs. Not only are they building a POP MART theme park, but they also plan to enrich existing hits like Labubu, Molly, and Crybaby with stories to give the characters more personality, further enhancing the profitability of related merchandise. “Labubu and Friends” will be their first step in this direction and will also lead to feature films starring these characters.
Source: Apple Daily