NEW YORK - Despite the choppy global trade climate, China's toy-makers have remarkable resilience, with Pop Mart leading a striking advance in Western markets.
The frenzy has gone viral, with one American influencer proclaiming that "Chinese toys are absolutely killing it overseas" after filming long queues outside a Pop Mart pop-up in Los Angeles recently.
According to its Q1 2025 earnings report, Pop Mart's first-quarter sales surged 480 percent year-over-year in overseas markets.
The Beijing-based firm, known for selling collectible "designer" toys like Molly and Labubu, reported explosive growth abroad: Sales in the Americas surged by 900 percent, in Europe by 600 percent, and in the Asia-Pacific by 350 percent.
Analysts said Pop Mart's secret to drawing 1.2 million annual visitors to its flagship stores worldwide also lies in its "blind box" model - a sealed package sold without revealing its contents. This taps into the thrill of suspense and surprise, turning shopping into an experience that fuels collector obsession and keeps customers coming back.
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Meanwhile, Pop Mart's "crafted" intellectual property (IP) strategy, collaborating with well-known brands while developing its own proprietary IP, helps deepen consumer loyalty and boost brand identity.
As an IP-driven toy business, Pop Mart boasts an in-house design team creating original characters, while partnering with Disney, Universal, Warner Bros, Sanrio, the NBA, and Western artists who blend street art, pop culture, and fine art - developing products with broad global appeal.
Besides, Pop Mart holds the reins throughout its entire supply chain, from development and production to sales, keeping it resilient amid shifting trade winds. With its production remaining firmly under its watch in China, such control keeps it agile and reinforces its ability to command premium prices.
Other Chinese toy brands have broadly adopted similar strategies while breaking new ground in Western markets, market analysts and strategists have said.
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"Western retailers face a paradox," Li Bin of the Henan Academy of Social Sciences told US media. "Replacing China's mature supply chain could take three to five years and $20 billion in investment - for toys that may be obsolete by then."
