“WITH their creepy smiles, beady eyes and garish fur coats, Labubu dolls have become the latest must-have toys for millions of children. When the collectible dolls went viral, riots broke out in overcrowded toy shops, stores around the world were raided, and the market was flooded with fakes. But we can reveal the shocking truth behind”, — write: www.thesun.co.uk
When the collectible dolls went viral, riots broke out in overcrowded toy shops, stores around the world were raided, and the market was flooded with fakes. But we can reveal the shocking truth behind the trending toy – with armies of underpaid children being exploited in filthy, disease ridden Chinese factories.
Labubus were created by artist Kasing Lung and licenced by designer toy company PopMartCredit: Alamy
Dua Lipa is among the celebrities seen collecting the dollsCredit: Goff
Tuberculosis broke out at the Shunjia Toys factoryCredit: Supplied Struggling to survive on meagre wages in prison-like conditions, underage workers sleep in overcrowded dormitories and are ordered to chant sinister slogans.
Forced to work six days a week, complaints are ignored and they are slapped with hefty fines if they dare to take toilet breaks too often, or try to quit.
A horrifying new investigation has revealed the chilling practices which are rife at Shunjia Toys Co. Ltd. in Xinfeng County – one of the largest manufacturing facilities where 4,500 teenagers are paid a pittance to produce a staggering 182,000 dolls for PopMart every day.
Investigators discovered an army of child workers in the sprawling Chinese compound had been duped into working long hours without breaks after signing blank contracts.
Reflecting the soaring demand of the plush keyrings, young assembly line workers said they were given unrealistic production targets, with teams of 25-30 workers each expected to assemble at least 4,000 Labubus a day.
Chinese labour law limits monthly overtime to 36 hours, but the new China Labor Watch (CLW) investigation found that workers often worked more than 100 additional hours each month churning out the popular pocket-sized monsters.
Shunjia Toys has an official production capacity of 12 million toys per year, with plans announced in late 2025 to expand to 33 million.
Labubus became the must-have toys last summer after being spotted dangling from designer handbags belonging to the likes of Rihanna, the Kardashians and Paris Hilton.
But Elaine Lu from the CLW report Labubu Unboxed said: “The factory is likely to have forced labour happening.”
To add to the dystopian nightmare, factory workers were forced to arrive early for unpaid morning meetings that emphasised the importance of strict discipline and meeting production targets.
During these bizarre meetings, staff were ordered to collectively chant slogans such as: “Good, very good, extremely good, getting better and better.”
On the factory floor, four massive workshops are running 60 high-speed lines to keep up with the global demand.
Investigators interviewed 51 factory employees from the assembly, machine sewing, hand sewing and injection moulding departments.
Exhausted staff who work six days a week, said it was like being “in prison” due to the “extremely demanding work” and “low pay.”
Steel buckets of rice and soup were placed on the floor for workers’ mealsCredit: Supplied
Far from home, workers live in bleak dormitoriesCredit: Supplied Toxic fumes and disease But sadly, low pay is only one symptom of broader labour practices that systematically exploit workers to keep production costs low.
Desperate workers are so poorly paid – earning just £21.38 per day – that they plead for overtime, which bosses withhold as a form of punishment.
Workers as young as 16 years old, who should be subject to special labour protections, were found to be grinding through a whopping 100 to 145 hours of overtime per month.
Although the legal maximum for overtime is 36 hours, adults are also subjected to the same high intensity regime.
If bosses decide workers are slacking, they deliberately withhold overtime opportunities as a punishment – slashing their wages.
Recruitment adverts do not reveal the full horror inside the factoryCredit: Supplied
Rihanna was seen with a Labubu on her bag in February 2025Credit: Goff
Kylie Jenner’s daughter Stormi has an impressive collectionCredit: instagram/kyliejenner Disease is rife in the unsanitary factories. Staff reported contracting tuberculosis – a serious bacterial infection – after just a month in the factory.
Workers believed it was spread by the hazardous machinery as injection moulding, spray painting and packaging workshops are all particularly bad for inhaling toxic fumes.
Alternatively, the filthy conditions in the staff canteen could be to blame.
The factory is likely to have forced labour happeningElaine Lu, China Labor Watch
But despite many of its workers falling ill, the factory does not grant sick leave – or annual leave for that matter.
Workers also described the food and accommodation as inadequate, overcrowded and unsanitary, with just two cafeterias serving the 4,500 workers.
Some departments were given ridiculously short lunch and dinner breaks, with just 30 minutes to dash to the canteen, queue up for a free vegetarian dish or pay extra for meat – on the rare occasions that there was any left.
Overcrowded dormitories Many workers live so far from the factory they have no choice but to live in squalid, overcrowded dormitories where they have to split the water and electricity bills.
During busy seasons, dispatch workers ,who make up 30 per cent of the workforce despite the legal limit being 10 per cent, are shipped off to even worse accommodation.
In addition, workers claimed they could not use the bathroom or drink water any more than TWICE per four hour shift.
One worker reported being verbally reprimanded by a team leader for using the bathroom twice within one hour, being told: “The whole line, you’re the laziest.”
Labubu toys produced at the Shunjia Factory, Xinfeng County Filthy conditions But it is almost impossible for workers to quit. And the resignation process appears to be unnecessarily complicated.
Staff routinely signed vague labour contracts, where details like pay and hours are left blank, having only been allowed a few minutes to look over the documents, and the entire onboarding process lasted no longer than an hour.
A key concern for Elaine was that if employees want to leave before the first three months of their contract is up, they would be slapped with a hefty fine or penalty.
She said: “If workers want to leave early, within the first three months, they would have to pay an $85 fine.
“That’s just simply making workers not want to go.
“They have no choice but to stay, especially because their wages are already so low. So any kind of fine or penalty is considered a lot for a worker. “
She added: “Some workers mentioned there were other fines for up to 2000 RMB (£213.15). So, if they lost a small tool, they’d be charged a higher amount of around $285 (£211.65). That’s ten times the daily wage of a regular worker.”
They have no choice but to stay, especially because their wages are already so lowElaine Lu
Workers admitted they felt deterred from even attempting to quit or collect their outstanding wages.
Any complaints of sexual harassment or verbal abuse were frequently ignored.
Elaine, who has undertaken a dozen investigations, added: “We hope that PopMart adheres to its ESG commitments and looks at the labour law inside mainland China and adheres to that.
“So that encapsulates working hours, overtime hours, making sure that the use of dispatch workers is within the legal limit of 10 per cent and then providing personal protective equipment for workers and managing fines and penalties.
“They [bosses] really, really hurt workers’ pay.
“And of course, sexual harassment and grievance mechanisms need intervention when found and follow ups afterwards.”
Company boom Created by Kasing Lung, the toys were then licensed by designer toy company PopMart in 2019.
Five years later, a K-pop idol from the band Blackpink flaunted them on Instagram and the domino effect began.
Now, limited edition Labubus can sell for up to £7,422 on secondary markets. Otherwise, Labubus typically retail for £14.80 to £22.30.
Meanwhile PopMart has been lapping up its financial growth.
In the third quarter of 2025 alone, overseas revenue grew by 370 per cent, and Pop Mart’s chief executive Wang Ning said the company was on track to meet its revenue goal of £2.65 billion.
There is no suggestion that Kasing Lung nor Wang Ning were aware of the practices going on in the factory.
But this would not be the first time factory workers have been treated appallingly.
The whole line, you’re the laziestSupervisor to worker
Last year, China-based fast fashion firm Shein found itself under scrutiny.
A bombshell investigation alleged that workers at Shein supplier factories were developing blisters from walking 30,000 steps a day, and also working into the early hours of the morning to meet “crushing inventory” demands.
It goes to show how extreme market competition in China leaves suppliers with little choice but to comply.
A spokesperson for Pop Mart said: “At Pop Mart, we are deeply committed to the wellbeing and safety of all workers within our supply chain.
“We conduct regular, standardized audits of our OEM supply chain partners, including annual independent third-party audits carried out by internationally recognised professional firms in accordance with mainstream industry standards.
“We take the information brought to our attention seriously and are currently investigating the matter. Our commitment to responsible and ethical manufacturing remains unwavering, and we will continue to strengthen oversight and engagement across our supply chain to address potential gaps.
“Pop Mart is dedicated to operating with transparency and to the continuous enhancement of our ESG practices. We welcome ongoing feedback and supervision from all stakeholders as we strive to build a more sustainable supply chain ecosystem.”
Shunja Toys could not be reached for comment.