Hottest Toy Now Created by Hongkonger

The super hot Labubu doll that adults are clamouring to buy

Last week a brawl broke out in between a group of shoppers trying to get their hands on Labubu "monster" toys in the UK.

In a video posted on social media, several men throw punches at each other, while security guards desperately try to separate them.

Hong Kong-born Lung created Labubu in 2015

The men were trying to buy the highly coveted toys from Pop Mart, a Chinese toy store for adults. But after the melee, Pop Mart announced it would be pulling all of its Labubu plushies from its 16 UK stores until June to "prevent any potential safety issues."

What the heck is Labubu and why all the fuss?

Labubu is a mischievous monster with rabbit-like ears and a big grin showing his teeth. 

The creature the brainchild of Hong Kong-born artist Lung Ka-shing, 52, who created a whole family of the monsters in 2015. 

When he was young, his family moved to the Netherlands, where he became fascinated with Nordic folklore, which inspired Labubu and The Monsters, Zimomo, Tycoco, and Spooky.

"At that time, there were no game consoles or computers, so I had to draw dolls with a pen, so I had the idea of painting fairytales since I was a child," he said in an interview.

Blackpink's Lisa is a big Labubu fan

As an adult, Lung became an award-winning children's book illustrator in Belgium, where he created Labubu and The Monsters. They took off in 2019 when they were sold as plushies by Pop Mart.

But when Lisa, a member of the popular K-pop girl group Blackpink was seen with various versions of the toy last year, her fans could not get enough of Labubu.

And then the brawl in the UK broke out.

While my friend and I thought the fracas over this toy monster with bunny ears was crazy, our other friend wished he'd bought stocks in Pop Mart..

Chinese Art Collector Shot Dead

Guy and Myriam Ullens at the opening of UCCA in 2007

The art world is in shock following the death of Myriam Ullens, who was allegedly shot fatally by her step-son, Nicolas Ullens. Myriam Ullens was the wife of Guy Ullens, and the couple were well known for their massive collection of contemporary Chinese art. Myriam was 70.

The couple were in their car outside their home in the village of Ohain, south of Brussels when her step-son allegedly fired at her and she died at the scene; Guy Ullens survived the shooting. 

Nicolas and Myriam were apparently in a protracted dispute regarding the issue of inheritance.

Xu Bing's A Book from the Sky at UCCA

The Ullens' made a huge splash in the art scene in Beijing when they opened the Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art in 2007, and I attended the opening with colleagues when I worked at China Daily. 

We interviewed the couple and took in the extensive collection of art shown all over a renovated factory space in the 798 Art District.

Most memorable was Xu Bing's A Book from the Sky, featuring long scrolls suspended in the air, and numerous "ancient" books opened up to reveal a made up of 4,000 invented characters. They cannot be decoded, which raises fundamental questions about the Chinese identity and its relationship to the written word. 

The exhibition was fantastical with paintings, sculptures, installations, videos. One involved visitors going on a slide and seeing psychedelic colours along the way.

It was all quite a surprise to see this Belgian couple just open a museum in China, and not surprisingly it went through a lot of financial problems. Ten years later they sold the museum to a group of investors. They could have just sold the artwork at auction, but perhaps felt it best to keep the museum going if possible.

The museum is in a former Beijing factory space

Philip Tinari, the UCCA director released a statement on Thursday:

"The vision and passion of Myriam Ullens -- her love for art, belief in cultural exchange and commitment to helping others -- are at the core of UCCA's history and values. We are shocked and saddened by her death, and will remember her strength, style, creativity and generosity as we carry forward the work of the institution that she and Guy so generously founded and nurtured through its first decade."

She was born in Cologne, Germany, and worked in the food industry before marrying Guy in 1999, a Belgian businessman and baron. She had a fashion brand and had philanthropic interests.

Nicolas Ullens was apparently a former Belgian state security agent and is one of Guy Ullens' four children.