The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in the UK has reported that over £3.5 million worth of fake toys have been seized by the border officials this year alone, with an astounding 90% of the affected products being copies of the viral Labubu dolls.
The fact that 259,000 items were seized has raised serious safety concerns as the testing has shown that 75% of the fakes do not pass important safety inspections, due to choking hazards and poisonous chemicals.
The IPO has initiated a campaign, “Fake Toys, Real Harms,” to inform parents and gift-buyers of the hidden dangers lurking behind the low prices of counterfeit products.
The campaign highlights that the products do not comply with the required safety standards, which directly endangers the lives of children.
“These products have bypassed every safety check the law requires, which is why we’re working with our partners to keep these dangerous fakes out of UK homes,” said Helen Burnham, the IPO’s deputy director of enforcement.
The Labubu craze has been making waves on social media and has become a prime target of counterfeiters.
Although they are usually sold as adult collectibles, the dolls have gained great demand among children. It has been so high that the official retailer Pop Mart has already halted in-store sales in the UK citing customer conflict claims.
Governments are encouraging people to only purchase products of reputable retailers, check for the UKCA/CE safety labels on packaging and to notify trading standards about suspicious products.
The IPO emphasized that the Labubu trend is only the tip of the iceberg as counterfeiters are going after a broad variety of toys that are popular.
