Be wary of fakes as the year-end holidays approach. Customs announced this Thursday, October 30, that it had seized nearly 56,000 counterfeit toys in the Paris region in September, including thousands of fake Labubu stuffed animals, these small Chinese figurines that have gone viral, “during specific controls in express and postal transport.”
“Several pallets from Belgium containing more than 7,392 stuffed animals and 8,624 counterfeit packaging” were seized by customs agents from Combs-la-Ville in mid-September at a transport center in the Seine-et-Marne, customs said in a press release.
A few days later, it was his colleagues from Aulnay-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis) who obtained more than 7,700 stuffed animals “in a merchandise warehouse in La Courneuve”, the statement continues. “The investigation reveals that these products were destined for a company in Aubervilliers,” the press release details.
Produced in limited quantities by the Chinese retail chain Pop Mart, Labubu (pronounced “La-bou-bou”) are usually sold in “mystery boxes” where the buyer does not know which model is inside. The craze for these plush toys has caused runs on the more than 400 Pop Mart stores around the world.
Keep an eye out as Black Friday and Christmas approach
According to customs, “stuffed animals with images of popular characters, but also figurines, collectible cards, keychains or electronic accessories, are among the most counterfeited items today.”
Customs services ask to be on the lookout for these counterfeits “as the end of the year and periods of high consumption approach”, in particular “Black Friday” and Christmas.
Tens of thousands of these fake stuffed animals had already been seized during the summer, of which only 25,000 “looked like a Labubu brand counterfeit” on a truck coming from Great Britain, customs announced in early September. In 2024, Customs seized more than 21 million counterfeit items, according to its annual report.
Source: BFM TV
