Remember Labubus, the furry dolls with oversized eyes and a mischievous grin that took the internet by storm in 2025? They are back in the headlines, but this time for all the wrong reasons. A labour rights NGO has revealed exploitative practices at one of the factories producing these quirky dolls, part of the popular toy line from Chinese company Pop Mart, which saw record-breaking sales last year. China Labor Watch (CLW), a New York-based organisation, found that Shunjia Toys in Xinfeng county, Jiangxi province, engaged in multiple labour violations, The Guardian reported. The factory, which employs over 4,500 workers exclusively on Labubus production, was found to hire 16- and 17-year-olds without providing the legal protections required for young workers. Investigators spent three months in 2025 interviewing more than 50 employees, including three under 18. “The underage workers also generally did not understand the nature of the contracts they signed, and had no clear concept of their legal status when asked,” CLW’s report said. The NGO also found that workers routinely signed blank labour contracts. “Workers were given no more than five minutes to complete the process and were told explicitly not to read or fill in other sections,” it added. Employees said that the production targets were unrealistic, with teams of 25–30 expected to assemble at least 4,000 Labubus toys per day. Chinese law limits monthly overtime to 36 hours, but workers reported frequently exceeding 100 extra hours each month. Shunjia Toys has an official annual production capacity of 12 million units, with plans to expand to 33 million by late 2025. CLW’s findings, however, suggest actual production already surpasses official figures, with two teams alone producing more than 24 million units annually. “This gap between planned capacity and actual output is not uncommon in China’s manufacturing sector,” Li Qiang, executive director of CLW told the Guardian. “When market demand rises rapidly, production often expands well beyond planned levels, with the resulting pressure borne directly by workers.” Labubus, part of Pop Mart’s “Monsters” line, generated 4.8 billion yuan (£511 million) in sales in the first half of 2025. Pop Mart’s CEO Wang Ning said in August that the company was on track to reach 20 billion yuan in revenue for the year. A Pop Mart spokesperson responded to the report. “At Pop Mart, we take the welfare and safety of workers at our [original equipment manufacturers] factories very seriously. We conduct regular, standardised audits of our OEM supply chain partners, including annual independent third-party audits carried out by internationally recognised professional audit firms. We appreciate the information brought to our attention and are currently investigating the matter. Going forward, Pop Mart will continue to strengthen supply chain audit and oversight mechanisms. Should the findings be substantiated, we will firmly require the relevant partners to implement comprehensive corrective actions in accordance with local laws and regulations.” The CLW further report noted that such labour issues are common in China’s manufacturing sector, where workers often endure long hours and low pay.
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