Most of us will remember a coveted, collectible toy that whipped us into a frenzy when we were young. It might have been Cabbage Patch Kids, Polly Pockets, Beanie Babies, Furbys or more recently LOL dolls and Squishmallows.

Toy crazes are nothing new. For me, it was Trolls. I was far from deprived as a child, but my mum was no fool and didn’t humour Trolls at all; they were overrated and overpriced, end of story.

I do remember wistfully browsing in Browse-a-While on the Main Street of Letterkenny and marvelling at their cheeky little faces, neon hair – and naked bums! Trolls were strange looking critters, but they sold worldwide in their millions.

The latest toy craze appears to be Labubus. I first became aware of them a few months ago when parents started messaging Letterkenny Babies Facebook page, wondering where they could be sourced. And then Labubu boxes started cropping up near the tills in local shops.

And then, I found one lying on the ground at a summer camp and I got my first good look at a Labubu. It was about the size of a bag of sugar, although it wasn’t heavy. Little plastic hands and feet with a furry body – and a devious looking face with pointy teeth poking out of a crooked smile.

I couldn’t see the attraction, but my kids were enthralled to see one up close. “That’s worth €50, Mammy!” they gasped. “It’s a real one – a secret Labubu! Look at the tag and the stamp on its foot!” We handed it in to the summer camp in the hope that it will make its way back to a little owner.

More and more since then, Labubus have been cropping up on my social media news feed and it seems they really have taken the world by storm.

I looked them up and learned that Labubu dolls originated from the art toy scene, specifically from the popular ‘The Monsters’ series by renowned Hong Kong-based designer, Kasing Lung. These quirky figurines were initially part of the collectible art toy market, known for limited-edition releases and long queues at specialty stores. But thanks to viral social media exposure and growing interest from younger fans (aka, our darling children), Labubu has now made the jump from niche collector’s item to mainstream toy craze.

Each doll features the signature Labubu look: wild fur, a wide grin with exactly nine teeth, and those unmistakably cheeky eyes. Designs vary widely, making them highly collectible.

Like every other toy craze before it, the real appeal of Labubus is lost on us grown ups. Kids just want them – simple as that.

Many Labubu dolls are released in limited batches, often in ‘blind bags’, where buyers don’t know which version they’ll get. Kids will have seen their favourite YouTubers opening these blind bags and enjoyed the grand reveal of it all. That’s probably part of the appeal, anyway. The toy’s viral popularity means your kids will know all about them, one way or another.

Rather than spending money buying more and more Labubus for your kids, you could encourage them to draw pictures of Labubus, or even write a story inspired by them. Or, you could just do what my mum did with the trolls back in the day and say ‘No!’

Thankfully, I’m none the worse off for my lack of trolls!

Louise Flanagan is an admin of Letterkenny Babies Facebook page and the author of the children’s book series, Dragonterra and Dream Beasts. www.dragonterra.ie