On April 30, an intriguing incident occurred at Chaoyang Park in Beijing. The crowd, some of whom had been waiting for months, was greeted by a mascot dressed as a furry, pointy-eared Labubu. After a year of renovations, Pop Land’s Labubu Forest Zone had just reopened, and the line to enter stretched through the park’s tree-lined walkways, feeling more like the line outside a sneaker drop than a theme park entrance.
Despite Pop Mart International Group’s partial closure of the park through 2025, visitor numbers increased by over 70%, with 58% of visitors coming from outside Beijing. This fact should cause anyone paying attention to pause. Even a park undergoing renovations attracted those kinds of crowds. It’s not a question of whether people will attend now that it’s back. The question is whether what has been constructed is truly worth the discussion it is sparking throughout the Pacific.
A pirate ship, a drop tower, and a carousel are among the new amusement rides in the renovated park, all of which are centered around Labubu and Dimoo. On paper, the pirate ship, known as Flying Labubu, appears to be an almost ridiculous ride. A proud Labubu elf stands at the bow, seemingly guiding the crew through the waves, and the hull is adorned with Nordic-style totems and rough wood textures. Employees clap beneath it in time with specially composed music with a Labubu theme when it swings. Even if you’re skeptical of the entire phenomenon, it’s theatrical in a way that’s difficult not to find a little endearing.
What started out as the straightforward, palpable excitement of opening a mystery figure has developed into a comprehensive way of life. Collectors are looking for real-world community, shared spaces, and multisensory environments rather than just purchasing goods. Nestled inside Chaoyang Park, sometimes referred to as Beijing’s Central Park, Pop Land is wagering that this hunger will last long enough to establish something more enduring than a fad. The Labubu Adventure Forest, which has a four-story focal point called Molly’s Castle, is one of the park’s themed areas. It operates more like a massive, walkable blind box than a conventional amusement park. Despite the unusual pitch, it appears to be landing.
There is a very pragmatic reason why American collectors are taking notice. Pop Land offers park-only Labubu blind boxes, plush figures, and accessories that aren’t available at regular Pop Mart stores or via the Pop Mart app globally. These items specifically draw devoted collectors to Beijing. For years, Labubu’s resale market has been fueled by this scarcity mechanism, which now encompasses an entire physical location. It’s a smart move that transforms a trip to a theme park from a leisure excursion into a collecting event.
The company that makes the furry monster collectible toys, Pop Mart, has publicly expressed its desire to emulate Disney and establish Labubu as a household brand with genuine longevity. It’s possible that the business is getting a little ahead of itself with that ambitious comparison. Observing this, however, gives the impression that the ambition isn’t wholly misguided. Due to limited releases, secondary market value, and partnerships with well-known IPs like Disney and Sanrio, demand for Labubu figures is still strong in Asia, Europe, and North America. There are also rumors of a movie deal with Sony Pictures. A true franchise’s infrastructure is quietly coming together.
Dedicated areas for Skullpanda and other characters will be added to the park’s Phase Two, which is scheduled to start construction in 2027. This is a direct commercial bet to increase fan engagement and generate new revenue streams outside of merchandise. Pop Mart’s ability to maintain its momentum will likely determine whether that expansion happens on time. At its height, Labubu was a once-in-a-decade phenomenon—the kind of natural celebrity-driven craze that no business could produce on demand. Igniting it is one thing; maintaining it is quite another.
Even so, it’s difficult to ignore what Pop Mart has created when you stand close to the entrance of that reopened forest zone and observe guests posing next to enormous Labubu figures with the same level of dedication typically reserved for Disneyland photo spots. The Labubu effect has already caused American toy and amusement supply companies to adjust their forecasts in response to the blind box phenomenon, which has altered consumer expectations. The next logical development in that narrative is the theme park. The theme park industry, from Orlando to Anaheim, would probably be better off not ignoring it, even though it’s still very much up in the air whether it becomes a footnote or a blueprint.
