Can’t Buy Labubu? Some Turned to 3D Printing—But They Missed the Most Crucial Part

01 | The Labubu Craze: What Happens When Supply Can’t Meet Demand?

This popular IP from Pop Mart has once again swept the trendy toy circle. Labubu is not only hard to find at the first launch site, but the price in the secondary market has also soared, and some limited editions have even increased by more than ten times.

Faced with the current situation of "hard to get a draw", some people shared another idea in the online community and model circle:

| "If I can't buy the genuine version, then I will make one myself with 3D printing."

02 | Community play: 3D print Labubu model, but here is a "legal reminder"

Indeed, on platforms such as Reddit, Bilibili, and trendy toy forums, there are some DIY posts with "printing Labubu" as a gimmick. They upload modeling files (STL format), show the printing process, and even color themselves to create a "unique version".

But we must also solemnly remind:
⚠️ Labubu is a copyright IP, and unauthorized copying, printing, and selling of its image constitutes an infringement of intellectual property rights. Even if individuals print for "personal use", there are risks.

We hereby do not encourage or promote such infringements. The focus of this article is the changes in manufacturing methods caused by the trend of trendy toys, especially the rise of 3D printing in rapid prototyping and personalized production, and the key role of plastic raw materials in this process.

03 | What This Really Shows: A Shift in How We Design and Make Products

Why does Labubu trigger this phenomenon? Let's look at it from another angle:

  ・Original products are hard to come by → It has given rise to makers using printing to make "what they want"

  ・There are many creators → Small teams are starting to use 3D printing to make their own original IP

  ・Small batch demand ↑ → Large factories don't accept it, and 3D printing becomes a "OEM factory"

  ・Proofing efficiency must be fast → Whether the material is good or not directly determines success or failure

  ・So, whether it is printing Labubu or printing "original characters", what is really being stimulated behind this is:

04 | Filament Is Just the Beginning—Granules Are the Future

Printing is just a means, and materials are the basis for everything

In professional printing scenarios, many teams no longer use prefabricated filaments, but choose to directly use plastic raw material particles for printing (such as FGF process), the reason is very simple:

   ✔ Lower cost, suitable for from proofing to small batches

   ✔ Raw material color matching, softness and hardness are more flexible

   ✔ Toughness, transparency, feel and other properties can be adjusted as needed

   ✔ Easy to recycle or modify, more environmentally friendly

05 | What Plastic Resins Are Suitable for Designer Toy 3D Printing?

06 | Why Work With Us?

As a professional plastic raw material granule trader, we focus on serving emerging scenarios such as 3D printing, trendy toy manufacturing, maker models, and rapid proofing:

  ・Mainstream materials are all available: POE, PP, ABS, TPE, TPU, etc.

  ・Support color and formula customization: meet the dual needs of "visual + feel" of trendy toys

  ・Small batch fast delivery: suitable for maker studios, workshops, and start-up brand proofing

  ・Provide printing material matching suggestions: not selling materials, but providing solutions

07 | Final Words: Labubu Is Just the Beginning

Trendy toy manufacturing is moving from "factory" to "desktop", from large batches to "small and beautiful". The real threshold is not the modeling software, but the plastic raw material particles in your hands.

📩 Welcome to contact us for samples and suggestions, start with a particle, and achieve your creative products.