Recently, Labubu has exploded in popularity worldwide, sparking a frenzy of buying and speculation. Originally priced at just a few dozen dollars, Labubu blind boxes are being traded in the secondary market for hundreds or even thousands of dollars, with some hidden variants fetching prices in the tens of thousands. In some regions, conflicts have even arisen due to the rush to buy, forcing Pop Mart to suspend local sales to maintain order. This phenomenon reflects the power of the "cute economy": a plush little monster transcends its toy attributes to become an emotional anchor and identity symbol for young consumers, igniting community enthusiasm.
Industry analysis points out that when consumers resonate emotionally with "cute" products, they not only do not reject marketing but are also willing to actively participate in spreading the word; this emotional connection can accumulate user loyalty and enhance stickiness. The success of Labubu is based on this logic: it evokes resonance through its ugly-cute image, creates surprise and urgency through blind boxes and scarcity, and forms a self-propagating effect through community sharing.
This article will take the rise of Labubu as an example to analyze the underlying user psychology, cultural symbolism, and participation mechanisms, and explore how this mechanism can be migrated and recreated in the Web3 project CyberCharge. CyberCharge integrates the essence of the "cute economy" into blockchain applications through designs like the AI Doggy character, interactive games, and token incentives, creating new user stickiness and community atmosphere.

The Labubu Phenomenon: The "Cute Economy" in Trendy Toys

The ugly-cute image of Labubu, with its unique and quirky design, has captivated many young fans. Labubu is an IP character signed by Pop Mart in 2019, a plush little beast with a mischievous grin and an eccentric shape, quickly gaining popularity among Generation Z with its anti-traditional "ugly-cute" aesthetics.
As a typical case of the trendy toy "cute economy," the consumer frenzy sparked by Labubu is remarkable: new blind boxes often sell out instantly upon release, and the extremely low probability of hidden variants leads to skyrocketing values; scalpers hoard stock to inflate prices, with the second-hand market seeing prices multiply by dozens. International stars like Rihanna and Lisa publicly showcase Labubu, further intensifying the global fan frenzy. On social media, fans eagerly share their Labubu unboxing photos, treating them as "social currency" for bragging and communication.

User Psychology and Participation Mechanisms: From Blind Boxes to Identity Projection

The Labubu phenomenon contains multiple psychological mechanisms that cleverly engage users:

• Blind Box Surprise: The blind box sales allow consumers to enjoy the thrill of unboxing, with each purchase offering a chance to draw a rare variant, driving fans to buy repeatedly due to this uncertainty.
• Functional Absence Becomes Value Anchor: No one would spend over ten dollars for a Labubu that can be used as a USB, but precisely because it has no practical use, it is endowed with the meaning and symbolic value of "pure collection."
• Scarcity Temptation: Limited releases and hidden variants create a strong sense of scarcity, triggering users' FOMO psychology. Once they believe "if I don't buy now, it will be gone," fans will rush to purchase.
• Community Resonance: Labubu quickly forms a fan community effect. Fans showcase Labubu on social platforms, using it as "social currency" for bragging and interaction. The participation of celebrities and influencers amplifies this heat.
• Emotional Projection: Many young people see Labubu as their "emotional companion" or subcultural symbol. Surveys show that 65% of Labubu owners regard it as an emotional anchor.
  The "ugly-cute" image resonates with their anti-mainstream aesthetic self-expression, and owning Labubu becomes a projection of unique taste and sense of belonging.
  In summary, Labubu has evolved from a toy into a cultural phenomenon by leveraging the synergy of surprise stimulation, scarcity FOMO, community hype, and emotional anchoring. In this model, users are willing to pay for happiness, companionship, and a sense of recognition, allowing the product to gain emotional premiums beyond its practical value. However, brands still need to enrich content and maintain ongoing operations to sustain user enthusiasm over the long term.
  

CyberCharge: Activating Web3 Stickiness with AI Cute Pets

CyberCharge transforms complex blockchain participation into a daily nurturing game through AI Doggy. By transplanting similar psychological gameplay into blockchain applications, users feed energy to their virtual dogs, complete tasks, and watch them grow and upgrade within the mobile app daily. This seemingly simple nurturing interaction actually records user behavior and provides token rewards. Users do not need to understand the technical principles; they simply participate in daily interactions as if caring for a pet, becoming part of a decentralized network.
CyberCharge also incorporates mini-games and other elements within the app to enhance entertainment and interactivity. These designs create emotional stickiness for users towards CyberCharge: opening the app daily to play with their AI dog has become a routine, not just for rewards but also as a means of digital companionship and maintaining personal rhythm.

To enhance user stickiness, CyberCharge draws on the design of the cute economy: through leveling up, scheduled feeding, and token rewards, users gain feelings of companionship, growth, and achievement through their participation. At the same time, the quality of AIDoggy gradually evolves into a symbol of users' digital identity. Just as hidden variants in Labubu blind boxes represent scarcity and status, AI Doggy in CyberCharge also has different levels and gender settings, with these dimensions corresponding to different rarity and symbolic meanings.
On a deeper level, CyberCharge is attempting to transform Web3 products from cold, lifeless devices into warm virtual companions, completing the transition from node economy to emotional economy. The cute anthropomorphic interface lowers the participation threshold for ordinary people and imbues user behavior with emotional significance, meaning users are no longer just there for profit but are enjoying the process of companionship and interaction.

Conclusion

From Labubu to CyberCharge, we witness how the "cute economy" transcends mediums to ignite user enthusiasm and shape community stickiness. Whether it is the surprise collection of physical blind boxes or the companionship interaction of digital cute pets, it all stems from users' desires for emotional fulfillment and social recognition.
This mechanism provides brands and projects with powerful user mobilization capabilities, acting in the name of cuteness while achieving commercial ends. However, to sustain this enthusiasm over the long term, continuous value must be provided beyond novelty. The craze for Labubu has prompted brands to delve into content like animation to extend IP lifespan. Similarly, Web3 projects need to balance short-term incentives with long-term ecological construction to avoid user attrition due to profit-seeking. It is certain that the emotional connections represented by the "cute economy" will continue to influence various industries. When technological products incorporate human warmth and drive user participation through cuteness, we open a door to the future of digital life.