Labubu break-in: Thieves steal thousands of dollars' worth of viral dolls from LA store

Labubu's are currently the hot commodity, so much so that a group of masked thieves stole thousands of dollars' worth of the popular plush doll from a Los Angeles store.

This year has seen everyone become obsessed with the small, fluffy monster doll created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung in collaboration with Chinese retailer Pop Mart. The social media craze has even celebrities such as Rihanna, BLACKPINK's Lisa, and Dua Lipa all seen using them as a bag accessory.

Now, an LA resale shop has been a victim of a pricey break-in where thieves were captured on camera ransacking the place, but not for cash or any other stock, but rather escaping with a load of Labubu's (it's not clear how many were stolen).

"There was a lot taken, maybe like around $30,000 or more of inventory," Joanna Avendano, co-owner of One Stop Sales, told ABC News Local 7. "We worked so hard to get to this point, and for them to just come in and, like nothing, take it all away, it's really bad."

The footage was shared on One Stop Sales's Instagram, with the caption: "Today we got robbed, and they took all of our inventory, trashed our store, we are still in shock, if you guys can share this post please and help us find these thief’s!"

The crime occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning, when the suspects entered the store by smashing through the front door.

Avendano also expressed her belief to the publication that the break-in was planned, as she recalled noticing a suspicious truck parked near the store the night before the crime occurred.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department are currently investigating the burglary.

In a statement, the department said, "Several boxes of Labubu dolls were stolen, valued at approximately seven thousand dollars," as per NBC News.

As a result of their popularity, the dolls have become highly sought after, with some of them being listed at up to $500 on the store's website.

Elsewhere, Authorities issue warning over dangers of buying fake Labubu dolls, and The rise of Labubu: Meet the quirky collectables taking over social media.

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