A shipment comprising over 11,000 counterfeit Labubus posing as LED light bulbs was intercepted at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials.
These imitation versions of the sought-after dolls, valued in the thousands, came to light during an inspection of incoming air cargo on August 26, as reported by NBC News.
The shipment, which originated in South Korea, contained 11,134 fake dolls that would have been worth around $513,937.76 if they were real.
CBP issued a statement confirming that the confiscation occurred after officers identified that the items breached federal laws against unlawful imports and infringed intellectual property rights.
If the 11,134 counterfeit Labubu dolls had been real, they would be worth nearly half a million dollars. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
Collectors can usually spot fakes by telltale signs like overly bright colors, missing holographic Pop Mart stickers, or the wrong number of teeth.
Authentic Labubus always have nine.
CBP officials praised their officers’ work via a post on X.
“Outstanding effort by our vigilant and thorough CBPOs!” Brian Humphrey, CBP’s director of operations in Seattle, wrote, adding with a touch of humor: “P.S. we’re still on the lookout for the one and only 24K GOLD Labubu.”
CBP also chimed in.
“Fake Labubus are not welcome in America,” the official CBP X account posted. “Thanks for the good catch Seattle!”
Fox News Digital has reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for comment.
