Visitors shop at a store during a pop toy show organized by Pop Mart in Beijing on August 2, 2025. Photo: Chen Qingrui/GT

 
At a recent pop toy show in Beijing, after detailed consultation, Russian collector Ilya Popov enthusiastically shook hands with a Chinese toy designer to finalize a 15,000-yuan ($2,070) purchase. 

Speaking to the Global Times, Popov praised China's dynamic consumer market and shared his perspective on the Chinese collectibles scene: "Artists here are trying to work together, but at the same time, each focuses on different aspects - like sorting everything into separate buckets based on design or rights. For most of us, if something works out, that's good enough."

Popov is among a growing number of overseas collectors drawn to China's trendy collectible toy market.

Global converge

At the Beijing toy show hosted by Chinese toy-maker Pop Mart, designers and collectors from many countries around the world gathered to tap into opportunities in China's booming intellectual property (IP) industry, as the country's consumer market expands and its supporting ecosystem matures.

China's market dynamism has drawn not only consumers but also increasing interest from international designers. From the fierce competition among Chinese and foreign IPs to the explosive popularity of Labubu, the combination of a massive, youth-driven consumer base and sophisticated IP incubation and promotion capabilities have become a powerful appeal for top creative talent worldwide.

Libby Frame, the US designer behind Peach Riot and a contracted artist with Pop Mart, told the Global Times that she was impressed by the creative freedom offered by the Chinese company and was pleasantly surprised by her large fan base in China. 

"This Chinese company gives each artist a great deal of creative freedom. You can really pitch anything to them. I've never worked with a company that gives this much room for artistic expression - it's been a fantastic experience," Frame said. 

Peach Riot has gained more popularity in China this year, which Frame said was exciting. She described receiving handwritten letters from Chinese fans as a particularly heartwarming experience. "It was so sweet," she said.

China's growing collectable toy market is also drawing many foreign toymakers. 

"In recent years, the trend in Chinese designer toys has become highly influential worldwide. With Pop Mart at the forefront, Chinese designs have a very distinct spirit with intense cuteness, along with interesting storylines and emotions," Mark Landwehr, a German designer and founder of Coarse, told the Global Times.

When discussing his impression of Chinese collectors, Landwehr said that the pieces they choose are often the ones they fall in love with at first sight, and that's exactly why he hopes people collect: because the sculptures resonate with them on a deeper emotional level.

"We are interested in connecting with people all over the world through our art, and we feel the best way to do that is to meet collectors in person. Getting to talk in person to the people who love what we do is one of the best parts of being an artist, and for this reason we continue to join China's pop toy show," Landwehr added. "It's great to meet old collectors who follow us since over a decade [ago], and we like to introduce the more classic approach in designer toys to the Chinese audience."

German pop toy designer Mark Landwehr and his team create a hand-drawn illustration for a Chinese buyer at the pop toy show in Beijing on August 2, 2025. Photo: Chen Qingrui/GT

 

Comprehensive advantages

China's appeal to international IP creators stems from the dynamic consumer market, efficient industrial ecosystem, and synergy in cultural innovation, Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. 

"Notably, China's young consumers have become a strategic pivot for the global expansion of international IPs," the expert said, adding that the social behavior of young Chinese consumers transcends geographical boundaries, increasingly shaping global IP creation and driving a trend where "China defines the trend and exports it globally."

The strong vitality of designers, consumers, and the market as a whole is mutually reinforcing, and China's market is currently fostering a virtuous cycle. Labubu's global success was not accidental; it is supported by China's comprehensive industry chain and a mature IP operations model, according to Wang Peng. 

China's designer toy industry has seen remarkable growth in recent years. China's pop toy market grew from 22.9 billion yuan in 2020 to 76.3 billion yuan in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of 35.1 percent. It is expected to reach 87.7 billion yuan in 2025, according to a report on news.cctv.cn published on July 30, which cited industry data. 

China's designer toy industry is poised for robust expansion in the coming years. Industry data showed that the market size of China's designer toys is expected to exceed 110 billion yuan in 2026, nearly doubling from around 60 billion yuan in 2023 and taking up around 20 percent of the global designer toy market, the Xinhua News Agency reported in April.

What's behind the rise of Labubu and the broader Chinese designer toy industry? 

Wang Ning, founder of Pop Mart, told the People's Daily in a recent interview that "China's excellent manufacturing industry and strong market can become a platform for artists around the world to incubate IP, incubating it in China and then going global."

China's flexible manufacturing enables small-batch, multi-style, and rapid-iteration production, breaking traditional mass-production constraints and boosting IP scarcity and visibility, Wang Peng, the expert, told the Global Times. By leveraging China's complete industrial chain and innovation ecosystem, international creators can scale regional success into global influence - an opportunity available to all who seek to connect cultures through innovation, he said.

Meanwhile, the younger generation of Chinese consumers seeks emotional resonance and cultural identity, and their strong social influence and demand for localization greatly support rapid validation, precise iteration, and scalable expansion for IPs, significantly reducing the trial-and-error costs, according to Wang Peng. 

"Data-driven IP incubation, amplified by diverse platforms and cultural integration, has fostered an ecosystem of localization, innovation, and global feedback - infusing IPs with unique cultural value," the expert said.