Tariffs, Toys, and Transnational Youth: An IPE Analysis of Pop Mart’s Labubu Dolls Amid Rising U.S.–China Trade Tensions

This article examines the unexpected popularity of Pop Mart’s Labubu dolls among American youth amidst intensifying U.S.–China trade tensions and escalating tariffs on Chinese imports. Situated within an International Political Economy (IPE) framework, the study challenges conventional assumptions that tariffs suppress demand by raising prices. Instead, it explores how emotionally resonant, symbolically rich cultural goods can thrive under protectionist constraints—particularly when circulated within digital economies that reward affective expression and algorithmic visibility. Employing a qualitative, document-based methodology, the article draws from trade policy data, corporate financial reports, sentiment analysis, and digital culture literature. It argues that Labubu dolls operate not just as toys but as affective commodities embedded in rituals of collecting, sharing, and online performance. The study shows that tariffs, rather than diminishing demand, amplified the dolls’ symbolic appeal by enhancing perceptions of scarcity and emotional value.