People Are Claiming Labubu Is Satanic For The Most Ridiculous Reason

Labubu ― the doll created by Beijing-based toy manufacturer Pop Mart ― is many things: a viral sensation, a toy that’s fetched as much as five figures on the secondary market, an “ugly-cute” phenom (look at those little serrated teeth and maniac eyes!), a fashion darling.

But are these fuzzy guys also “agents of Satan”?

Some spooked parents and a handful of Christians on TikTok and X have said that the mini stuffed animals are demonic and inspired by Pazuzu, a Mesopotamian god who hasn’t gotten this kind of name recognition since it was featured in the “The Exorcist.”

In both William Peter Blatty’s novel and the 1973 movie adaptation, Pazuzu is the dastardly spirit that possesses young Regan. Later, Pazuzu starred as the demonic statue that Homer Simpson accidentally orders thinking it’s pizza in one “Treehouse of Horror” episode of “The Simpsons.”

Now, he’s apparently taken over Labubu.

“You need to know what you’re inviting in your home,” TikToker The Spilled Tee said in one viral video. ”[Labubu dolls] could be a modern-day vessel for a demon god worshipped thousands of years ago, and I’m not just guessing about that.”

Egads! Should you be worried that your Labubu-obsessed kid or girlfriend is going to become possessed by their Labubu née Pazuzu, and start vomiting up pea soup at you, a la Regan? Probably not! But it is interesting how certain people have latched on to this internet myth and how fear of Labubu plays into old, familiar patterns of satanic panic.

The truth is, the lore of Labubu is pretty sparse. The dolls are characters from the “The Monsters” series, which was created in 2015 by Kasing Lung, a Hong Kong-born artist now based in Belgium. Lung has said the series is inspired by Nordic mythology that Lung gravitated to as a child.

“I spent a lot of time reading in the library to improve my Dutch,” Lung told China Global Television Network (CGTN). “After my studies, I was preparing to become an artist. I always thought about my childhood, what I’ve read and what I’ve always loved. So I’ve always come up with something related to the fairy tales and what I loved so much when I was a kid.”

Dramatically, Lung did say “Labubu is in my soul. It dares to do the things that I want but don’t dare” ― but nothing about Pazuzu.