Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - Ep 1226 | I Went Down the Labubu Rabbit Hole So You Don't Have To

Starting point is 00:00:00 Our Laboo Boo's demonic also is gentle parenting on its way out. We've got all of this and more on today's episode of Relatable. And also, if you love this show, please make sure that you are subscribed across all platforms, including YouTube. It helps us out a lot. It keeps the lights on for us and allows us to give you free content that you love. Today's episode is brought to you by our friends at Good Ranchers. Go to Good Ranchers.com. Use code Alley at checkout for a discount.

Starting point is 00:00:29 That's Good Ranchers. code alley. Hey guys, welcome to Relatable. Happy Monday. Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and that you're having a great start to your week. Do I look a little brighter for those of you who are watching on Spotify and YouTube? We've seen some feedback over the past couple of years that it looks dark to you on your screen and I started to notice that myself, that I always felt like I had to turn up my screen brightness to be able to see this show more clearly. And so I hope this helps. We're going to kind of play around with the lighting over the next couple weeks to make sure that it looks top notch, maybe add some depth behind me. I love my set and the lighting and all that good stuff.

Starting point is 00:01:18 I think it looks great, but we're always trying to make it look even better and easier and more enjoyable for you to watch. Also, if you notice what I'm wearing, if you're watching on Spotify or YouTube, I'm wearing my new merchandise. This is a little embroidered R that matches the R of the relatable brand that you can see over there on the wall. And on the back it says plant seeds that bloom in eternity. That was something that we talked about on an episode not too long ago. And you guys said that it meant a lot to you, the monologue that we had about that, that is how we can discern how best to use our time,

Starting point is 00:01:59 the things that we should actually focus on and the things that we should forget about. is this a seed that we're planning in this moment that will bloom in eternity? Anything that you do in raising your kids, disciplining your kids, anything you do for the glory of God will be a seed that blooms in eternity, the time that we waste, that we all waste, just scrolling or consuming things that don't matter. Those are not seeds that will bloom in eternity. And so we need to think about how we are spending our time, the world. words we are saying, the energy that we are expending through that lens. And this shirt, which I love,

Starting point is 00:02:40 we'll put up a picture of the back of it. It's just a good reminder of that. We've got all different kinds of merch available to you brand new through Carly Jean Los Angeles. We combined forces with them to make these awesome shirts and totes and hats. You can go to Alliemerch.com and you can check them out. All right, let's go ahead and get into it. We got to talk about Labububoos. Do you know what a lobooboo is. If you don't know what a loooboo is, that's okay. You are probably like me and you have no real reason to know what it is, aside from the fact that everyone else seems to be talking about it. I would not be bringing this information to you. However, if it were not relevant to you, especially as a parent. And maybe you've got little kids like me and so they are

Starting point is 00:03:26 totally unaware of what's going on on TikTok and cultural trends. But it does say something about where our culture is, what we actually value, and the kinds of forces that are influencing the young people who are going to be our future neighbors and teachers and voters. And I do think that this is a significant cultural moment that we should analyze. And it's also just good to know about the things that are really popular and whether they are things we should promote and be okay with whether they're neutral or whether they're bad. So I will give you my analysis after just explaining what the heck a Laboo Boo Boo is. So it's a plush monster doll character. Okay, a plush monster doll character will put up a picture. You've maybe seen it before. It was inspired by a Hong Kong author and

Starting point is 00:04:19 artist Kasing Lung's book series called The Monsters. It's a trilogy. And the Labuobu doll is based on one of the characters in that book series. But now the Lubbubu has become this global collectible craze. And that is because it is sold by a Chinese company called Potmart. It started being sold by them in 2019. They are very good at making their products go viral. One of their strategies is selling collectibles in what's called a blind box format. So where buyers discovered the specific color or design of the product only after opening it,

Starting point is 00:05:03 and that just creates this excitement. People like to make social media content out of that. And that has been a big precipitant of Laboubu's rise since the character turned into this plush doll. This is not only happening all across Asia. It was a craze there first, but of course this is now coming to the, U.S. It's become a fashion statement. People attach them as key chains to their purses, to their strollers, to their belt loops. It really gained momentum after celebrities like Dula Lipa and Rihanna started wearing them in public. And then, of course, TikTok has boosted this trend.

Starting point is 00:05:47 But you've got a lot of people wondering, okay, like, what is behind this craze? Why is it so popular. Why are people so obsessed with it? I'm talking next level obsessed with it. And some people have drawn a connection between Laboo Boom and a Mesopotamian demon that in its depictions has a very similar face to Laboubu. And some people are even just saying, I think that this movement, this trend, and maybe the dolls themselves are demon possessed because the people that own these dolls seem to not be okay. So I will give you a biblical take on that as well as just some facts about what Labubu actually is and stands for. But first, let me show you the level of obsession that I'm talking about here if you haven't seen it.

Starting point is 00:06:42 Here's someone. I'm gagging. All right. So just as a note, these are not. kids in these compilations. These are grown adults. One was a grown man, I believe, and the others were grown women unboxing this genuine excitement about opening this little toy and whatever color it was, I guess, is really amazing to them. This is according to the Times. There are 2.2 million TikToks using the hashtag Labu-boo and Pop Mart, that company.

Starting point is 00:07:52 from China that's selling it raked in $423 million last year from these dolls alone, up 729% from 2023. Last month, a mint green four-foot version of Lubbu. Fetched $150,000 at an auction in Beijing. Already this summer, New York, has been subjected to a Labubu fashion show, a Labibu Rave, Labuobu Pride, and a Labuibu Ice Cream Social. Okay, here's what a Labuobu fashion show is. This was the Labu Bihubu link up in New York City. They actually had a professional tattoo artist tattooing Labubu's. It was in Washington Square Park and actually a lot of people showed up.

Starting point is 00:08:40 There was a competition for the best Labubu accessoryized outfit. It pretty much turned into a runway, a Labuobu runway. Okay, once again, these are adults. We've got this advertisement for a Labibu Rave in Edmonton. Sorry, but it already happened. And then we've got Labuibu Pride, a pride event and a drag show that was happening in Brooklyn, New York. That was Laboo themed again. All grown adults doing this.

Starting point is 00:09:12 There's definitely a conversation to be had here about the links between this and the real-life baby doll phenomenon that we talked about last week with just perpetual adolescence of adults in how absolutely disordered and damaging that is for a society when you have grownups that refuse to grow up. So a little bit more about Lubu until you get into some theological and cultural analysis will tell you what the character is that it's inspired from and why you're. people are asking this question, is this demon possessed? But let me go ahead and pause, tell you about our first sponsor for the day. And that is Every Life. Y'all, I love our

Starting point is 00:09:58 Every Life diapers. They're the only diapers that we use in our home. Since I started working with Every Life and they started sending diapers, it is literally the only brand of diapers that we use. I've tried everything else. All of those clean brands, those high-end brands, the regular brands that you can get in the grocery store because I want them to be clean material. But I also want them to really work. It's not great if you have a diaper that doesn't work. So I've tested Every Life against the competitors and I am telling you that Every Life diapers are the best. They have a great capacity. They have great materials. And the best part is Every Life is a pro-life diaper company. Unfortunately, that's not true of most diaper companies. They take your money. They donate

Starting point is 00:10:47 to pro-abortion politicians and even Planned Parenthood, you don't have to worry about that with every life. They are using the dollars that you send them to not only make amazing products, but to support their pregnant and adopting employees, and to create these buy-for-a-cause bundles that sends material resources to pregnancy centers that help pregnant moms in need. So it's just a win all around. You can even subscribe, get your box of diapers and wipes to your front door every month.

Starting point is 00:11:16 You can use my code Allie 10. You'll get 10% off your first order. That's EveryLife.com code Allie 10. Okay, let's talk a little bit more about where Laboooooooo came from. So as I said, Laboo Boo Boo is a character in a trilogy, the Monsters Trilogy by a Hong Kong author and artist. And in this trilogy, Labou Boo Boo is a little mischievous but kind-hearted elf. So you can see what the keychain itself looks like. It's got these big kind of saucer-shaped eyes.

Starting point is 00:12:00 And it's kind of got a furrow in its brow, but this big, wide grin, like I would call it ugly cute. And this is one of the keychains, but of course it comes in all different kinds of colors. Some are more scarce than others. This Monsters trilogy that was launched in 2015 by K.S. lung. It's a fantasy picture book series using minimal text and black and white illustrations. It's also very scarce. It has an extremely limited print. They're seen as collectors' items.

Starting point is 00:12:34 And that kind of scarcity, of course, always promotes interest and intrigue and demand. One storyline involves Labuobu's playful relationship with Tycoco. a shy skeleton character who is her boyfriend, often the target of good-natured pranks, just to kind of give you an idea of like what this character is. She is the main character of the series and she is described as, you know, she's this mischievous monster,

Starting point is 00:13:07 but she causes chaos. And she has good intentions, however, but she is this person that, or this elf, this monster that's always causing problems. Casing lung. moved to the Netherlands when he was seven and that is where he developed what he calls this kind of fascination with Nordic fairy tales and folklore and so his traditional or his stories that he wrote

Starting point is 00:13:34 and the depictions that he drew were kind of based on these Scandinavian and Germanic pagan culture stories this includes gods like Odin and Thor creatures like trolls and elves and tales and tales about bravery, fate, magic. And so that's where he got his inspiration for this trilogy that includes the phenomenon of Laboo Boo Boo. He started creating, or maybe he didn't start creating, but he partnered with a company that started creating these Labubu Dolls back in 2015. But then Pop Mart took over in 2019, and that is when they became this global trend of these collectible figures. online, a Laboo-Boo dolls sell out in minutes whenever Pop Mart announces, okay, we've got a new

Starting point is 00:14:25 Labibu doll. It kind of reminds me of the Stanley phenomenon when everyone was trying to buy a Stanley and they would sell out and you did, you had people like collecting, you probably still do all these Stanleys and these Stanley accessories and these Stanley charms. I mean, Bree and I even fell prey to that just a little bit. I mean, we weren't collecting them, but we were trying to get our these kinds of things just work. Like the feeling of scarcity and that there's something unique and something collectible about it, it just works on people psychologically. It's the same kind of psychology that plays into someone's mind when they're gambling

Starting point is 00:15:04 and not knowing what you are going to get and knowing that there's only so many prizes or like winning chances to be able to get or to give out. It's the same kind of psychology at work here. at physical stores, like there's a Labibu store in Los Angeles fans line up for hours, sometimes overnight. For new releases with stores limiting purchases to prevent scalping, let me just show you a video, again, of adults in a Pop Mart line. So it's a Pop Mart line, not a Pop Mart store, not a Laboo specific store. But this is in Los Angeles. They put it on Instagram already, but no one is budging.

Starting point is 00:15:48 No one wants to go home. They posted everything and no one's trying to take off anywhere. They're like, fuck that. We're going to bombard this place or something. Okay. There was a rare Labibu doll that was sold on eBay just last week for $10,500. It's a Laboooooo on a skateboard. And there are also fake Labooboos dubbed Lafoufus that are being sold and I guess people are being

Starting point is 00:16:18 tricked by this or people are okay with the knockoff. Labibu sales in North America surge 900% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the previous year, reflecting the trends hold on U.S. consumers. You've got a few celebrities, like I said, who have been showing their libuboos. We've got a K-pop singer here. We've got Duelipa. She's got her liboo hooked on her purse. And we've got Rihanna, who also has her.

Starting point is 00:16:48 Laboo-boo on her, what it looks like, a Louis Vuitton. Now, is this here to stay? Probably not. Just like everything else, there's going to be a peak. It's going to crest, and then that wave is going to die down. But also, the Chinese government seems to be wanting to intervene here. According to CNBC, I just thought this was interesting. On June 20th, 2025, China State run People's Daily, that's an outlet, published an editorial,

Starting point is 00:17:16 urging stricter regulations on Blind Bactoire. and box toys and trading cards, specifically targeting sales to children under eight, proposing measures like age verification at payment and mandatory parental approval for online purchases. Although Popmart was not named, the editorial criticized businesses for encouraging young children to spend heavily on blind cards and mystery boxes and model central to Popmart's business as well as companies like Pokemon. Following the editorial, Popmart's share price dropped 12.1% in the week ending in June 20th, 2025, despite the initial drop Pop Mart's stock is recovered, reaching levels close to its mid-June 2025 all-time high.

Starting point is 00:18:00 So China says that they want to shield its own children from addiction to blind box toys, but Pop Mart has grown so much here, and obviously those regulations wouldn't have a huge effect on America. and so they can probably recover any loss that they endure in China by just becoming more popular here and elsewhere. And I think it's interesting. China obviously tyrannical government, we shouldn't trust what they say. They don't typically have good motivations behind what they're doing.

Starting point is 00:18:36 So I'm certainly the last person to give the CCP credit. But they are pointing out a real problem. that this is kind of a predatory business strategy, especially if you are targeting children. Now, you could argue that they're targeting adults and as misguided as it may be, adults can do what they want to do. I don't know if it's true if Pop Mart is targeting adults or not, but they are toys. And you could see how there are probably a lot of children who obsess over these things, especially when you've got the collectible aspect of it, especially when you have these like blind, this blind box strategy. So it's, it's true that these companies should not be preying

Starting point is 00:19:20 upon the naivete, the impressionability of children in this way, but also it's a parent's job. It's a parent's job to say, no, we're not going to do that. And we'll get into more of that in just a second. All right. Here's the big question. Is it actually a demon? Is it, is Laboooooooooo-a, an iteration of a Mesopotamian demon called Pizzou. Is there something actually satanic, intentionally satanic behind this? But first, let me pause and tell you about two things. Number one, share the arrows brought to you by our friends at every life. Y'all, you are not alone.

Starting point is 00:19:59 It might feel like you're alone in disabling your kids. It might feel like you are the only one who cares about pushing back against darkness. It might feel like you're the only one that takes cultural. political, theological issues seriously. And you're tired of feeling like you're just making these things a big deal and people are telling you to just calm down, to not take everything so seriously. Look, there are thousands of women like you who, yes, are joyful and fun and love to enjoy the blessings that God has given them, but they also realize that darkness and evil exist and that it is our job as moms as women to protect the vulnerable.

Starting point is 00:20:40 against that. If you want to be recharged, if you want to be challenged, if you want to be equipped, if you want to find like-minded women to be friends with forever, you've got to come to share the arrows. We have surpassed the number of tickets that we sold last year. And so 4,000 of you are already coming to share the arrows. I'm so excited. But y'all, let's get to 5,000. Let's see if we can do it. Share the arrows is October 11th. We don't have that much time left. But let's see if we can get 5,000 women gathered together, being led and worship by Francesca Badasselli, being filled with the word of God and challenged by the Holy Spirit. Go to sharetheaeros.com. Get your tickets today. Bring your mom, bring your mother-in-law, your sisters, your friends, your small group, or come by yourself. That's sharetheaeros.com. All right, before we get into this question about the demonic aspects of Labu-Boo, let me also tell you about good ranchers.

Starting point is 00:21:38 Love good ranchers so much. We rely on it every night in the Stucky home when we're eating at home, which is almost every single night. We love their better than organic chicken. We love their fillets. We love their ground beef. It's all so good. I love that it's all from American farms and ranches. So you can support this American industry, which is not what you're doing when you're buying most meat from the grocery store, which mostly is actually imported from abroad, even when it's got a sticker on there that says made in the USA. You're also supporting a Christian family-owned company. They want to glorify God. They want to help this American industry of farmers and of ranchers. And so it's just a win all around. Get that all-American meat delivered to your front door on dry ice every month. Go to good ranchers.com. Use code alley at checkout.

Starting point is 00:22:31 You'll get $40 off. Plus, you will also get free meat for the life of your suburb. subscription. And so they'll do a free add-on of meat for the life of your subscription. That's good ranchers.com code alley. Okay. So for the past few months, critics online, critics of Laboo Boo Boo have connected the Laboooo character to a Mesopotamian demon. Pizzou, noting the similar appearance specifically the mischievous grin. You've got the big eyes right there. This also reminds me of that one kid's book. I can't remember. Oh, what is it? Where the wild, oh, no, it reminds me of where the wild things are. Yeah, it reminds me of that. I don't think that's

Starting point is 00:23:20 demonic. I don't know. I haven't looked into it. But, okay, so people are saying also the name is similar. You've got the same number of letters. They almost rhyme. Pizzu was known as the king of the demons of the wind and controlled the west and southwest winds that could bring plagues and famine. So people are saying there's also some similarities there because Labu-boo, even though she's this kind of innocent elf, she is also creating chaos in the books. Though he was considered an evil underworld demon, people would pray that instead of bringing destruction, he would use his power to protect them. And so again, we kind of see a similar theme. We see this troublemaker in Laboo-Boo-Boo, who is actually depicted as kind-hearted and good and innocent. And then you've got Pizzu, this

Starting point is 00:24:07 demon over here who is a dark kind of lord of the winds who creates chaos that people are hoping underneath it all has a kind heart that he will use to protect them. They would keep charms of Pizzouzziu. This is according to, this is according to world history encyclopedia. They would also keep charms of Pizzou in their homes and pregnant women would wear them around their necks according to God's demons and symbols of ancient Mesopotamia in illustrated dictionary by Jeremy Black. So also similar there, keeping kind of icons and depictions of a particular mischievous person that they hope bring some kind of good fortune. Now, I'm not saying everyone who owns a Luboo is doing it because they think it's some kind of talisman, but there does

Starting point is 00:24:57 seem to be an obsession that would lead me to believe that there is a deeper belief here about the power and value of Labibu and what this character can add to their lives. However, Pizzuzu is not, there's not a direct correlation here. It's not a direct comparison. Like there are some stark differences. For example, he's male. Labubu is supposed to be a little girl. Pizzuzu has wings, the talons of a bird, also some weird descriptions of genitalia. but people are still saying even if it's not supposed to be Pizzuz. Like I would also say it's also just possible that in Nordic mythology, there are some similarities with Mesopotamian mythology and probably Roman and Greek mythology too.

Starting point is 00:25:48 Like paganism and mythology, they're really not all that different across cultures. And so I don't know if it is a purposeful reiteration of Pazoozy. Zuzu, the demon the way some people are saying, although I do think Pizzuzu and Labubu sound so similar that it's not the craziest thing to surmise. But even if this comparison is not legit, there are people on TikTok who are claiming that their Labuibu is possessed. One TikTok video shows a little girl claiming her doll's eye color is changing and that its smile seems to be growing bigger. This TikTok has over 7 million plays. I'm not going to show it because it is. is a child who should not be on TikTok, by the way.

Starting point is 00:26:34 Where are your parents? So we're not going to show that, but that exists, people making those kinds of claims. There's also a TikTok user named Tori Halford that threw two Laboo Boo Boo dolls away after she said she almost died the day after she purchased them. Here's Sot 3. I mean, who knows if this is even real? That looked a little dramatic.

Starting point is 00:27:03 But she believes that there was some kind of misfortune that was brought upon her. She doesn't even say what exactly her near-death experience was because she purchased this Laboo-Boo doll. And then you've got another TikTok user named Jessica who burned her Labibu for, quote, ruining her life. Stop 5. Okay. Again, are they being serious? Are they just trying to make content that they know will get a lot of views? I don't know.

Starting point is 00:27:46 Some Christians, however, have said that they, so, well, I don't know. This person is Catholic. And she said that she's taken her Lubbub to church and that she is showing her doll at Mass and that she asked her priest to give the doll a blessing. Here's up for her. May Father, please bless this plushy. So it will be a source of evangelization of outreach, especially to those who are most persecuted. It's through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Starting point is 00:28:18 Okay. And for my Catholic listeners out there, I am not showing that to this. say that this is what all Catholics are doing at all. Okay? That's not the point of showing that. I'm sure there are a lot of people in all different kinds of churches doing weird stuff. Just showing you an example of a very popular TikTok video that we saw that shows something very strange happening there. Here's the thing. Is this doll demonic? I don't know. I don't think it is possible for something to be demon possessed for an object to be demon possessed. I think of 1st Corinthians 8 when Paul tells Christians that they are

Starting point is 00:29:01 free to eat meat sacrifice to idols because there is only one true God. And let me just be clear. I'm not saying that this is justification for buying Lubbuboos. I'll tell you why you shouldn't do that in a second. But when we're talking specifically about this idea that these TikTokers are purporting that these objects are demon possessed, I think that is superstition and not a a biblical understanding of the powers that exist. There's only satanic power that is absolutely true. That's Ephesians 2. He's the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience among whom we all once walked. Okay. That's Ephesians 2. Satan works through people. He absolutely does. But then on the other side, we have the power of God. And the power of

Starting point is 00:29:50 God will once and for all defeat Satan. He is stronger than the power of Satan, but those are the only two powers that exist. Nothing is actually neutral. However, do these powers infuse inanimate objects? I do not believe that is something that happens or that we should be worried about. So the reason why I'm bringing up this passage of Paul, 1 Corinthians 8, 4 through 6, he's talking about meat sacrifice to idols, should we eat it? He says, we know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, he says, yet for us there is but one God the Father, from whom all things came, and for whom we live. And there is but one Lord Jesus Christ,

Starting point is 00:30:44 through whom all things came and through whom we live. He does emphasize, though, the reason you wouldn't eat food sacrifice to idols is because it could cause your weaker brother to stumble. But the point he's making here is there is no inherent power in those icons or in those idols. They can't hear, they can't see, they don't have power in and of themselves. We don't need to be scared of them. They are just objects.

Starting point is 00:31:17 And we worship the Creator rather than the creature. And the Creator is blessed forever. Amen. That is Romans 1. However, we are warned against idolatry. And this, of course, is an Old Testament command against idolatry. The Lord your God is one. That is what we read in the Old and the New Testament reiterated by Jesus himself. but also we are commanded to have no other gods before God.

Starting point is 00:31:50 We read in Exodus 23 through 5, you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them. A lot of people need to understand that this is a big commandment that still applies to us today. for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. Wow, that's really serious. In 1 Corinthians 1014, we read, Therefore, My Beloved, flee from idolatry. Galatians 519 through 21. Now the works of the flesh are evident, sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, envy, drunkenness, or, and things like these. I warn you as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Colossians 3.5. Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you,

Starting point is 00:32:52 sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness, which is idolatry. First John, 521, little children, keep yourselves from idols. So that is my problem with one of my problems with Labibu's, is that it encourages idolatry, that this fixation on materialism and collecting that which is here today and gone tomorrow is unhealthy. So from a biblical perspective, this is absolutely idolatrous. Now, is it possible for you to buy a Labibu and not worship your libibu, not be a part of the craze? Maybe you bought it before all this craziness. You just thought it was cute. Of course it is possible. Again, that object in itself does not possess power, but I would say it is part of a greater trend, this kind of scary, creepy toy that is kind of marketed as a child's toy, but also

Starting point is 00:33:54 targeting adults. It's a trend that I find very culturally disturbing. So, for example, there are these different dolls that fit this category, Monster High Dolls. This is created by Mattel, where you have these witches, these very scary looking dolls that, again, are for children technically, but they are also being purchased by adults. You will remember in 2022, Balenciaga faced a lot of backlash. We had this whole episode on it. We'll link it in the description for featuring children holding teddy bear bags in bondage gear. Of course, this sparked accusations. think well-founded accusations of promoting child exploitation, even Kim Kardashian, who has worked with Valencia for a long time, had something to say about it. I'm sure that was just a PR statement, but she did actually say something, which, you know, it's because it was a result of such,

Starting point is 00:34:54 you know, bipartisan outrage about this. Understandably, if you don't know what BDSM gear is, I won't explain it to you, but just know it has to do with sexual violence. And the children and these advertisements were carrying around these little plushy bears that, again, looked kind of cute, but kind of scary in BDSM gear. And then there also, if you remember, there were all kinds of things. There was a Supreme Court case, if I'm remembering correctly, that was in one of these advertisements and like papers strewn across a desk in one of these pictures that had to do with child pornography, like of all of the papers and all of the court cases to put in an advertisement,

Starting point is 00:35:40 you put that Balenciaga in your advertisement along with children that were holding these little plushy bears on BDSM gear. I'm telling you this is a really strange trend. It's a really strange trend. And then also there is the trend of straight up idolatry. In Thailand, the Labibu character has been incorporated into Buddhist amulets. sacred tattoos due to its perceived ability to bring wealth and good fortune. Labibos were also featured in a Taoist ritual at a temple in Singapore during the nine

Starting point is 00:36:15 emperor gods festival in October. The nine emperor gods festival is an 11-day Taoist festival honoring the nine emperor gods who they believe or did believe at some point or celestial deities. And you can see this picture here incorporated in that. And so there is, whether it's in the West or the East, this is casting some sort of spell on people, whether it is the kind of outright idolatry idol worship, pagan worship that we are seeing through Lububoos in a place like Thailand, or whether it's just part of this worship of materialism and worthless items or whether it is part of this very, strange and disturbing trend of infantilizing the scary or maybe it is scarifying

Starting point is 00:37:10 the childlike either way the combination of childlikeness and innocence and demonic characteristics like chaos making I think is a very dangerous influence on the people who are purchasing these items

Starting point is 00:37:30 and especially on the culture that our children are growing into. So how should we think about this as parents? On the one hand, by itself, this is just a plushy doll. Is it really that big of a deal? Should we really be thinking about it this hard? On the other hand, the things we give our children, the things we promote to our children really matter, especially if it sends them down a particular pipeline of interests.

Starting point is 00:37:59 So I will tell you exactly how I think we should think about this as moms and dads in just a second. Let me go ahead and pause. Tell you about our next sponsor. And that is Field of Greens. Field of Greens is the only organic greens powder on the market. It is all GMO-free, the cleanest possible ingredients that you can possibly find. All your daily vegetables, all your fruits put into a really good taste. tasting powder. I don't know about you. I don't really love eating vegetables. I find it difficult

Starting point is 00:38:35 to do throughout my day. I'll have some at dinner. I might try to get a juice every now and then, but I know that I am not intaking enough fiber, enough of the nutrients that come from fruits and vegetables. I need it to be really easy, good tasting, and convenient. And that's what I get from Field of Greens. If you're about to take some blood work, or maybe you just got your blood work back, you're low in iron, you're low in the things that you need, then why don't you try Field of Greens? Try it for three months. I guarantee you it will help how you feel and it will also probably improve your blood work drastically just because you are actually getting the vitamins, the nutrients that you need through your nutrition. If you go to Field of Greens.com,

Starting point is 00:39:23 use my code Alley, you'll get 20% off and free shipping. That's fieldofgreens.com. code Ali. Labibos may not be demon possessed, but they are dark. And the obsession is idolatry that we should keep our kids far from. I also think Labibu obsession is a rabbit hole into more sinister fixations. And Ephesians 4 8 through 10 says, walk as children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true. Take no part in the unfruitful works.

Starting point is 00:40:03 of darkness. We should keep our kids as far away from all forms of darkness and lead them toward what is beautiful and what is true. And I think it's really easy as parents to encourage anything that makes our kids happy, especially for parents who maybe you have a child who is left out at school has a hard time fitting in. Maybe they don't feel like they're good at anything and they finally find something that makes them feel good. Maybe it's an online community. maybe it's Reddit, maybe it's a phone game, maybe it's an app, maybe it's anime, maybe it's some kind of pushy doll. It starts out innocent enough. They've found something that makes them happy. They've found friends. They've found a hobby. Maybe they've found something that fosters

Starting point is 00:40:47 creativity. But then that interest becomes an obsession. And then you as a parent start to wonder, huh, is this healthy? They're spending so much time watching this, playing this, talking to those people, but every time you bring it up it's a fight and you feel for them they have so few things that bring them happiness in life this kid who might feel different and you would feel cruel taking that thing away that they are obsessed with but while i totally understand that while i think that is a natural tug that you have in your heart to want your child to feel included and accepted in a part of something and liked in normal, here's the truth. You are the parent. You are the parent, whether your kid is seven or 17, and your responsibility to God is not to always make them happy, but to help them be

Starting point is 00:41:47 holy, do everything you can to cultivate a fixation on Jesus and a distaste for evil. That is our job as parents. And I think that this Laboo Boo Boo Crayes leads kids into a really bad and obsessive place into things that are dark, things that are not of God. That does not mean that I think that it's inherently demon possessed. I'm not a superstitious person, but I do also know that nothing is neutral, that something is either of God or it is of Satan, and we should do everything we can in stewarding this gift of children that God has

Starting point is 00:42:31 given us to steer them in the direction of what is good and right and true. And Laboubu is not leading to anything that is good or right or true. All right. So that's my take on Labubu. Hopefully you have a good understanding of that now. And by the way, I also think this about most anime. And I also think this about Roblox. And I also think this about much of Minecraft. And I also think this about most video games. Not that it's all inherently demon possessed, not that you have a bad kid if they have like any interest in any of these things. But from what I know, these companies are predatory. And I think when we ask the question, does this lead our child into good things in a good direction, an interest in that which God calls holy and good and beautiful?

Starting point is 00:43:31 or not, it's pretty obvious. And so I think as parents, it's so hard. It is so hard to rein in our child's interest when things make them happy but aren't of the Lord. But that is our primary obligation as parents. All right. Speaking of parenting, the Wall Street Journal published this really interesting article about gentle parenting. That's something that we've been talking about for a while, that has been a trend.

Starting point is 00:44:00 and I would say not just gentle parenting because gentleness is a fruit of the spirit. And so we should be gentle parents. We should be gentle people, love. We should be loving, joyful, kind, faithful, faithful, all of the things that God calls us to be, both just as whether it's a professional person, you should be like that at work and you should be like that with your kids and parenting. You should be like that as a friend. So there's nothing wrong with being gentle as a parent.

Starting point is 00:44:28 But gentle parenting, this trend has turned into. to permissive parenting, where you will see these parenting experts will say, oh, I'm not for permissive parenting. I'm just for gentle parenting. But then when you ask them, how do you enforce boundaries? Not just how do you state your boundaries, because all of us are really good nowadays of stating our boundaries, but how do you actually enforce boundaries with your children? It comes down to, it seems to me, and I'm not saying every gentle parenting expert says this, It comes down to distracting your kids, manipulating your kids, bribing your kids, or just permitting your kids to walk all over you.

Starting point is 00:45:06 There has to be some kind of enforcement with their kids. I am not saying that it has to be traconian at all. I'm not saying that it has to be harsh, but there has to, there have to be rules. There has to be discipline. There have to be boundaries. And there has to be some way to enforce those boundaries. again, talking about our responsibility as parents. When we read in Proverbs that if you spare their rod, you will spoil the child.

Starting point is 00:45:35 That's not, by the way, specifically talking about spanking. We could get into a debate about spanking. That's not actually what that verse means. A rod of discipline, especially if you are looking in the context of a shepherd, that is used to train and to guide, not to beat. And so you could make a justification if you wanted to for spanking, but that's not what that verse is about. The truth is if you don't discipline your kids, if you don't have rules, if you can't say no to your kids, if you don't have parameters, if you don't have regulations, discipline, direction for their life,

Starting point is 00:46:09 you are spoiling them. We also read in the book of Hebrews that the Lord disciplines the ones he loves, that if you don't discipline your child, it's not because you love them, it's because you hate them. And so these permissive parenting experts are not showing us how to love our children. We can gently discipline and guide our children and point them in the right direction. I think that's what Christians are called to do. And when we go outside of those bounds, when we yell, when we get too angry, when we lose self-control ourselves because of whatever frustration we have in the moment,

Starting point is 00:46:44 we should be seeking forgiveness and repenting of that. I think that is just in general, big picture biblical model of parenting, not this secular permissive parenting because the secular world believes that all rules are wrong and that any standard of behavior or like standard of attire is some form of oppression. And that, of course, is not true. God is a God of order. We are made in his image. We are to be stewards of order both in and outside of our home. So now we have a reaction to this permissive. parenting. The Wall Street Journal says gentle parenting is out. I would say permissive parenting is out, but it is, you know, euphemistically called gentle parenting sometimes.

Starting point is 00:47:27 And they say that the new parenting craze is Faf around and find out. Fafo parenting. If you don't know what that is, that is a phrase that's used very often online. Some people pronounce it Fafo, I guess. So this parenting approach, the Wall Street Journal says, prioritizes direct consequences for a child's actions diverging from the emotionally nurturing gentle parenting trend. This kind of parenting prioritizes teaching children accountability through tangible repercussions. Oh my gosh, that's so crazy. Who has ever parented like that before? Tangible repercussions for bad actions for disobedience? Wow, that's insane. It's also called tough love or authoritative parenting. Yes, we should all be authoritative parents.

Starting point is 00:48:14 And some people say, oh, authoritarian parents, yes, you are the authority in your home. Someone's going to be an authority. If you're not the authority in your home, your three-year-old's going to be the authority in your home. That is disordered, and you are setting them up for failure if your three-year-old is the authority in your home. I am not saying any of this as a perfect parent, by the way. I've got six years of parenting under my belt.

Starting point is 00:48:36 You should listen to people who have 16 and 60 years of parenting under their belt. But I can tell you from experience that if you as the grownup or not the authority in your home, someone is going to be the authority. And your kids should not have to carry that burden. They don't have the emotional regulation, the maturity to be able to do that and make their own decisions every hour of every day. This kind of parenting says Wall Street Journal involves letting children face the natural outcomes of their actions. It's based on the idea that parents can ask and warn. But if the child breaks the rules, mom and dad aren't standing in the way of the report. Percussions. Won't bring your raincoat. Walk home in the downpour. Don't feel like having

Starting point is 00:49:18 lasagna for dinner. Survive until breakfast. Left your toy on the floor again. Go find it in the trash under the lasagna you didn't eat. Parenting that's light on discipline has dominated the culture in recent decades, but critics blame the approach for some of Gen Z's problems in adulthood. Yes, like not being able to look in people's eyes, like looking at you like you are a crazy idiot for asking for coffee when you're literally at a coffee shop. And just like the over emphasis on, I'm sorry, like that's outside of my realm of comfort. I'm not comfortable doing that. I don't want to do that. That's outside of my boundary. Boundaries are good. But the over emphasis on this is what I am entitled to make some Gen Z, not all Gen Z. Some Gen Z really bad employees,

Starting point is 00:50:07 really bad friends and just really difficult to be around. I have been around stellar jinsey people, stellar teenagers and young adults. And the difference is, the difference in these young people is that they had good parents. They had parents who told them no. They had parents who said, no, you're not going to get a phone. I'm sorry, you're not going to get a phone when you're 11. You're not going to have social media when you're 13. I know all your friends are doing it.

Starting point is 00:50:31 I know it's difficult to be different. But as Christians were called to be different. So get used to being weird because as Christians, you're going to be seen weird everywhere you go for the rest of your life. The parents that were okay with that, the parents who knew that their role was to steward and to be an authority and to love their children in that way, while still being as kind and as gentle and as supportive as possible, those are the kids I've seen that can look you in the eye, that can sit through dinner and they're not looking at their phone. They're not obsessed with social media. They're not obsessed with

Starting point is 00:51:03 with themselves. They're willing to work hard, even when it's not fun. We all want to raise kids who turn into those kinds of young adults. But so many parents, I think especially Gen X parents, were just convinced that disciplining your kids is mean, that it's brutal, that it's unkind, and that you're supposed to be your kid's friend. That is not your primary role. There are times when you can act like your kids' friends, but not all the time. That is, is not your primary job and that's not the way to love our kids. Now, I'm not endorsing every form of punishment that is listed here. But yes, having tangible repercussions for our kids' actions is loving. Now, here's what I would not say. Okay. Here's an example of this that I would not do

Starting point is 00:51:54 because it's lack of self-control and immature. Maybe some of you disagree with me out here. But there also, again, this is a secular response to secular, you know, psycho takeover, psychology takeover of parenting. So there's a Fafo parent that's included in this article who says that she bit her child back to stop the behavior of biting. I bit mine back and she never did it again. Yikes. I don't think I would not advocate for something like that.

Starting point is 00:52:26 But I do think that there should be tangible consequences that make sense that are directly related to what your child does. Because not only are you loving them, but you're also loving your neighbors by disciplining your child in a healthy way. So I would say the response to the gentle parenting, we're moving better in the right direction, the reaction to permissive parenting. All right. I've just got one more thing to say. And it's a very happy clip to react to. First, let me pause and tell you about our next sponsor, and that is Fellowship Home Loans. Navigating mortgages right now is a lot.

Starting point is 00:53:04 Rising prices. So many options. It's really difficult to know what to do. What is really the smartest thing to do financially? And yet it's really important to own a home if you can. Mike and Brian from Fellowship Home Loans are believers who built this company on biblical values. They treat you the way that you want to be treated with honesty, with patience, with respect, whether you are looking to refinance or consolidate debt or tap into your equity

Starting point is 00:53:32 with an H-E-L-O-C, or you just want to know your options. They are going to tailor their services to exactly what you need, your unique situation. They're a direct lender. They're not a broker, so you skip the middleman, you save time, money, and stress. I know they're already helping so many of you out there. I'm so glad that so many of you have. have reached out to Mike and Brian at Fellowship Home Loans, and they have helped you with exactly what you need.

Starting point is 00:54:02 Join the people who have been helped by Fellowship Home Loans. You will not regret it. Their customer service is amazing. They are also giving you a $500 credit at closing when you go to my link, fellowshiphomeloans.com slash Alley Fellowship Home Loans, Mortgage Lending by the book. Nationwide Mortgage Bankers, DBA Fellowship Home Loans, Equal Housing Lender, L.S. number 819-382. I just wanted to play this clip from Joe Rogan's podcast. This is Chad Wright. He's a former Navy SEAL. He is a Christian. He is the founder of the Three of Seven project, and that is a ministry

Starting point is 00:54:46 fostering physical, mental, and spiritual growth through wilderness training and faith. He reminds me so much of the Robertsons. He reminds me a ton of Phil Robertson, a lot of Jace Robertson, but he did such a masterful job of sharing the gospel to Joe Rogan, and you could tell that Joe was affected by what he said and that he really respects Chad. And the whole podcast is interesting. If you were going to go watch it, I encourage you to start at like 50 minutes in because that's when they really get into it. And I just thought that Chad was very effective and very humble. And there were lots of different parts I wanted to play. But I thought this clip was a really good summation of the gospel. Sot 7. You know, I'm wondering, Joe, if the Almighty ain't calling you.

Starting point is 00:55:31 Call me, how? On the phone? Calling you, man. What do you mean? In what way? I'm just wondering. I think a lot of people are wondering what the Almighty is doing, what he's working in you. See, Scripture is dripping with something that's called election.

Starting point is 00:55:59 a lot of people get mad about me talking about this but this this truth that we will never choose God the Almighty we will never choose to believe as a matter of fact scripture actually says over and over again the whole message of the cross is foolishness it's foolishness I mean, seriously, some dude died on a cross? What does that represent to man? That represents weakness. That represents defeat. That represents death.

Starting point is 00:56:41 You're gone. The message of the cross is foolishness to man. We will never choose to believe in the message of what we call the gospel. that is that Jesus Christ died on the cross according to the scriptures he was buried and that he rose again by his own power according to the scriptures that's foolishness and the only way that we can or will ever believe that like truly place our faith in that and everything that's contained in that statement right there because there's a lot there you could literally spend the rest of your life meditating on that right there, the gospel, the what was done on the cross and by way of the resurrection

Starting point is 00:57:36 of Christ. You would never get to the end of it. You would never comprehend everything. You would never search it to its bottom. You will never believe that. And the only way that you can believe that is if the Almighty in His grace basically makes you alive spiritually. Love it. There are so many other good parts of that, but it's absolutely true. Just when you look at the fact that we are spiritually dead, as Ephesians 2 says, a dead person can't lift themselves up. A dead person can't take themselves to the hospital. A dead person can't clean themselves up and make themselves acceptable before a God. A dead person can absolutely do nothing. It is only by grace through faith that God makes us spiritually alive and saves us. He articulated that really well. Also, shout out Calvinist, the past two, people that have done a great job of sharing the gospel to Joe Rogan on his podcast are Calvinists. We get a lot of hate. A lot of people say, you don't care about evangelism if you're a Calvinist because you believe in predestination.

Starting point is 00:58:42 That's not true. We are compelled by the power of the Holy Spirit and obedience to God to evangelize, share the gospel with others because it is the preordained means by which God has chosen to accomplish seeking and saving the lost, just like the mystery of prayer. Although God is omnipotent, he uses prayer to work and to do what he wants to do. And so because we are commanded to do it, we share the gospel, even on a podcast like Joe Rogan. So great job, Chad, right? Go check out that episode. That was really good. All right. Last sponsor for the day before we head out of here. And that is Concern Women for America. If you're looking for a way to get involved, if you're looking for

Starting point is 00:59:27 a way to make sure that you are informed about the policies that are being put in place in Washington, D.C. And you want your voice heard. Check out Concern Women for America. They have been around for 45 years leading the charge as your voice in all levels of public policy. They focus on things like family, sanctity of life, parental choice in education. They are a grassroots organization that will help you get involved. Check out the CEOs, Penny Nance's, a woman's guide's seven rules for. success and business in life there. So gracious to give that as a gift to you when you go to

Starting point is 01:00:01 concernedwomen.org slash alley. That's concernedwomen.org slash alley. All right. Thank you guys so much for listening and watching. We will be back here on Wednesday.

Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - Ep 1226 | I Went Down the Labubu Rabbit Hole So You Don't Have To

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.