The Commercial Break - Bryan, The Labubu Yahoo!

Episode Date: May 7, 2025

Episode #743: Bryan and Krissy are back to discuss the wild Pop Art craze feeding the Labubu craze! As usual, once TCB knows about it...it's too late! Plus, they break down the chaos behind Hollywood���s labor disputes and the wild world of nostalgic collectibles. First, they take a jab at union drama in the entertainment biz—why some actors are barely scraping by while execs are jetting off to Istanbul to save a buck. Then, they dig into the rise of Labubu (no, seriously), the vinyl toy that’s got adults throwing elbows at Pop Mart's around the globe. From behind-the-scenes rental companies of Hollywood to Beanie Baby flashbacks, Bryan misses every opportunity to cash in! Show Notes: [04:15] Union Struggles in Hollywood – Why productions are fleeing L.A. faster than a Netflix cancelation [05:18] Real Estate and Production Trends – Istanbul: now with more actors [06:21] Podcast Shenanigans & Celebrity Interview Teases [09:20] Will Ferrell vs. Adam Sandler – Who wins in the existential comedy showdown? [12:20] Pop-Up Stores and Nostalgia Drops – Yes, adults are still buying toys [15:20] Meet La Boo Boo – The collectible you never knew you needed [19:17] Collectibles & Culture – What your Funko Pop says about you [21:28] The Parental Guilt of Consumerism – Because kids need therapy and matching plushies [26:24] Sean’s Weird Job Reveal – It’s as strange as it sounds [35:16] The Economics of Labubu– Capitalism in a cute little box [43:44] Nostalgia, Beanie Babies, and the Cyclical Nature of Dumb Trends [47:00] Farewell Rant – Bryan declares Beanie Babies are back (again) TCB Intro Clips: Ferris is a righteous dude! Watch EP #743 on YouTube! Text us or leave us a voicemail: [phone]TCB FOLLOW US: Instagram:  ⁠⁠@thecommercialbreak⁠⁠ Youtube: ⁠⁠youtube.com/thecommercialbreak⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠@tcbpodcast⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠www.tcbpodcast.com⁠⁠ CREDITS: Hosts: ⁠⁠Bryan Green⁠⁠ &⁠⁠ Krissy Hoadley⁠⁠ Executive Producer: Bryan Green Producer: Astrid B. Green Voice Over: Rachel McGrath TCBits Written, Voiced and Produced by Bryan Green To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I don't trust this kid any further than I can throw him. Well, with your bad knee, Ed, you shouldn't throw anybody. It's true. What is so dangerous about a character like Ferris Bueller is he gives good kids bad ideas. Last thing I need at this point in my career is 1500 Ferris Bueller disciples running around these halls. He jeopardizes my ability to effectively govern this student body. Well, makes you look like an ass is what he does, Ed. Thank you, Grace. I think you're wrong.

Oh, well, he's very popular, Ed. The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, waistoids, dweebies, dickheads. They all adore him. They think he's a righteous dude. That is why I have got to catch him this time. To show these kids that the example he sets is a first class ticket to nowhere.

Oh, Ed, you sounded like Dirty Harry just then. Really? Uh-huh. They think he's a righteous dude. On this episode of the commercial break. And here I'm trying to like talk to the lady. I'm like, listen, little mistake. And she's like, that's not how it works. You told me this. And to be fair to her, it's true.

If I would not have been a dumb dumb and in such a hurry to get her cash into my Zelle, then I would have gone to the store first. And here was the problem. Half the money was already spent. So it wasn't like I could send it back to her. I had to not send it to her. So my $250 profit turned into $112 loss. Pearl Jam Collectible.

Sounds right. That's about it. Welcome to Brian's world. The next episode of the commercial break starts now. Oh yeah. Cas and kittens. Welcome back to the commercial break. I'm Brian Green.

This is my dear friend and the co-host of this show, Chris and Joy Hoadley. Best to you, Chris and best to you out there on the podcast universe. Thanks for joining us. A lot of interesting feedback about Sean, our South Georgia Sean or shut up Sean as I like to call him, who was here with us earlier this week. We did not have a TCB Infomercial Tuesday. Those sharp-eared listeners will have realized that there was no one there, and that's just because of the way that the schedule goes, taking vacation time and stuff like that. No emergency.

But don't worry, we'll have some boring celebrity guest interviews coming back up soon. Brian will talk all over the guests coming up real soon, and six or seven of them. I'll get one little... You'll get one line in. Hey!

I'll talk over the guests. I'll get one, I'll get one little. You'll get one line in. Hey! I'll talk over the guests. I'll tell them their own jokes. It'll be a whole, it'll be a whole fun time for everybody. Don't worry, you'll get more embarrassing content on behalf of Brian later. Rory Scoville, who was just the sweetest man alive, he like, he sent to me after the interview,

he goes, I really like your interviewing style. You're very engaged in the conversation, which is his polite way of saying, you talked all over me. He's in a new project with Will Ferrell. They're going to star in a new comedy series on HBO, I think, on Max, I think it is. So they just made that announcement. And I commented on the post that Rory made.

I said, it's really nice to know that the big wigs in Hollywood are letting the small guys like William Ferrell get a chance to act along the greats like Rory Scovell. Will Ferrell, of course, very, very famous. I love Will Ferrell. It's to act along the greats, like Rory Scovell. Will Ferrell, of course, very, very famous. I love Will Ferrell. I'm sorry.

Adam Sandler, not my favorite. Will Ferrell, one of my favorites. Oh, me too, sure. I find that there's two distinct people in this world. The kind that love Adam Sandler and maybe aren't the biggest fans of Will, and then people who love Will and aren't the biggest fans of Will and then people who love Will and aren't the biggest fans of Adam.

The world is divided in that way, at least in my experience. Because when I start that conversation, it becomes a real hot button. Like people are like, oh no, Adam Sandler is so much better than Will Farrer. Will's just dumb. I'm like, Will's just dumb? Have you seen Waterboy?

Yeah. I mean, no offense against Adam, because in Adam's late career, he has made some excellent dramedy movies. He really has. Comedy drama. What was it? Gemstones? Was it Gemstones?

Diamonds? Yeah, it was about the diamond industry. The jeweler, yeah, the diamond industry. That was a fucking fantastic movie. It really was, and surprising. Surprising that Adam pulled that out. And then he had that other one, the weird one that he did about the, I don't know, something or other.

He's done some, oh, and the one about when he's dying, with Seth Rogen, that movie where he's like a comedian, he's dying and he lets Seth Rogen in on his world. And that's also a great and touching movie. So Adam's got the chops, no doubt about it. No, I respect Adam I just never was a fan of like the goofy silly, you know Yeah, the water boy type shit like Happy Gilmore was never my thing However, old school like old school Will Ferrell

Fucking forget about it. That yeah, that was I was all over that I really wanted I really wanted more of that kind of comedy So we'll see what comes of this Will Ferrell, Rory Scoville collaboration. I'm excited to see. I'm excited to see too, because I do think Rory is also a very talented comedic actor. Most people will know him from that workout show

that he was in, which was great. What was that workout show that he was in, Stretched? Oh, the one that was on Apple Plus. Yeah. Physical. Physical, yeah, he was in Apple Plus. Yeah. Physical. Physical. Yes. I like that show. Yeah, he was in Physical, which was another dramedy role, drama with a little bit of comedy,

but he really shined in that Those Who Can't, which is a television show that you can't find, unbelievably. You can't find Those Who Can't because it's stuck in this kind of rights management world where no one seems to want to buy it or put it on their platform, which is a fucking shame because it's one of the great comedies of the 2010s. No doubt about it. No doubt about it. So let's talk a little bit more about Hollyweird as the Republicans like to call it.

Hollyweird, and I agree, Hollywood's a weird place. It is. It's very transactional. It's very transparent. Superficial. Yeah, you're the it for the moment, then you fall and then maybe you get back up and people love to come back, so what,

but maybe they don't, they wanna knock you down again. I mean, it's a very weird world to live in. I think it's improved. I think in general, like the nature of Hollywood has improved from the 80s and 90s into the 2000s. It's a little less transactional, but I don't know that because I'm not in Hollywood. Having a podcast north of Atlanta with five listeners does not make me any part of Hollywood. It's because I talk to someone on a television. Someone made a comment, you know, oh, they think they're big in their britches

because they talk to celebrities now. And I'm like, if you only knew, if you only knew. Big in their britches. Literally, they hang up the phone and we never hear from them again. It's an hour long conversation where they pipe in and most of them are absolutely delightful for one hour and then we never hear from them again. Some we do, some we do, that's true,

but most we don't. It's not like, you know, Margaret Cho and I are having dinner on Tuesday, it doesn't happen like that, so fuck you. Anyway, so Hollywood, Hollywood has this new phenomenon that, and I think this started in Hollywood, this is this new phenomenon that, and I think this started in Hollywood, this is why I'm kind of making the connection. Do you know what like the pop-up store is? Have you heard of this? I mean, I know what a pop-up store is.

Pop Mart, excuse me, the Pop Mart. The Pop Mart, no. Okay, it's this place where they sell like trinkets, mainly toys and other trinkets. Is this a physical store? It's a physical store. You can go there. I think they also have an online version,

though I don't know that for sure, but there are physical stores and there are a couple specifically in California. They have them dotted throughout the United States and other places. This store, otherwise known for like, do you know like the Japanese toy culture? Hello Kitty, all that other stuff.

I'm not talking about like anime or anything like that. I'm talking about the more like brightly pop colored, you know, pop art. That's what it is. Bubblegummy, that's right. That's a great term for it. Bubblegummy type art that so many people are into and me myself find at least visually attractive.

Yeah, oh yeah. I like it, that's what fascinates me about Japan. I'd like to go there someday because I think that's, it's ingrained in their culture, and it's such a big part of the Japanese young youth culture that I think it's really intense and very cool. I like that, that you could be walking down the street and people are dressed like Hello Kitty.

You know what I'm saying? Like some strangers dressed like Hello Kitty making weird noises at you. I like that. That seems to me to be a place I wanna live. So in 2019, I wanna say, Pop Mart started selling a doll, like a collectible doll, called La Boubou.

I know, I know, I know. I don't know what to say. I don't know, I don't know any other way to explain it to you kids. La Boubou? La Boubou. La Boubou. It sounds French, but it's not. It's Japanese. La Boubou. I'm going home to play with my la boo boos. Let me give you a little dissertation on this. La boo boo is a collective toy, designer toy, character created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung. Now, I'm probably butchering that name, I'm sorry.

First introduced in 2015, excuse me, as part of Lung's story series, The Monsters, LeBouBou is depicted as a mischievous yet kind-hearted elf with distinctive features like high pointed ears, wide eyes, and nine serrated teeth forming a cheeky grin. The character draws inspiration from Nordic mythology and embodies a playful spirit that resonates with both children and adults and man does it. I have been watching these videos that are taking over my Instagram algorithm. Now granted, my Instagram algorithm is kind of strange, but it has taken over my algorithm. People are going fucking bananas for these Labooboos. They are beating each other up, jumping up and down,

sleeping in front of stores for hours or days in a row, waiting for the next Labooboo drop. And they only sell like a hundred of them at a time per store, something like that. And they're impossible to get. And they sell for like $35, I guess, for the small ones and then up to a hundred dollars for the bigger ones. Give me a picture here of kind of what it looks like.

Is it small, like, you know, the little troll size? Okay. Okay, there you go. Marco, put a picture in it. Marco's our wonderful video editor here at the commercial break. Marco, could you put a picture of the LaBooBoo's up there? Please.

This makes me laugh. Here's one in a bikini. Oh! Oh! Cute, I guess, if that's what you wanna call it. It is really, but this is very reminiscent to me of my Dick Tracy collection, quite frankly. But unfortunately for me, no one has been waiting in front of the pop mart for the new Dick Tracy collection, quite frankly, but unfortunately for me, no one has been waiting

in front of the pop mart for the new Dick Tracy collection. Well, and your mom threw it all out. And my mom threw it all out. And it was easy to get because I worked at the McDonald's, I could just take the toys. But anyway, that's neither here nor there. Okay, Dick Tracy didn't take off like la boo boo, okay? That's it.

But someday it will, and then I'll be sad that my mom threw it all away. Every generation, every year, every couple of years, there's something. There's a new thing that comes along that everybody has to have because for whatever reason. It grabs onto the collective consciousness or a very niche set of human beings and they have to have it no matter what. The boo boo seems to be one of the new things, it could be shoe, you know, let me, let me give a couple of examples. Cabbage patch dolls when we were kids, adults beating each other up, getting in fist fights to get their child a cabbage patch doll. Beanie babies was another craze. Tickle me Elmo.

Tickle me Elmo was a crazy phase. Garbage pail kids, the collectible cards, they went, I went crazy over those. My sister and I did too. I had to run up to the 7-Eleven when they got a new box of them so I could pick through and find a package that I wanted. And I wanted all of them.

I died for all of them. That's how I spent my $1.50 or whatever it was that my parents gave me. This is not new. This is not a new phenomenon. Something happens, our brains get sick, we get weak in the knees, and we have to have a la boo boo immediately, if not sooner.

These la boo boo's, there are people that have 50, 60, a hundred of these, and they put them on chains and they're wearing them around town. I saw a tea party with la boo boo's. Not one child in sight, There are people that have 50, 60, 100 of these and they put them on chains and they're wearing them around town. I saw a tea party with LeBubu's, not one child in sight, not one fucking child in sight. A LeBubu tea party, not one child in sight.

Everyone dressed in pop pinky colors with all their LeBubu's and dressing them up and having fun and passing them around. Listen, no knock on it. Okay, you wanna collect LeBubuos, collect the boo-boos. But I noticed that this is happening like with a little bit more frequency. We're seeing a little bit, and I don't mean the boo-boos,

I mean that people. The concept of it all. The concept, like the that gotta have it mentality seems to be happening more and more frequently in more and more places with more and more things, things. And I wonder to myself, and this is just a guess, but I wonder to myself, if the reason why this is happening more frequently is because the real world that we live in is pretty, can be pretty fucking scary and shitty, and we have to turn to something else in order to soothe our fears, our anxieties, our whatever it is.

And here's what I've noticed about a lot of these collectible things. It's not that even though this is clearly geared toward children, it's a toy. And I know there's, you know, it doesn't, I don't want to say you have to be a child to have them. Of course you don't. But what I've noticed is that it's more and more like young adults that get into this, like 20s and early 30s that are really taking these things and grabbing onto them and making them collectible, driving the price up, having to have them. It's really quite insane. And my theory is, is that people are so fucking miserable that they have to have a baboo to talk to at night.

Do you know what I'm saying? Yeah, to cuddle with. To cuddle with. You have to cuddle with a 15-fanged weird elf monster. Serrated teeth. Nordic fluff ball in order to soothe your ills. Yeah. I can't blame you.

I really can't. No, whatever you need to go through the day and the night. I do the same thing by watching mentally ill people on Instagram. That embarrass themselves. Swear to God, I do. It's really, I think I get it. I think I get why people are attaching themselves to this. I saw, I think here's another example.

The Nintendo, what do you call it? Switch. The handheld one. Spend the same one for whatever, 10 years. I don't know how long the thing's been out. And my kid has one. I got, he wanted one, he had to have one, I gotta have one, you know, we gave him one. And now he plays for like three and a half minutes

every two months and he forgets about it. It's just too much for him. The way it goes. Yeah. And he has like the Disney game. He has like, you know, the Mickey run and jump game. He said, that's it, that's all I'll let him have. I'm not gonna let him have, he's only, much for him. Yeah. And he has like the Disney game. He has like, you know, the Mickey run and jump game. He said, that's it. That's all I'll let him have.

I'm not gonna let him have. He's only, he's young. So, but that switch, twitch, stitch, whatever it is, that thing is coming out. They came out with a new one and there was a whole reel by a mother who had failed to get her son the correct information, the correct time, get him to the store on time to be one of the first to buy this.

And she had a whole reel with sad music in the background and everything about the disappointment that she was because she couldn't get her son this brand new thing that he desperately needed. The kid was like seven. Get, buy him McDonald's, he'll be fine. I mean, you know what I'm saying? Get him a pizza. What's the fuck?

When you set these lofty expectations, what do you expect? Sorry, something just exploded in the studio. When you set these lofty expectations for consumerism, what do you expect your kid to react like? If you think you're gonna die if you don't have it, your kid's gonna take his cues from you. I just thought to myself, let the poor kid be a kid.

He doesn't need to worry about which, you know, what are they called? Switch they have. I keep on wanting to call it Twitch. About which switch they have, it doesn't matter, it's okay. Another example, back to the LaBooBoo. There's a family on Instagram. This family is like famous on Instagram.

The father has been buying the mother a brand new box of Labooboo's. So six of them every day for 21 days until she gets a super rare Labooboo. Yes, and so they do a whole video every day of her opening up six of these, trying to get the super rare one. And the disappointment in this 30 year old woman's eyes

and the children that are sitting at the table with her going, oh, mommy, you didn't get it, what are we gonna do? And the craziness around it, you're turning your children into little consumer monsters. So it's like, here's what I say. If my kids come and ask me for something, I say, no, and that's like, here's what I say. If my kids come and ask me for something, I say no, and that's it.

That's all I do. I just say no. Because if I say no, then the one time I say yes, I am a fucking hater. It'll be special. That's right. And that is how my dad taught me. And that's how my children will teach their children.

And the mental abuse will go on and on for a lifetime. Yes, for generations we'll be feeding therapists and their families. That my friends is how you do it. All right, so lots more to talk about. I wanted to say, I forgot, this started the episode and I forgot to finish it. Lots of great feedback about Sean and his weird job and they want to know more about his... I know, I have to say, I've found myself thinking about Sean and what he does.

I did. Throughout the past few days since we talked to him. It's a weird job to be wading through the swamp. I mean, wow. And be face to face with alligators and possum and all that. That's why I was thinking about the alligators. You got to have a certain chutzpah to do that. And the moccasins.

Yeah, I know. And I don't know Sean all that well, but it seems like Sean's got just the right amount of crazy to be in there in the swamp doing that. And if I had an alligator in my front yard, I'd call Sean. Oh yeah. Okay, let's take a break. I'd call Sean, I think, for a lot of things. I would.

And he calls us a lot, so we'll get him back here. Don't worry about it. Okay. Yeah, take a break. We'll be back. You make this rather snappy, won't you? I have some really heavy thinking to do before 10 o'clock. Hi, cats and kittens. Rachel here. Do you ever get the urge to speak endlessly into the void, like Brian?

Well, I've got just the place for you to do that. 212-433-3TCB. That's 212-433-3822. Feel free to call and yell all you want. Tell Brian, I need a race. Compliment Chrissy's innate ability to put up with all his shenanigans. Or tell us a little story. The juicier, the better, by the way. We'd love to hear your voice, because Lord knows we're done listening to ourselves. Also, give us a follow on your favorite socials at the commercial break on Insta, TCB Podcast on TikTok. And for those of you who like to watch, oh, that came out wrong, we put all the episodes out on video, youtube.com slash the commercial

break and tcbpodcast.com for all the info on the show, your free sticker or just to see how pretty we look. Okay, I got to go now. I've got a date. With my dog? No, seriously, Axel needs food. Today is pork chop day. Discover the magic of Bet MGM Casino, where the excitement is always on deck. Pull up a seat and check out a wide variety of table games with a live dealer. From roulette to blackjack, watch as a dealer hosts your table game and live chat with them throughout your experience to feel like you are actually at the casino. The excitement doesn't stop there with over 3,000 games to choose from including fan favorites like Cash Eruption, UFC Gold Blitz, and more. Make deposits instantly to jump in on the fun

and make same-day withdrawals if you win. Download the BetMGM Ontario app today. You don't want to miss out. Visit betmgm.com for terms and conditions. 19 plus to wager, Ontario only. Please gamble responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connex Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. Bet MGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. I'm Emma Greed and I've spent the last 20 years building, running and investing in some incredible businesses. I've co-founded a multi-billion dollar unicorn and had my hand in several other

companies that have generated hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. The more success I've had the more people started coming to me with questions. How do you start a business? How do you raise money? How do I bounce back from failure? So it got me thinking why not just ask the people I aspire to the most? How did they actually do what they do? I'm so incredibly lucky to know some of the smartest minds out there. And now I'm bringing their insights along with mine, unfiltered directly to you. On my new podcast, Aspire with Emma Greed, I'll dive into the big questions everyone wants to know about success in business and in life. Through weekly conversations, you'll get the tangible tools,

the real no BS stories and undeniable little hacks that actually help you level up. Listen to and follow Aspire with Emma Greed, an Odyssey podcast available now, wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, here talking about the global phenomenon that is La Boo Boo, as Chrissy and I have named it. La Boo Boo is the official term for it, but La Boo Boo sounds a lot better actually.

Yeah, I like it. Okay, boo is the official term for it, but la boo boo sounds a lot better actually. Yeah, I like it. As far as I'm concerned. Okay, there is a guy on YouTube that I have seen on occasion explained some things about toys. I'll give his YouTube channel a shout out. We like to, you want to know more about la boo boo? Of course I do. Okay, let's hear more about la boo boo from AR Toys or R Toys. AR Toys TV is where you can find him on YouTube. I'll also put a link in the show notes in case you want to go watch this video. Let's see what he has to say.

What is Labooboo? The global phenomenon explained. Today we're diving into one of the world's most fascinating trends in collectible art toys, Pop Marts. And of course, we have to talk about Labooboo, the little character with is mischievous that's taken over the world by storm. So if you're ready to explore the magic behind these irresistible collectibles, let's get started. My name's Doyle and welcome to the art toys universe.

Oh wow. We toned down the music just a little bit, but otherwise I'm digging the vibe here, so let's see what he has to say. Our Toys. For those of you who might be new to the world of art toys, Doyle Kim is his name. Yeah, that's his name. There you go. Hotmart is a Chinese company that specialises in art toys. Doyle Kim is his name. Yeah, that's his name. There you go. Pop Mart is a Chinese company that specialises in designer toys.

It was founded in 2010 by Wang Ning. Pop Mart started as a retail store selling various products, but shifted focus to art toys after discovering a huge interest in collectible figurines. And that decision totally paid off. Wang Ning is now a billionaire. ["Wang Ning is a Billionaire"] Pop Mart has exploded globally with queues wrapping around buildings all around the world with fans waiting to get their hands on collectible art toys.

In Asia, it is very interesting. It's very interesting. So Pop Mart, I think I've seen a Pop Mart maybe in Barcelona or Madrid or something like that, one of those European towns that I went to. I saw a Pop Mart, I think I've seen a Pop Mart maybe in Barcelona or Madrid or something like that, one of those European towns that I went to, I saw a Pop Mart, I don't think they have one here in Atlanta. I don't think so.

I don't think so. But wow, why could I have not had this idea when I had my Dick Tracy collections? You could have gotten, you could have kicked off your business. I could have kicked off, I could have been a billionaire and selling those damn figurines from Happy Meal Toys. I knew it!

I knew it! How did Wang Ming figure it out before I did? Fucker. Possible to get a Labooboo macaron or take a seat addition, let alone the larger collection sizes that are just behind me. Wow, they come into, they come in a much larger size. Yeah, they come in like statue size. That's intense. You gotta be a LeBoubou.

You gotta be really into LeBoubou to get one of those. Those probably cost thousands of dollars. Oh yeah. People are known to fly out to other regions just to get their hands on these. In 2020 alone, the company went public and its stock soared, showing just how big the demand is for art toys.

So what makes Pop Mart so special? One big reason is their use of blind boxes. If you haven't seen them before, blind boxes are the little packages with... Ah, the blind boxes. Ah, the blind boxes. That's how you get them every time? That, exactly.

By the way, and they are a sponsor of the show. This is not a commercial, but Five Hour Energy does this to me. They send me blind boxes too. They send you blind boxes? Okay. No indication of which figure is inside. The thrill of not knowing which character edition you'll get is a major part of the experience. Kind of like a Kinder Surprise, and it keeps fans coming back for- Yeah, but a Kinder Surprise is a two cent f***ing plastic toy that's gonna go straight in your child's throat.

Yeah, I was thinking about too, you know, collectible cards, my nephews love that, you know, this pack of cards. The pack of cards rip it open, you have no idea what you're gonna get. Yeah, you know what's in there. Yeah, interesting. What if we did this with the commercial break? What if we literally put no information on the RSS feed

about what's coming up on the episode and then you just had to listen to figure out what was gonna go on? And it might be a collectible. A blind episode. I've got an idea brewing, Chrissy. Your wheels are turning. I've got an idea brewing that may or may not include you working 30 hours in a row.

This has been controversial as the Chinese government has passed legislation to phase out mystery boxes as it's considered gambling as children skip school to get their hands on these. No shit! Gambling? Look at the Chinese government taking some positive steps for humanity. They want their kids to skip school to get la boo boo's? Imagine opening a box and hoping for a rare collectible or even a limited edition piece

It's a mix of excitement and suspense and Potmatt has mastered the art of keeping us absolutely hooked All right, let's talk about the star of today's video, La Boo Boo La Boo Boo first debuted in 2015 as part of Hong Kong illustrator, Garcine Lung. Oh, Hong Kong. I said Japan and I was wrong. It's Hong Kong, which is a controversy in and of itself. But supposedly not part of the Chinese larger diaspora.

But I think, yeah, they're trying. Long time. Long time. Story series, The Monsters, which is inspired by Nordic. Just saying that word, Hong Kong may get this episode banned in China, by the way. Really? Long time. Long time. Story series, The Monsters, which is inspired by Nordic... Just saying that word, Hong Kong may get this episode banned in China, by the way. Really? Yeah.

Mythology. Which I don't even know if we can be in China anyway. Are we in China? I think we are in China. I think we have people listening in China. It features a variety of quirky characters including Zimomo, Tycoco, Spooky, Pato, and of course, Laboub Boo with her pointy ears. Playful grin and nine serrated teeth.

La Boo Boo is an elf known for a ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo No. And glue and br- oh my god, look at the one on the right, it's in the hygienist's chair. It's a dental- It's a dental hygienist. It's getting its teeth cleaned. It's getting braces put on. And the other one has makeup and this one's wearing eye, eye, is like eye, night time cream. Something, yeah.

Oh my god. Even giving it facials. From classic designs to collaborations and limited editions, Laboubou comes in countless styles that appeals to all kinds of collectors. So why did Laboubou get so popular? First, Laboubou has a unique look that stands out. It's not your typical cute kawaii character. It has an edgy, mysterious feel that makes it both kawaii, mischievous and freaking adorable.

However, it would... Hmm. There is that Nordic culture that I've... Yeah, the elf Nordic culture. Yeah. It's a little bit... It is... The elves are known to be a little bit mischievous, a little bit kooky. They sneak under your bed. They bite your toes. They lick your fingers at night. They take their nine serrated teeth and chew your child's neck. They play little tricks on you. Yeah, they play little tricks like taking your money out of your wallet, running up your American Express.

I say all this, I laugh about it, but there are people that are, you know, millionaires because they have the boo-boos in a safe somewhere and I don't. Be crazy to forget to mention. Here's the problem. By the time we hear about it, the fat is already on its way out. Do you know what I'm saying? Next year, the boo-boos are going to be worth anything. And then 30 years from now, when you and I are at the villages, the boo-boos are going

to be millions of dollars again. One person, Lalisa from Blackpink, the K-pop group. Her unboxings and wild love for the boo-boos follows her everywhere from concerts to fashion shows and it dangles off her designer bags and hip. Oh, okay. Yes sir. Lalisa, Lalisa.

Yeah, you get somebody like that on board. Yeah, for sure. That's gold. I saw her sing a song called La Lisa. She's like, I think she has a song about her own name. It was interesting. People love that girl. People love that girl.

Oh yeah, well, K-pop's huge. K-pop is huge. World on fire, not with just her music and dance moves. A lot of people are just getting turned on to this culture. The Chinese, Japanese, you know, the liar. Look, I say this word twice in one episode and this makes me fancy diaspora of Asia. And I personally have been fascinated by it

since I was a little kid. My dad used to travel there and he would bring back trinkets from Japan, from China. And I always found it to be, I don't know, there's something very mysterious and old and cool about it. Driven her loyal fans into overdrive. She has even introduced Laboubou to her Blackpink members, Rose, Jennie and Jisoo. I think Popmarts could cut her a check for making Laboubou the zeitgeist toy of the world right now.

Laboubou has also become a fashion icon in its own sense, being the go-do bag charm to accessorize Hermes Kelly and Birkin bags all around the world. Oh my god, yeah, okay, let's spend $3,000 on a fucking purse and then spend another $3,000 to get a super rare Labubu to put on it. Very interesting. You're walking around with $10,000 worth of shit on your... I mean, I guess if you can afford it, sure, why not? Well, I can't. Even appearing...

My kids are going to start asking for this watch. ...on red carpets and well-hilled streets around the world. Pop Mart has also built a strong culture around community events. They host pop-up events, conventions and releases that make collecting these toys feel more like a lifestyle. Fans gather to meet each other, swap figures and even trade for the... There's the key. There's the key that Pop Mart has. They make this into a lifestyle. It's not just about having this toy, which is why I think my Dick Tracy collection never took off, may never take

off, is because Dick Tracy is not a lifestyle. It's a movie where some people saw it and liked it and most people did not. That's also probably part of the reason why there's no value in Dick Tracy collection. But it's a lifestyle. It's a lifestyle brand. If you're in on this type of art toy, then you are all about it and you live it

and you dress it and you listen to it. Your favorite pop star loves it. You're watching stuff about it and you live it and you dress it and you listen to it. Your favorite pop star loves it. You're watching stuff about it on TV. That's right. All your friends have it. I think we should pitch Taylor Swift a line of toys based on piggy fronting. You should see this design. we're like making merch, and you should see this design

that this t-shirt company sent us for piggy fronting. I would never print it, it's terrible, but it is really fucking funny. It's a pig with all this crazy hair and a big snout and big eyelashes. I could see how a pig with Teresa Caputo hair could be just as cute as a Labooboo. I mean, let's be honest about it.

And then we get Taylor Swift to wrap it around her waist when she's singing and dancing up there. It will be the next global phenomenon. Yeah. I'm sure no one's ever pitched her that. No, no. She's never been pitched a line of toys before. Another reason why Labooboo has captured so much attention is scarcity. Limit addition LabooBoo is released every so often making some figures extremely rare.

Supply and demand. Supply and demand. If you're going to make something valuable. And the weird thing is, if you're going to make something valuable, you make less of it, right? So if it's kind of caught the cultural zeitgeist, you make less of it so that people go crazy over it and they have to have the one or, you know, if there's a hundred people and there's only two, then a hundred people go crazy for it, they're willing to pay. But the problem is, is they do that on the black market, not at the store.

So you know that probably Pop Mart has some secondary market. Like I always wondered. Like the tickets. Like the tickets, exactly, exactly like StubHub. I've wondered how this dude gets a box of brand new La Boo Boo's every day for his wife. How does that happen? La Boo Boo, that's how that happens.

Aaron, highly sought after. Collectors go absolutely wild with these and they're often willing to pay really high prices to complete their sets. Some rare la boo boo figures can sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars on the resale market. That scarcity combined with the blind box concept creates this sense of... One of those things he was showing pictures of eBay, one of those things was going for $10,000. That's insane. Yeah, that's too much. It's too much.

It's an excitement that keeps collectors coming for more. But it's not just Asia that's into Pop Mart and Labooboo. In recent years, Pop Mart has been opening stores launching collaborations globally. So you can now find Pop Mart stores or items in countries like the United States, the UK and Australia. Social media has had a huge role in helping spread Labooboo's fanatical popularity worldwide. Fans across the globe are sharing their collections, which just adds to Labooboo's iconic status in the collectible toy scene. So what's next for Pop Mart and Labooboo? Well, as Pop Mart expands internationally and more people get into collectible toys,

Labooboo's fan base will only likely keep growing. With new series collaborations and possibly more limited editions, the hype around Labooboo... Okay, so what they just showed is that at the Disney D23, which is the semi-annual conference that, or the once every other year conference that Disney puts on to announce all of their new rides, all of their new shows, all of it. It's like the big, you know, It's like the Apple reveal. Yes. Think of exactly, think of like Steve Jobs getting up there and doing that big presentation

that he did every year that people went crazy about. D23 is very similar, happens in Anaheim, California. And I do remember this now is that they announced a collaboration with Pop Mart and La Boo Boo. They're gonna do some kind of, I don't know, television show, toy series. You're gonna see a Mickey La Boo Boo pretty soon. And then that's really when it's jumped the shark. Then it's all over. You can buy it at Disney World.

People are gonna go fucking bananas. It's gonna take over the world. Doesn't look like it's slowing down anytime soon. So there you have it. Pop Mart's Laboo isn't just a collectible toy. You know, they said the same thing about Beanie Babies at some point, too. It doesn't look like it's slowing down. Beanie Babies will never go down in price. Never.

Remember that guy who was yelling and screaming about Beanie Babies? Oh, God, he was my favorite. He was my favorite. All right. So there you go. There's a little bit about Labooboo. Art Toys doing a great job breaking it down for everybody. Obviously, he's got his finger on the pulse of what's going on, as well as having a number of very rare Labooboo's sitting just right behind him. So he himself.

It's very interesting. I can think of literally one million other things that I would spend money on. Listen. But it's a whole, though, to spend money on. Listen. But it's a whole, you know, culture of things. I can think of one million other things, too, and I can see a thousand of them right here in the studio. Wires.

That wire, that wire, that TV, those cameras. But you know, to each their own, they are undeniably cute. That is what you do have to say about the Labooboos. They are undeniably little, cute, f you do have to say about the Lobooboos. They are undeniably little cute fanged toothed monsters. All right. We'll move on from here when we get back. Why don't you text us and we can text back and then you can text us in reply, then so on.

It's a fun little game I've been playing. And I think you'll be great at it. 212-433-3TCB. That's 212-433-3822. You could leave a message, too. If you do, maybe you'll end up being the voice of the show. But be warned, the pay is not great. You could go to the website and drop us an email also, tcbpodcast.com. And while you're there, you can get a free sticker. Who doesn't want a free sticker? Just go to the Contact Us button and ask for one. Follow us on Insta at The Commercial Break and watch the episodes at youtube.com slash The Commercial Break. Now I'm going to go back to that texting game. You want to play? Come on. Bye.

I remember when I was a kid, I collected for a very short period of time, collected baseball cards. And so when I collected the baseball cards, I really had no idea what I was doing, but we all had the the Dunress. And maybe if you didn't collect on baseball cards at this time, you may not know what this is, but the Dunrus price guide, which Dunrus was a brand of baseball cards, and then they would put out a pricing guide every month to let you know exactly how much these cards were trading for, how much they were worth.

And so we get really excited that you collect your baseball cards and then you'd match it up with the Dunrus and see what it got. And I think I had like a Roger Wade baseball card one time that was worth like $115, right? It was a rare card, rare-er card, whatever it was. And I took care of that card so well that I bent all the edges and spilled stuff all over it. I mean, it was like trashed by the time it was done. I have always been really bad at this collectible stuff. The only things I have ever taken care of are these stupid fucking Pearl Jam posters that I have in my

in my thing. So I, here's another example of how terribly I've taken care of my collectibles. So I buy these somewhat rare and wanted posters for Pearl Jam where I've collected them along the way, I've gotten them at the show or whatever. They look beautiful. Thank you, yeah, Astrid framed them lovely. Framed them in mint condition and all that. So three years ago, two years ago, as has been the case since the day

that we started this commercial break, we are in need of some money. And so I said, fuck it, I'm not gonna be prideful here. I'm gonna sell the Pearl Jam posters. So one of these posters that I had bought for, let's call it 150 bucks, I don't even remember exactly how much I paid, but it was in the $150 range.

I put it on this Pearl Jam poster collectible Facebook site that everyone trades stuff on. And because it's rare, we do what's called popcorn bidding, which means that I start the bidding off at say $150, what I paid for it. And then I set a date and a time. I say tomorrow night at midnight, whoever has the last bid wins. That's it. Whoever has the highest last bid, highest and final, whatever, best and final. So I set a date for like two days ahead of time. I set the price at $150 and then I kind of leave it. I go back and I check 12, 15 hours later, someone said 200. It's gotten up to $215. Nice. And I go, OK, all right.

And in the description, I put that shipping and handling will be added on to the price because it's framed in mint condition. So I know it's going to cost some money to get it there. Yeah, safely. OK. So 24 hours later, we're getting closer to the time when we're about to tick out.

I put, you know, whatever it is, noon. And now it's at $350, $360, $375, $410. Whoa, all right, I made 250 off the thing and I'd had it only for like four years. Whatever, it's not a la-ba-boo, but it's, you know, it is what it is. So I, it is what it is. I mean, it is what it is.

So in my infinite wisdom, I go on a FedEx. The lady tells me she's out in Hababab, California. And could I please make sure that it's, uh, packaged appropriately so that it gets here in one piece. And I said, of could I please make sure that it's packaged appropriately so that it gets here in one piece, and I said, of course, I'll make sure I do it. And I go on the FedEx calculator, she says, well, how much is it gonna cost? And I said, well, let me go on the FedEx calculator, and I calculate, I measure it, I calculate it,

I know I have some bubble wrap somewhere, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. $182 it's gonna cost to get that. I can imagine, yeah. So blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. $182 it's going to cost to get there. I can imagine, yeah. So, because it's big, it's bulky. It's a little heavy. And it's got to be handled with care. And this is just getting it there, like driving it there,

not like, you know, flying it overnight or anything like that. It's going to take four days or whatever. Okay, so I tell her, and I say, so that's the final, and I add $15 onto there just in case I have to go buy any tape or a box or whatever. And so it ends up being all told in, it's like $600, right? Okay, $600, she sends me the money. I go and I say, okay, I'm gonna get it done. I'll get it done for you tomorrow.

I go to the FedEx place, to the FedEx store. FedEx monies. To the FedEx monies, to the monies, to the FedEx mens. I go to the FedEx store. To the FedEx moneys. To the FedEx moneys, to the moneys, to the FedEx mends. I go to the FedEx mends. I go to the FedEx mends. And the guy goes, okay, where you want to send it? Tell them. Okay, I want to package it.

Here's what I need to do. And he says, okay, if you want to get it there overnight, it's going to be $912. And I'm like, no, no, no, not overnight. I already did this on the calculator at home. I just wanna get it there in five, three days, four days, whatever it is. Yeah, cheapest but safest. Cheapest but safest.

$452. And I said, $452? And he goes, it's $452. And I go, why is it $452? And he goes, well, because the package is this inches by this inches and that inches. And go no no no no no no no No, I measured it. It's 12 by 18 not 30 by 40 or whatever you're saying He goes yeah, it's 12 by 18, but there's a box right and we got to pack it up

And we got to do this and I go what what I thought it asked me how big the package was. And he said, the package, not the product. He goes, dude, you got to account for every inch is another dollar. He goes, that's the way shipping works. What do you want me to do? The guy was like, I'm arguing with the guy. I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. And I go, well, can't we just wrap it in bubble tape and send it off? And he goes, sure. You want it to get there in one piece? He goes, do you think? And when this gets over to Homer, Alabama, and they're throwing it from one truck to the other, you think they're gonna take care of it?

He goes, listen, we'll do our best, but there's no promises if you don't put packaging on this. None whatsoever. It's gotta be wrapped in something. I'll wrap it myself. So Astrid and I are here for a half a fucking day trying to find the... Here's the problem. When we wrap it in the bubble wrap and put the tape on it and do the edges and the corners and all that, now we need a box that's 16 inches bigger than the actual thing. Because now it's big and bulky.

Yep. Yep. Yep. So and here I'm trying to like talk to the lady, I'm like, listen, little mistake. And she's like, that's not how it works. You told me this. And to be fair to her, it's true. If I would not have been a dumb dumb and in such a hurry to get her cash into my Zelle, then I would have gone to the store first. And here was the problem.

Half the money was already spent. So it wasn't like I could send it back to her. I had to now send it to her. So my $250 profit turned into a $112 loss. Pearl Jam Collective. Sounds right. That's about it. Welcome to Brian's world. Tracks. I'll tell you another story. I mean, this is, I had tickets. I'm not going to say what tickets I had. I had tickets to a show.

The one we were talking about? The one we were talking about. I have tickets to a show. I go on to the verified marketplace to resell them through the verified marketplace so that I'm not handing these scuds nuts. Especially after we just did a breakdown. We just did a breakdown of it. Great, wonderful, fine and dandy. They sell like that. Oh yeah.

And it's like, I'm making $100 profit on it, right? Not a ton of money, but $15 a ticket. You weren't gouging anyone? Yeah, whatever, okay. I'm just trying to get rid of them. I'm glad somebody's gonna use them, gonna want them, whatever. I get excited about this,

because these tickets were expensive, and now we're getting the money back. I get excited about this. Congratulations, your tickets have sold, send them to this, do that. Now your transaction is complete, we verified that your sale is. You'll get your money five to seven business days

after the show. And I'm like, what? That wasn't in the small print or the big print. That's fucked up. What are you talking about? We have to verify that the person can get in the door before unbelievable. So Brian doesn't have much luck with collectibles or tickets or anything else in life, quite frankly. Real quick, I asked Chaddy to give me a few other

seeing collectibles that are hot in the zeitgeist right now. And do you want to hear a few? Well, trading cards, they've always been hot. Yeah, it's always will be. That's right. We used to have a friend who collect, who was like a big baseball card collector, smelly guy. Oh, right, okay. He used to trade like Horace Wagner cards for, you know, $50,000.

He was in the business like big time. He was actually trading. And a little bit before it's time too, he was doing this, and I think he was making like a living trading those kind of cards. Um, but right now the Formula One cards, the Premier League, uh, the English premier league and fanatics have all, uh, fanatics acquired tops. So they've all started to raise in value.

People are going crazy over them. As far as the toys are concerned, the Labooboo, as we mentioned, and the Jellycat plush toys, the limited edition Jellycat plushies have become highly sought after with some fetching over 22,000 on resale platform. That's insane. I think that's things sell for Lego. Wow, I do love a good plushie. You do?

I'll get you one. You want a Jelly Cat plush toy? Sure. Okay. Lego sets remain a strong investment. The Lego 71049F1 collectible race car series, released in 2025, has garnered much attention from enthusiasts reselling at very high values. What about Hot Wheels?

Oh yeah. Yes, models like the 70s. Those have always been around too. Yeah, that's true. I had a shitload of those too. Those are in the trash. Models like the 1970 Ford Escort RS1600 and the 89 Mazda Savannah are particularly...

You guys are paying money for a Mazda Savannah? 89 Mazda Savannah? Really? I see people starting to drive those old Mazda Miata's around now too, like refurbished Mazda Miata's. Those things are really fast. If you rub them along the carpet enough, they go super fast. Those things are so silly.

Lennox Spice Village. Originally released in 1989, these collectible spice holders have made a comeback in 2024 due to viral interest. What? Spice holders. A spice rack? You're just crazy if you're collecting spice racks, honestly. Hallmark mini-ordaments,

the collectible features, craftily designed, they appeal to new and seasoned investors. Here's some high value sales that have happened recently. Babe Ruth's 1932 World Series jersey sold for $24.12 million, setting a record for sports memorabilia. And of course, we all heard about Judy Garland's ruby red slippers worn in the Wizard of Oz. Which were stolen and then found. Stolen, found, replaced, given back to whoever owned them in the first place.

Judy's, was it Judy's family or something? The estate. The estate. $30 million for those ruby red slippers. I mean, listen, Judy is a gay icon, a gay icon. And for good reason. That girl had some talent. And The Wizard of Oz is a gay icon. And for good reason. That girl had some talent. And The Wizard of Oz

is a fantastic movie. And I can imagine that someone really wanted to get those hands, their hands on those Ruby Red Slickers. Yeah, they are iconic. And, you know, I am not that into Wizard of Oz, so I don't know that I would pay 30 million, but 25 million. I'd pay 25 million if I had 25 million. If I ever have 25 million. Something's only worth as much as people will pay for it. That's true. I mean, that's true.

I've paid a lot of money for this studio and most people would have paid half because they would have known how to put it together. All right, there you go. Now you're all up to speed on what the kids are doing. Thank you. I needed a good on what the kids are doing. Thank you. I needed a good collectible check-in episode. And the Beanie Babies are back.

That's all I gotta say. Beanie Babies are back. They are back in fashion. They are back in style. They are being traded at high value. So if you kept your Beanie Babies, you're back in the game, baby. Pull them out of the back of the car window. That's right.

That's the mall. Pull them out of the, people who still have that backseat thing. Yeah, that's it. You remember we saw a documentary about a guy who like lost his entire family's fortune and all this other stuff buying hundreds of thousands of beanie babies opening a store trading them on the black market doing like drug deals in the back selling beanie babies

this guy was insane and he had lost his family divorced the kids won't talk to him over beanie babies and this documentary was made like 10 years ago. I bet that guy's laughing all the way to the bank right now. It's like, I did it! I did it! Everything old is new again. Just remember that. If you're on the younger side, if you're like, you know,

30 and younger, everything old is new again. What you're wearing, what you're doing, what you're listening to right now will be popular for a minute. It will not be popular pretty soon, and then it will become popular again down the road because nostalgia is a disease that affects all of us eventually. 212-433-3TCB, 212-433-3TCB, questions, comments, concerns, content, ideas. You want to be the next mediocre podcaster? Let us know.

We'd love to have you as a part of our contest starting sometime after the 12 hours of TCB. Speaking of 12 hours of TCB, May 31st, starting at 10 a.m., 12 fresh episodes of The Commercial Break coming at you. Celebrity guests, all kinds of shit, celebrating five years of The Commercial Break coming at you. Celebrity guests, all kind of shit celebrating five years of The Commercial Break, mental health awareness. At The Commercial Break on Instagram, TCB Podcast on TikTok and YouTube.com slash The Commercial Break for all the videos the same day they air here on the audio and TCB Podcast.com for your free TCB swag.

Go to the contact us button. Okay Chrissy, I think that's all I can do for now. I think so. But I'll tell you that I love you. And I love you. I'll say best to you. Best to you. And best to you out there in the podcast universe.

Until next time, Chrissy and I will say, we do say, and we must say, Goodbye. Goodbyes. I'm gonna be a star, I'm gonna be a star I'm gonna be a star, I'm gonna be a star I'm gonna be a star, I'm gonna be a star I'm gonna be a star, I'm gonna be a star I'm gonna be a star, I'm gonna be a star I'm gonna be a star

Watch the earth, the earth, the earth