Chinese trendy toys are revolutionizing the global fashion market.

Since last year, LABUBU, a fanged, whimsical "Nordic elf"—a character known as Pop Mart—has exploded in global popularity, solidifying its dominance and top-tier status in the trendy toy market. Recently, a mint-colored LABUBU sold for a staggering 1.08 million yuan at a Beijing auction, shocking both collectors and those within it.

As the vinyl plush LABUBU has become a new "social currency," the vinyl plush technique has also unwittingly become a mainstream style for other trendy toy IPs, dominating the shelves of trendy toy stores.

New techniques and new forms are sweeping the trendy toy world, bringing with them new expectations from consumers for a higher level of quality. This time, Dongguan-made products are once again riding this new wave.

To understand trendy toys, one must understand Dongguan.

Why does this city repeatedly put its name behind these IPs? How are Dongguan's "factory players" capitalizing on the new trend?

Vinyl plush is undoubtedly this year's hottest trendy toy category.

Since the end of April, LABUBU's new product, the third-generation "High Energy Ahead" series of vinyl plush, has been a runaway seller and a global fashion favorite.

The meticulously crafted, playful expressions and the delicate, soft plush may seem like a seemingly contradictory clash, but they perfectly capture the contrasting charm of LABUBU's character design, propelling the brand to single-handedly carve out a new niche in the trendy toy market.

Pop Mart founder Wang Ning once mentioned that the core of LABUBU's success lies in the vinyl plush category the brand pioneered. He explained that vinyl plush was chosen because plush faces are prone to deformation, and he wanted to experiment with innovative techniques that combined trendy toys with plush.

Vinyl is a specialized PVC production process. As early as the fall of 2022, Pop Mart tried vinyl plush pendants in the PUCKY Bear Planet series; at the end of 2022, LABUBU's first vinyl plush "TIME TO CHILL" was launched, with a 30cm size design. At that time, it was still a trendy toy with ornaments as the core; until the end of 2023, the LABUBU vinyl plush series was sold globally, designed as pendants that can go on the streets and express trendy attitudes, and with the recommendation of top idols, it had more exposure opportunities. This category began to truly advance by leaps and bounds.

Is vinyl plush really new?

If you translate this into the language of Dongguan factory managers, they might say, "This isn't new! We've made it before!"

Just as Wang Ning chose Dongguan years ago after visiting several toy industry zones across China, he valued the technology and quality Dongguan manufacturing has cultivated through years of collaboration with renowned toy manufacturers like Disney in the US and Bandai in Japan.

In Shipai, a small town that accounts for 50% of Dongguan's trendy toy production and is home to 146 trendy toy companies, Dongguan Fuzhiyu Crafts Co., Ltd. became a contract manufacturer for Pop Mart in 2020. This company, which previously focused on overseas orders, now has capabilities in the development, design, manufacturing, and sales of plastic toys, electronics, action figures, craft gifts, hardware products, and PU foam toys. In its early years, it also contracted for the production of figurines of the domestically produced Ali character.

It's worth noting that before Pop Mart launched its vinyl plush, Fuzhiyu employed a similar design concept for its original IP, "GANA," in 2021. This cotton doll, featuring a plush body and interchangeable PVC face, appeals to the audience's love of changing dolls' clothing and faces. Beyond its innovative form, it also features character designs with diverse personalities.

From 2020 to 2022, factories in Dongguan contributed a significant amount of production capacity to Pop Mart during its early stages of development.

The Dongguan boss at the time had no idea what "trendy toys" were, but upon seeing the blueprints, he confidently declared, "We can do it!"

For Pop Mart's Dongguan suppliers at the time, making trendy toys was no longer a new technology.

Traditional plush toys offer a pleasant feel but lack complexity, while figurines are exquisite but lack interactivity. In contrast, the combination of delicate vinyl faces and soft plush creates a subtle expression of texture and feel, allowing for a wider range of fashion combinations and customization possibilities. This new category, "vinyl + plush," has taken the trendy toy world by storm.

Vinyl isn't a special material; rather, it's a thermoforming process that uses centrifugal force to evenly adhere a PVC paste to the inner wall of a mold. Paste PVC is finer than regular PVC, maintaining toughness while enhancing the tactile experience. A plastic chemical supplier explains that the magic of this process lies in the juxtaposition of centrifugal force and temperature.

Massive production of a vinyl plush product takes two months at the "Dongguan speed"; small pre-sale orders from brands can be shortened to as little as 15-20 days. Everything from the initial engineering disassembly and mold development to the face-making, painting, and assembly on the production line can all be completed in Dongguan. In Shipai, factories responsible for all the processes are gathered within 15 minutes. In some veteran toy factories in Dongguan, even one building covers all the process departments capable of producing vinyl plush. This is an absolute time advantage for trendy toy brands, especially emerging brands that are established to seize the trend and whose supply chains are not yet mature.

Besides efficiency, quality is Dongguan's hallmark. Over a decade ago, Dongguan's toy factories already possessed the ability to craft exquisite products using materials like PVC, ABS, PU, ​​and resin, producing a vast array of action figures from movies and comics, not to mention plush toys. These products have long been highly regarded within the industry. When the trend toward vinyl plush toys took off, it was technically easy for Dongguan factories to "catch" and even "handle" this overwhelming influx.

This accumulated experience allowed Dongguan factories to quickly enter the market, avoiding the challenges of manufacturing new products. The fervor of the production lines has helped major brands fill their shelves with vinyl plush toys. Today, in trendy toy stores like MINISO, TOP TOY, 52TOYS, and X11, as well as in more affordable stationery stores, both well-known and lesser-known IPs are continuously releasing new vinyl plush designs.

When complex pure plush trendy toys require hundreds of cut pieces and require a large number of skilled workers to hand-sew, which takes a long time, the introduction of enamel is undoubtedly a bright spot for IP designers. After all, being able to beat the clock means being able to beat the trend for a day.

This idea has been likened by netizens to "a masterful arranger." Even a long-standing IP can be given new life through secondary design.

In fact, like the birth of a hit song, beyond the storytelling and captivating lyrics and music, the arrangement, mixing, and mastering all play an indispensable role in the technical support. Pattern making, mold making, enamelling, painting, sewing, shaping... Dozens of complex technologies must be integrated to achieve the dominance of a new product.

Dongguan's trendy toy industry professionals believe that vinyl plush toys are even more valuable because they win through form, attracting a wider audience of casual fans who aren't obsessed with a single IP. This creates a higher-end plush format with profound potential to become a long-lasting, classic item, thus providing an ecological fertile ground for the emergence of new IPs and original designs.

To some extent, vinyl plush toys have helped educate a wider audience about trendy toys. They have reached a wider audience, achieving cross-generational and cross-national reach.

Dongguan, known as the "China Trendy Toy Capital," is the mastermind behind this trend.

Slow-rebound plush, flocking, minerals, crystals, metals, wood...the diverse range of materials used suggests that today's trendy toys are already caught up in a "materials revolution."

In 2023, Wang Ning unveiled the Pop Mart Innovation Materials Museum in Dongguan. This museum showcases Pop Mart's collection and application of materials and new technologies. Through engineering case studies, process flows, and patent certificates, it showcases Pop Mart's supply chain department's exploration of trendy toy craftsmanship, material development, and green environmental protection.

Amidst the rapid evolution of trendy toys, you can also find clues to the next blockbuster in Dongguan's factories.

At Dingzhou Cultural and Creative Co., Ltd. in Qiaotou, workers are busily producing the latest "Q Bao" product. This trendy toy utilizes a unique material between PVC and PB, using a fleece-based process instead of plush, creating a new form factor that functions as both an ornament and a pendant.

"Q Bao" comes from JOTOYS, a new force in trendy toys. Founded in 2021, the company has already spawned three IPs generating billions of yuan in annual revenue in less than three years. The Q Bao "Emotional Furry Monster" series, launched in March of this year, saw strong growth with a GMV exceeding 40 million yuan in its first month. Its unique furry bag design has also captured the hearts of celebrities like Hua Chenyu, Zhang Linghe, and Luo Yunxi.

JOTOYS, with its outstanding design, sophisticated craftsmanship, and operational development, has precisely captured the hearts of a large number of trendy toy consumers. Two years ago, JOTOYS used temperature-sensitive materials in its YUMO Yunmeng Lucky Pear series, recreating the unique texture of frozen Northeast China pears by rapidly turning black at low temperatures.

The emergence of new materials also opens up new possibilities for more artistic trendy toy gifts. Back in late 2023, Dongguan Haoqile Cultural Industry Co., Ltd. received an order for the 2024 "Happy Spring Festival" mascot, the "Auspicious Dragon." Priced at 698 yuan, this trendy toy uses "PVC + plush" instead of pure plush, making the dragon head design more detailed and realistic. This not only improves production efficiency, but its perfect presentation has also been praised by designers from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Central Academy of Fine Arts. It also became the first Dongguan trendy toy to be launched into space.

Nowadays, "PVC + plush" is increasingly being used in the development of new products for major IPs. This process overcomes the drawbacks of vinyl surfaces, which are prone to scratching and rubbing. Its relatively high hardness also allows for more three-dimensional contours in trendy toys. Even Dongguan companies have developed original trendy character designs for "soldiers," a highly realistic and exquisite model toy category popular in Europe and the United States for over half a century.

Furthermore, more than one trendy toy factory has revealed that they are involved in the development of trendy toys with articulated joints and other features for enhanced playability. Action figures similar to "BJD" (ball-jointed dolls) may become the next trending category.

At Dongguan Tianyu Toy Products Co., Ltd., in a pattern room just across the wall from its production line, twenty or thirty process engineers are "swamped" with a variety of materials, busily selecting, comparing, and debugging. The company's director explained that in recent years, trendy toy companies have mushroomed like mushrooms after a rain. This massive demand is in stark contrast to the shortage of skilled personnel who understand craftsmanship, processing, and production.

"In the past, orders from well-known foreign IPs came with their incredibly detailed process manuals and processing guidelines. Now, when facing orders from domestic trendy toy companies, our in-house team must co-create with the IP owners, making suggestions on material selection and engaging in mutual exploration and coordination."

From a design drawing from the IP owner to a process manual on the production side, skilled pattern makers, pattern makers, modelers, and process engineers—technologists with a deep understanding of industrial design—remain Dongguan's irreplaceable core manufacturing advantage compared to other cities. Years of experience on the production line have also provided more opportunities for these professionals, allowing them to move from the factory floor to the upper reaches of the value chain and into brand companies.

This technological expertise not only fuels original R&D and innovation at Dongguan factories, giving rise to formidable original IP brands, but also helps Dongguan companies enter overseas markets with a deep and unique understanding of the industry.

Housed in an office building in Changping, HiTOY, with only 20 to 30 employees, is an undisputed dark horse in the trendy toy world.

Starting in August last year, HiTOY generated over 100 million yuan in revenue in just five months, selling over 3 million vinyl plush products worldwide. The company projects sales of approximately 250 million yuan in 2025.

Even more courageously, HiTOY focuses on markets such as Southeast Asia, Europe and the United States, with 90% of its products released overseas. Its IP, "Nuomi'er," debuted in Thailand, a market with fierce competition for trendy toys. Not only did it win the favor of top Thai actress Xiao Shui, but the overwhelming influx of visitors nearly paralyzed the trendy toy exhibition. In the first few months of this year, Nuomi'er's "Cute Never Closes" series consistently ranked in the top three on TikTok's trendy toy sales charts in regions like the Philippines. In Japan, with its long-standing anime consumer base, it often sold out within a week of arrival, prompting repeat orders.

Unlike the mainstream vinyl plush toys currently on the market, HiTOY's IPs feature more meticulous craftsmanship and ingenious details. In addition to the world's first, patented, three-panel glass-like eye design, allowing players to freely switch the doll's expression, the "Mushroom Cap" series features an oversized mushroom cap suitable for adults. The "Other World" series features an interactive window on the doll's abdomen and interchangeable PVC beads.

"Following the pace of industry leaders and expanding into the market" is HiTOY's core strategy for new product development and market expansion. According to HiTOY's founder, Fan Zhisong, entering mature markets where industry leaders have already completed consumer education can both improve efficiency and accurately align with industry trends. Last year, 60% to 70% of HiTOY's market share was concentrated in Southeast Asian regions like Thailand and Vietnam; this year, this core share has shifted to the European and American markets. This precise tracking is driven by Fan Zhisong's decades of industry experience, his deep understanding of market trends, and his unwavering confidence in the strength of Dongguan's supply chain.

Another domestic IP born in Dongguan, "Wa San Sui," has also achieved impressive success overseas.

Related media reports indicate that Da Piaoliang (Dongguan) Toys Co., Ltd., established only a year ago, generated nearly 2 billion yuan in GMV in Southeast Asia and Europe last year. Its flagship IP, "Wa San Sui," frequently appeared on TikTok's top sales charts in many Southeast Asian countries.

Last fall, in just one month, young Vietnamese spent a total of 8.8 billion Vietnamese dong (approximately 2.51 million yuan) on "Wa San Sui" blind boxes on Shopee and TikTok, exceeding LABUBU's revenue of 5.2 billion Vietnamese dong (approximately 204,000 US dollars) on Vietnamese e-commerce platforms in the second quarter of that year. In November, "Wa San Sui" dominated the top three online shopping charts in Thailand, briefly overtaking LABUBU. In the secondary market for trendy toys, limited-edition items often command premiums of 3-6 times.

There are also the trendy toy IPs "Zhuo Da Wang" and "Wendy", which are widely sought after in Southeast Asia and loved by international actress Lisa. They are also produced in Dongguan; the "Three Little Hairs" MINI small animal series blind boxes produced by Chashan Trendy Toy Company ranked second in sales of TikTok trendy toys in Vietnam in April this year, and ranked fifth in sales of TikTok trendy toys in the Philippines. Its strong momentum is eye-catching.

Today, a steady stream of original trendy toy stars are emerging from Dongguan and entering the world market, becoming the emotional carrier of young people and the "shipping place" of cultural confidence for China's trendy toys.