What Are Vinyl Figurines?
Vinyl figurines mainly refer to dolls made primarily from PVC through the vinyl process. Vinyl is a manufacturing technique, not a material name. Vinyl figurines, also known as vinyl toys (Urban vinyl), originated in Hong Kong in the 1990s and are characterized by exaggerated and minimalist designs. In foreign countries, they are referred to as "Urban vinyl" or "vinyl toys," often created by graphic designers, florists, musicians, cartoonists, graffiti artists, or even artificial intelligence. They emphasize design features, such as collaborations like KAWS with Sesame Street, as well as series like LABUBU and dimoo, along with works by artist Joan Cornellà.
In the late 1990s, global art toy companies began to emerge, such as Funko, which was established in the United States in 1998 and includes vinyl figurines in its product line. As early as 1999, Hong Kong artist Lee Chan-sum collaborated with designer Eric So to launch a vinyl figurine based on his personal image. In recent years, vinyl figurines have continued to serve as important carriers for cross-border collaborations between art and commerce. For example, in 2025, artist KAWS collaborated with the creative unit AllRightsReserved to launch a limited edition series of vinyl figurines featuring Sesame Street.
The vinyl process originated in Germany in 1924, where the first Roto-casting machine successfully produced the "chocolate rabbit" toy. The process includes mold making, high-temperature shaping in a vinyl oven (at temperatures of 250°C to 280°C), shaping in a cooling oven (at around 100°C), and subsequent decoration processes.
Initially, the vinyl process was mainly applied to the manufacturing of figurine toys, with Hong Kong playing a significant role in the development of figurine designs. At the 2025 exhibition, vinyl plush toys occupied half of the booths, with some products capable of standing and moving their limbs. Innovative forms such as vinyl plush music boxes garnered attention. The Pop Mart Labubu series utilizes the vinyl plush process, achieving rapid molding in 5 seconds through 160°C high-temperature injection molding, combined with magnetic modules and other designs to become a market hit. In the first half of 2025, its total revenue reached 13.88 billion yuan, with vinyl plush products becoming an important growth point. The TOP TOY brand's Sanrio "Latte Baby" series of vinyl plush products achieved over 57 million yuan in GMV in six months. With the hot sales of the LABUBU third-generation products, this process has expanded into applications in everyday scenarios such as backpack accessories.
Vinyl figurines come in a wide variety of categories, from the earliest and most popular Hong Kong street culture to the diverse classifications seen today. Vinyl figurines have covered every corner of entertainment and daily life. Since renowned international designers are often commissioned for their designs, high-quality vinyl figurines can truly become works of art.