A tourist poses for photos in front of a light installation on the terrace of the Bund Finance Center in Shanghai on Feb 1. This year's Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival has been expanded for the first time, extending from Yuyuan Garden Malls to the Bund Finance Center and the Bund. LIU YING / XINHUA

Labubu, the phenomenally popular creation of Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung that helped put Chinese pop culture giant Pop Mart on the world map, made its sharp-toothed, pointy-eared Yuyuan Lantern Festival debut in Shanghai on Feb 1.

The globally renowned character joins a diverse and vibrant array of lantern installations as the city prepares to usher in the upcoming Chinese New Year.

The grinning monster is not the only one of the collectible peddler's trendy toys to shine during the festivities, with other intellectual properties like Twinkle Twinkle, Molly, Skullpanda and Hirono also appearing in lantern form.

This is the first time that the highly anticipated annual lantern celebration extends beyond Yuyuan Garden Malls. Running through March 3, the festival also covers Gucheng Park, Middle Fangbang Road, Fu­you Road and the Bund. While the lantern installations at Yuyuan primarily follow traditional folk culture themes, the ones in other areas tap into a more contemporary zeitgeist.

In collaboration with Pop Mart, on Feb 1 the Bund Finance Center launched a Chinese New Year Garden Fair. It is set to run until March 15, and will see the main palace lantern carousel installation, decorated with Pop Mart's 12 classic IPs, set up at the center's North Plaza, accompanied by a smaller Labubu lantern installation.

Twinkle Twinkle is placed in the center's Sky Garden alongside a dreamy spring celebration installation, which blends into the city's landmark skyline along the Huangpu River.

Fans of Molly will find her at the entrance of the South Mall, being serenaded with a drum dance for good fortune, while other characters, such as Skullpanda, Baby Molly and Hirono, are spread throughout the different floors of the center.

On the first floor, Pop Mart's Golden Gallop-themed pop-up store was mobbed by locals and tourists alike when it opened for business last week.

Frans-Jan van Meer, a 50-year-old supply chain manager from the Netherlands, was busy bagging some blind boxes for his children back home when China Daily caught up with him. Here on business, and making his first visit to China, he said he had enjoyed walking around and exploring the city. It was a coincidence that he arrived at the center and came across the pop-up store, where he recognized Labubu.

"(Pop Mart) is also in Europe, and my daughter has (a Labubu) at home. When I saw the pop-up store, I thought, 'I have to buy something for my kids'," Van Meer said with a big smile.

Van Meer has two daughters, aged 5 and 10, who both are fans of Pop Mart's offerings. He bought two blind boxes each for them, including one Labubu and one from the company's new Golden Gallop series of figures.

"I like the new series. It is more Chinese and exotic for me, as we would not make it like this in Europe. … I walk around here and I think, 'I should be here with my kids'.

"It is clean, modern and nicely decorated with lanterns. The skyline and everything; it is really amazing," he added.

Rising popularity

Pop Mart has enjoyed continuously rising global popularity in recent years. Its 2025 interim results showed a 204.4 percent increase in first-half revenue, reaching 13.88 billion yuan ($2 billion).

The Monsters brand, which includes Labubu, generated 4.81 billion yuan in sales in the first half of 2025, marking 668 percent year-on-year growth and accounting for nearly 35 percent of Pop Mart's total revenue.

In addition to the trendy collectibles, the festival, showcasing the Chinese New Year vibe, is also immersing global visitors in the nation's culture.

"Chinese, and Asian culture generally, is getting more popular globally, as I see it in movies and everything," said Van Meer. "You can also see it more in Europe, and I think that's a good thing."