As many as 8,800 fake Labubu dolls have been confiscated by authorities in Norway, Sweden and Denmark over the past six months, Danish media reported on Thursday.
The part cute, part ugly monster cuddly toys have become collectible items worldwide after a member of K-pop group Blackpink was spotted with a Labubu keychain hanging off her bag.
They're sold in 'blind box' packaging so you can't see which one you've bought until you open the box.
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency (Miljøstyrelsen) has urged consumers to be cautious around purchases of the dolls, after analysis of some of the counterfeit versions confiscated in Sweden and Norway found them to contain illegal and harmful chemicals.
“These are chemical substances we don’t want in toys,” Miljøstyrelsen’s head of department Grete Lottrup Lotus stated to news wire Ritzau.
The unwanted substances are organic tin compounds and the phthalate DEHP, which have been found at higher concentrations than EU regulations allow.
DEHP can cause hormonal disruption and impair fertility, according to the Danish Environmental Protection Agency. It is banned from use in toys in the EU.
The Danish Customs Agency seized more than 3,000 counterfeit Labubu dolls in July, while another 5,300 fake dolls were seized in Sweden in September. Norwegian authorities confiscated 510 counterfeit dolls in May.
The large number of fake dolls containing illegal and harmful chemicals has prompted the Danish Environmental Protection Agency to urge consumers to be particularly cautious when buying them.
The agency says consumers should only buy the dolls only from official retailers or within the EU, where there are requirements relating to documentation of chemical content.
“We urge people to be cautious when buying these dolls and in general you should be wary of dolls sold at very low prices,” Lotus told Ritzau.
Comments