Labubu's appearance in Nine Emperor Gods festival gets internet talking

Labubu dolls have become the latest viral craze in Singapore, and these cute plush figurines recently caused a stir last Friday (Oct 4) with their appearance at a Taoist temple in Tampines. 

In a TikTok video shared by 25-year-old Taoist priest Lee Chee Tong, a couple of these Labubu dolls were seen dressed in devotees' clothes for Ling Lian Bao Dian Kew Ong Yah temple's Nine Emperor Gods Festival. 

Lee was invited by the temple to perform a ritual, and was surprised to see the popular dolls decked out in outfits.

@quanzhentaoist I hate labubu with my life🌚 #taoism #nineemperorgod #labubu #九皇爷 #sgtiktok ♬ som original - CR._MSC🎶

Various priests were seen holding the dolls and posing with them around the temple. There were four dolls in total, donning custom-made white and yellow outfits for the event, reported 8world News.

The dolls were unveiled on Oct 1 at the temple's welcoming ceremony for the 11-day long festival and were met with a warm welcome from believers. 

Tampines MP Baey Yam Keng also attended the ceremony held at at Tampines St 43 and snapped a picture posing with two of the dolls.

He said in his Facebook post later that he was "happy to see young devotees taking on responsibilities" in Taoist traditions.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Baey Yam Keng 马炎庆 (@baeyyamkeng)

'Everyone thinks it's cute'

Lee's TikTok garnered well over 750,000 views but some netizens were divided about their use in this context. 

This grinning devil doll, after all, is part of Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung's story series, The Monsters, which he created back in 2015.

Another netizen on TikTok said it was "disrespectful" and took things "too far".

Others, however, thought it was a "cute" way to use the dolls and that "if they (the temple's leaders) approved it, its okay".

Some were amused, with one even saying "even the gods are confused with this labubu trend". 

Dolls to honour Nine Emperor Gods: Temple

Speaking to AsiaOne, Louis Tan, chairman of Ling Lian Bao Dian Kew Ong Yah temple, said these comments were based on misunderstandings.

"The dolls are dressed up as devotees, and not deities. I've seen people dress them (Labubu dolls) up as the Monkey God, and that's disrespectful." 

Tan explained that the dolls were dressed up as a sign of respect to the Nine Emperor Gods, contrary to what many netizens believe. 

Lee and Tan also said that the Labubu dolls were met with much delight from believers at the temple, especially among the younger ones.

Tan, added that the Nine Emperor Gods Festival is "very important to the Taoist community", and he thought of using the furry dolls as a way to draw interest from the younger generation.

And they did, he said. 

Some visited the temple and requested to take photos with the dolls after seeing them online. One even asked to buy the Labubu dolls, though their request was rejected. 

Tan explained that he intends to bring the Labubu dolls to other neighboring temples for other events.

Labubu hype

Labubu dolls gained significant popularity after being showcased by celebrities including Blackpink's Lisa and Thai actress Junji Janjira.

Back in August, at the Pop Toy Show held at Marina Bay Sands, attendees scrambled for the limited edition Labubu toys, which included a Singapore-exclusive Merlion pendant.

The situation escalated to the point where police were called in.

ALSO READ: It's Labubu's world and we're living in it: What's this Pop Mart figure and why is everyone obsessed with it?

dana.leong@asiaone.com