In a short video clip, barely 30 seconds long, a young influencer carefully opens a small box. Her eyes widen, a smile spreads across her face, and she exclaims with excitement, "I can’t believe it! It finally arrived!" She pulls out a small figurine with large eyes, soft colors, and meticulously crafted details, designed to make the character instantly lovable.
Within hours, the video garners hundreds of thousands of views, driving a surge in purchases as viewers rush to replicate the influencer’s experience. And so, the story of "cute" toys begins. But this is not the whole story.
From small figurines like "Labubu" to Japanese designed characters like "Miromi" these products are no longer just toys; they have become a global emotional trend selling feelings before the product itself. But what happens when emotions are transformed into a culture of consumption? And what is the true cost of these tiny creatures to our planet?
How did the story of Labubu and Miromi begin?
"Labubu" started as a drawing created by Chinese artist Kasing Lung in 2015. It was a small character within a fantasy world called The Monsters bizarre creatures with features that blend cuteness with rebellion.
Four years later, the Chinese company Pop Mart turned these illustrations into toys sold inside "blind boxes," where you don't know what's inside until you make the purchase. At this point, it ceased to be just a "toy" and became an "experience."
"Labubu" transformed from a child’s plaything into a global phenomenon. According to the e-commerce platform Alibaba.com, over 10 million units were sold worldwide by the beginning of 2026.
What about "Miromi"?
Miromi is a small, intelligent robot covered in soft fur that interacts with its surroundings through movements, such as tilting its head or looking around shyly.
According to the founder and CEO of the Japanese startup behind the doll, Miromi was designed to mimic the joy people feel when seeing a child interacting with them, as children possess a natural magnetism that compels others to smile. This is the same "emotional hook" that Labubu used to become a global trend.
How did an emotional trend turn into fast consumption?
A "trend" is no longer just a passing wave; it has become an integrated system for producing and selling emotions. While the feelings we have toward these dolls might be real, the way this sentiment is manufactured is not entirely innocent, as someone intentionally engineered this affection and marketed it across the digital space.
You are not just buying a toy; you are buying a feeling. Here, emotions have been converted into a market and a culture of relentless fast consumption.
The Emotion Economy: How are we driven to buy?
According to a recent study by the University of Guelph in Canada on emotional, ethical, and sustainable consumption, companies are not just selling dolls; they are designing "complete emotional experiences" to constantly trigger purchases. This strategy relies on three pillars:
The Blind Box System: Closed packages where the contents are unknown, encouraging consumers to repeat purchases in pursuit of rare or limited-edition items, which triggers dopamine release and reinforces compulsive shopping behavior.
The Gamification of Scarcity (FOMO): You buy not because you need, but because you fear missing out on the opportunity to own these dolls later.
Social Media: The subject evolves from a simple trend into a massive market, driven primarily by social media as the hidden engine of consumption.
The Equation:
Designed Emotion + Rapid Virality + Artificial Scarcity = An "obsession," then a multi-million dollar market. However, this rapid growth has a dangerous side that never appears in the videos.
The Hidden Environmental Impact Behind the "Cute" Trend
These dolls may look small, but their impact on the planet is immense. Behind every "cute" piece lies a full supply chain of plastic production, waste, and climate emissions. The global toy industry releases tens of millions of tons of carbon dioxide annually.
The Labubu and Miromi craze highlights the sustainability issues linked to popular toy trends. Therefore, we must understand what happens behind the manufacturing of this emotional trend.
1. Climate Impact
The doll industry relies on plastics such as polyester, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). For example, producing just 1 kilogram of ABS releases about 3 kilograms of $CO_2$. With millions of units manufactured, this trend leaves a massive carbon footprint.
2. Chemical Pollution and Industrial Waste
According to a report published in the South China Morning Post, the manufacturing process for these plastics is highly polluting. It releases significant amounts of greenhouse gases and toxic chemicals, posing severe environmental and health risks, often linked to local pollution in some Asian countries.
This comes at a time when a report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) projects that total greenhouse gas emissions from plastics will exceed 56 gigatons by 2050, accounting for 10% to 13% of total global emissions.
3. Consumer Behavior and the Waste Cycle
According to the international organization News Decoder, the problem does not stop at manufacturing. About 80% of all plastic toys end up in landfills, incinerators, or oceans, accounting for about 6% of global plastic waste, in addition to the waste generated by blind boxes and single-use packaging.
Regarding "Miromi," which became a viral phenomenon on social media in early 2026, sales are still in the early stages, and there are no specific studies or reports yet on its carbon footprint or climate impact.
However, generally speaking, Miromi like any small electronic robot contributes to increased emissions. Based on documented scientific studies of products very similar to Miromi, emissions stem primarily from the extraction of rare metals used in motors and electronics, battery manufacturing, the production of the dolls themselves, and global shipping operations.
Conclusion: Who pays the price?
Labubu and Miromi may look like innocent toys, but behind their playful appearance lies a much more dangerous story. Its true features will become clear only after the trend fades, and these dolls transform into non-biodegradable waste that will continue to pollute soil, water, and marine life for decades to come.
In reality, the problem is not just the dolls; it is a system that manufactures instant emotions, excessive consumption, and long-lasting waste.
A small toy might seem inconsequential, but when an entire generation becomes obsessed with collecting millions of them, the trend turns into a silent environmental crisis. Therefore, we must ask ourselves before buying:
