Are you familiar with Labubu? This wide-eyed, sharp-toothed toy was designed to be cute, playful, and collectible. But now, the popular doll is also being called Satanic.
Created by artist Kasing Lung in 2015, Labubu dolls have become hugely popular in recent years. With their mischievous grins, rabbit-like ears, and bright colors, they were meant to evoke playful fantasy and folklore.
Once you start noticing them, they’re everywhere: dangling from backpacks, filling mall kiosks, perched in car dashboards. Many find them adorable – and ultra collectible. But do they have a dark side?
Pazuzu Rears Its Head?
But in the last few months, they’ve come under heavy scrutiny in certain Christian circles, with some believers alleging that the cute toys harbor a demonic secret.
One viral post pointed to their toothy grins and accused Labubu of being a vessel for Pazuzu – the Mesopotamian demon best remembered today as the spirit behind the possession in The Exorcist.
Soon, a flood of social media videos followed, with many pointing out bizarre experiences they had with their own Labubus. Some performed exorcisms on their dolls. Others took things a step further and burned them.
Many have likened it to the hysteria of the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, where everything from metal music to Dungeons & Dragons was considered by some a gateway to the demonic. But is this just history repeating itself, or something new?
A Short History of the Satanic Panic
To understand Labubu’s Satanism moment, we need to go back to the height of the Satanic Panic in the 1980s-1990s, primarily in the United States.
During this period, evangelical and fundamentalist religious groups were growing in influence across the country. This religious revival of sorts helped contribute to an environment of concern about invisible Satanic forces that that threatened public wellbeing – and particularly the nation's youth.
How Did the Satanic Panic Start?
The origins of the panic stem from the 1980 release of Michelle Remembers, a memoir by psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder and his patient (and future wife) Michelle Smith, chronicling Smith’s alleged childhood abuse at the hands of a Satanic cult. Pazder used the now-discredited practice of recovered-memory therapy to “uncover” Smith’s memories.
Today, the book is regarded as inaccurate and sensationalized. Nevertheless, at the time, it ushered in a wave of anti-Satan mania across the United States.
What Happened During the Satanic Panic?
This cultural moment led to increasingly outlandish allegations of Satanic influence being levied at targets like heavy metal music, Dungeons & Dragons, horror movies, and pro wrestling. Soon, anything outside the cultural mainstream could be painted as a secret portal to Satanism.
In one of the Satanic Panic’s most famous episodes – the McMartin Preschool Trial – claims of sexual abuse and bizarre occult rituals were lobbed at a Los Angeles-area day care.
Many of the interview methods were later deemed coercive, with kids stating to police that they saw witches fly and traveled by hot air balloon. One child identified actor Chuck Norris as one of the abusers in a photo lineup. The case dragged on for years, resulting in zero convictions.
By the mid-1990s, the panic had fizzled, as public attention shifted to new scandals. And though the fire was briefly rekindled in the early 2000s with debates over Harry Potter and witchcraft, the frenzy never again reached the fever pitch of its 1980s heyday.
New Target, Same Panic?
If the recent outrage over Labubu teaches us anything, it’s that moral panics never really die, they just reinvent themselves. Yesterday it was heavy metal and role-playing games; today it’s collectible toys and viral trends. The pattern is the same: an unusual cultural object gets reinterpreted as dangerous, communities rally around the fear, and the outrage takes on a life of its own.
Of course, some appear to truly believe that Labubu is secretly masking a demonic figure. Should we be concerned, or is this just the latest iteration of a misguided anti-Satan moral crusade?
What is your reaction?
38 comments
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Religion as a Weapon is Wrong
Oh my gosh, we have too much time to waste apparently, especially people that create these diversions from reality. If you don't like the silly doll, don't buy it and find something productive to do with your life.
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James Riggle-Johnson
Interesting. Reading the poster in the article, I noticed these people are trying to raise $150,000.00 to rid the world of this particular demon. I wonder what that money is really going to be used for. I believe most, if not all, evil in the world comes from people, not toys.
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ServantOfJudgement
Yep, people are the problem.
10 bucks says whatever charity they’re running to gather the cash is gonna need a nice boat and car.
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Rev. Donut
It could be used to set up a big party in Las Vegas. You know, "Sin City"
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Reverend Paula Copp
anything can be satanistic if you give it negative energy. I don’t believe those dolls can be any more demonic than anything else. Much ado about nothing…
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John Reseigh
So certain fundamentalist Christians believe that a Mesopotamian demon has possessed these dolls. But they believe that their version of Christianity is the only true one. If other religions are false, so must their gods. If that is the case then the demon doesn't exist.
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Tom Herman
Good point. Good deductive reasoning.
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Ari Joseph Bertine
I've only run into a few Christians who think that way...considering that in their Bible, their god tells them not to worship any other gods besides him, it's usually interpreted as their god confirming the existence of other gods, not just "spirits" or whatever evolved into "demons" as modern Christians think of them.
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Rev. BH
Please send me 150K to aid my mission in stamping out red Gummi Bears! (those are the satanic ones!)
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Patricia Ann Gross
Anyone rememebering the Teletubiess creating gay panic?????
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Roy S. Thorpe
I won't make the payments so it'll be repossessed!
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Naomi B Corey
The same mindsets that become mesmerized by Trump's rhetoric to become his "faithful followers" and believe that God sends him. They cling to every hypnotic word he speaks, and at some level, they know that he is not working in their favor. They need to blame someone or something for their decrease in funds, housing, jobs, and moral decency. Who better than the devil? They may be better off switching out mythical Labudu satanic beliefs for an actual, dangerous, and demoralized influencer.
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Joe R Day
While I agree with most of your post... The Mind-Set of 'Demonic Possession' has existed since time immemorial... It is not just trump, it is the Belief System, based in Christianity, from which this flows.
Yes, our potus has inflamed the issue with his 'Make-Christianity-Great-Again' and his denial of Religious Separation of State...
Has he made it worse? Of course. Is it all tied to him? No, been around a lot longer than that lol...
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Ari Joseph Bertine
This is beyond stupid, but after hearing that some group was fund-raising several hundred thousand dollars to buy the biggest Labubu doll because they thought it was the "master demon" or some such, I'm trying to figure out how to make an even bigger one they can buy.
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June Whalen Gonzalez
Anything can be labeled demonic .... It's human perception - and those who are willing to follow that train of belief.
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Walter J. Holbrook
Why do w debate foolishness. Is your stove or even grandmothers pic possessed.
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Warren Calvin Wall
OMG! How did you know? My stove has been possessed for decades. Even replacing it didn't help. It constantly burns my food. It is obviously heated by Hellfire. Occasionally, you can even smell the Brimstone.
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Kimberly Haehn
hahahahaha! Love it. My oven is possessed to. Always burns my muffins!
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Tom Herman
Oh my goodness. It's a doll, like so many other tens of thousands. It never ceases to amaze me just how silly this particular group of people can be.
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Joe R Day
"Satanic Mechanic"? Have you ever rolled your eyes so hard that it hurts? Yeah, that's me, right now lol...
Before I go much further, I want to share witnessed actions I could not explain.
2am, woken from sleep by banging from the kitchen. I'm living in an old sorority house, turned into a boarding home. Bedrooms upstairs, kitchen and living space downstairs. Grabbed my baseball bat and slipped downstairs quietly (did I mention I'm naked?). A peek through the window of the kitchen door gave me the goosebumps.
I watched for 15-20 seconds, all the cabinet doors were waving, and the drawers were jumping open/closed rapidly. The House father (manager/landlord) stepped into the kitchen and in a loud voice proclaimed "I have asked you to NOT do This! Please stop..." and it did.
Science is my Go-To when I'm stumped. I told this story to two astrophysicist from the U of A and the human I considered to be my NA Shaman (he never called himself Shaman, I gave him the title lol). The science guys just shrugged after an hour of discussion. One of them said "Edge, there are some things in our world that we cannot explain. I believe this is one of them."
Because of what I heard/saw/felt that night, I must accept that there exists the POSSIBILITY of demonic possession... Do I believe that this doll, Labubu could be a host for DP (demonic possession)? Could ANY doll host a DP? A very 'Guarded' possibly... Any research into this subject is rife with quacks, charlatans and money-grubbers. However, there has been a smattering of science applied to the 'conundrum' and (of course) the results require 'further study'...
In my research, the correlation of DP and the 'environment' surrounding the doll is 'telling'. When someone believes that DP can occur? It often does, at least to the person involved /grin. To believe in DP, one must believe in the Pantheon of religion and through their belief, comes 'proof'...
In summation I will state "The possibility of DP of a doll (or person) is vanishingly small, if not impossible. Please use these funny dolls as intended... For fun and garnering togetherness and Love." Not everything has to have a Dark Side lol...
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John Eubanks
The doll is a toy. Satan is a myth. The people pushing this idiocy are the lunatic fringe.
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Brian Hunt
I had left them by then, but the Jehovah's Witnesses believed that Smurfs were demonic. Amuse yourself here https://paranormal-world.fandom.com/wiki/A_Brief_History_of_Killer_Smurfs
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Charlene Davis
I have to say people will say anything about a stuffed animal. It's not an evil being. Now if you want to talk about the collector of souls, stop buying dolls. Dolls were originally made in the image of a person that would be passing away and it would be placed near them to collect their souls. Haunting forever now don't buy dolls. And in native culture original native dolls had no face so that spirits could not come to them and speak or see through them.
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Warren Calvin Wall
I find it interesting that a doll inspired by Nordic folklore is home to a Mesopotamian demon. I guess that it's representative of the diversity movement.
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Joe R Day
Diversity? You wish! To me, this is an outstanding example of theists casting about and attempting to 'bedevil' anything that could be labeled as 'Demonic'. Pointing out that the demon in question is from a different theology/religion is a waste of words lol... If a follower of Jesus declares "Labubu dolls can be Possessed!" and then offers (baseless) 'proof'? Folks gonna Lap-it-up, 'Proof be damned', I'm a Believer!
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Gordon Billingsley
Surprise, surprise. They are raising money.
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Anthony Janney
I grew up hearing that kind of stuff but really it was just us fighting the system around us. The evilness is what's inside people as far as the Antichrist well it's used as a term that someone is going to save you and you're going to look away from Jesus that's really what I take from it and I don't see it that way but it's far as a little doll doing stuff it's just people playing around again now there's possession it was said by Jesus rebuked the man that run around the graves so that could be true as far as things but the true following are evil and people's heart said unclean spirit or cast out spirits aliens and different forms like auras there is strange stuff in this world but we're here to be in it not of it I would relax just stay away from that kind of crazy stuff and I think we'll do just fine Anthony
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Kathleen Jane Antrim
People can be (and are) strange.
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Richard Bryce McClimans
A new reason I can eat more M&Ms. Labubu made me do it!
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Robert Berry
What a silly notion to compare it to demonic anything besides mass consumerism. I recall the first Troll doll craze and there's been so many others since. It's another silly "collection" pastime for children and some adults that's too consumer oriented for my taste but, this too will pass. I hope their spending benefits some others in definite need of the income produced by the fad.
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Ben
Trump might be doing some good stuff but he's definitely doing some bad stuff as well. I still lean toward thinking that he's the lesser of the two evil compared to Harris.
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Sunshine DayDreamz
"... psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder and his patient (and future wife) Michelle Smith…"
He should have lost his license -- you don't sleep with or have any kind of dual relationships with patients. Obviously ethicals norms weren't in place back then but look at the foundation. Started crooked.
I would be more concerned with with a Trump bobble head doll being Satanic. South Park just did an episode on these dolls so there's enough noise about it to get their attention. Raggedy Ann dolls had the same smile lacking teeth, so where is Satan there? Many fanatical followers of religion tend to have hysterical episodes resulting in seeing Jesus's face in a cloud, cookies or a cereal bowl. Hysteria is contagious, and this is another such example.
You forgot to mention the Jesus toast! Love your response.
Fair point about the trump head but only if you’re down with chunking up unborn humans, burning cities down or in the country illegally. Otherwise he’s as harmless as a heel hound.
Dolls can be creepy looking sometimes for some reason. Them old porcelain ones can bug me out a bit. Dunno why but they can be. Thank God my girl likes toy horses!
Still, it’s folly to try to stop their production.
"only if you’re down with chunking up unborn humans, burning cities down or in the country illegally."
I fail to see the relevance of 'demonic possession' to this comment.
"Servant Of Judgement"? Romans 14:4... Rather high opinion of yourself, yes?
Just because something is 'creepy', does not automatically denote a 'possible demonic possession'. Our current potus looks creepy to me, but I cannot allow myself to believe he is currently 'possessed'...
Inept and floundering? Yes... but he is only possessed by his need to dominate and please his base and amass more $$.
And old painting do not?
Lol, yea, some old paintings are creepy too Douglas.
Joy, please don't tell me you're an unbeliever quoting Bible verses.
Is it wrong to chop up a human? Is it wrong to burn a city down? Is it wrong to enter a country illegally? Does that mean I have a giant ego because I see the truth of these things being wrong as does the Bible?
I'm commenting on another's comment about the President. Why did you not critique the originator of this off topic thread? Why critique me, a secondary commentator?
It's fine, I know the answer. The question is for you to find the answer.