Pop Mart recently announced their intention to take action against the unauthorised use of Labubu characters in food products. The Chinese toy company currently owns the intellectual property (IP) of the viral monster characters.
Among the food retailers affected is Ji Xiang Kueh, which has been selling adorable Labubu-shaped ang ku kuehs on a pre-order basis since September.
Source: @jixiangkueh on TikTok
In response to MS News‘ queries, a Ji Xiang spokesperson said that the bakery started accepting orders for the Labubu ang ku kuehs to keep the Chinese dessert “relevant to the younger generation”.
“We didn’t expect it to blow up on the media, which led to many orders of Labubu kuehs coming in,” they said.
In light of Pop Mart’s announcement, the confectionary has ceased taking orders for the Labubu dessert.
The decision did not please many, however — some of the aunties in charge of making the kuehs were reportedly “sad” as they had heaps of fun making them.
On the other hand, Ji Xiang’s co-owner, Mr Kelvin Toh, said that he was “relieved” that the bakery will be able to stop making custom Labubu kuehs.
Source: @jixiangkueh on TikTok
“It is a lot of work. It was more for marketing purposes and publicity, and not for revenue,” he told The Straits Times.
The bakery explained to MS News that since they were a small confectionary which specialises in handmade ang ku kuehs, the orders for the Labubu kuehs caused their overall sales to “dip slightly” due to distributed resources.
Source: Ji Xiang Kueh
“We sacrificed a large portion of our production capabilities in order to fulfil these orders and bring a smile to our customers,” the Ji Xiang spokesperson said.
However, despite this, Mr Toh said that he plans to contact Pop Mart about collaboration possibilities and to inquire about licensing.
Additionally, the confectionary hopes that the Labubu kueh-making stint highlighted its capabilities as a bakery.
“Through this short-lived sale of Labubu kuehs, we are also hoping that there are brands out there who have seen what we do and would like to work with us officially,” the spokesperson added.
The confectionary also teased that it will be launching “something interesting” for the upcoming Christmas season.
Also read: Old-school bakery Ji Xiang rolls out adorable Labubu ang ku kuehs, netizens approve
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Featured image adapted from @jixiangkueh on TikTok and Ji Xiang Kueh.
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