The fury Labubu toy craze was predated by the cuddly Monchhichi decades before, a time when communist East Germany created its own version of the popular figure — the Tiemi.
The Monchhichi (left) was a pop culture icon long before the loveable Labubu came on the sceneImage: Hallie Rawlinson/DW
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Berlin's new Pop Mart store, the first in Germany, drew massive crowds during its opening weekend. The mania was fueled by celebrity Labubu collectors such as Blackpink's Lisa, Rihanna, Dua Lipa and David Beckham.
Hot on the heels of the viral Labubu craze, influencers have also been hyping another collectible furry toy that could be seen as the "ancestor" of the plush creepy-cute monster: The Monchhichi.
Popular worldwide in the 1980s, the plastic-faced monkey doll was created by Japanese designer Yoshiharu Washino for the Sekiguchi Corporation.
Labubu toys set out to take Germany by storm
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Released in 1974, the doll's first exposure to the international market came a year later at the Nuremberg Toy Fair, allowing the Japanese company to launch the toys in German-speaking countries.
They were a huge success in Europe. By the late 1970s, more Monchhichi dolls were sold in Germany than in Japan.
Global fame followed when US toy company Mattel started marketing the fluffy dolls in 1980. A cartoon series called "Monchhichis," produced by Hanna-Barbera, was released worldwide to promote them. But five years later, Mattel felt the sales weren't strong enough, and dropped the line.
Still, the Monchhichis were relaunched in the United States in 2004 to mark the 30th anniversary of the toy.
With the dolls now sold in stores like Urban Outfitters, Monchhichi marketers are no longer targeting children but rather young adults drawn to quirky-nostalgic trends.
Monchhichi dolls are still popular todayImage: Revierfoto/dpa/picture alliance
Spot the fake
Labubu collectors who search for rare models online need to figure out if they are about to buy an authentic toy monster elf, created by Hong Kong-Dutch designer Kasing Lung, or rather a fake "Lafufu" — as the counterfeit dolls are colloquially referred to.
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The internet is filled with tips allowing fans to spot the differences between the two. The copycats are obviously less refined than the designer models. Kids are being teased by their friends if they show up with a figure that has 10 or eight teeth instead of nine — the ultimate sign that it's not the real thing.
Similarly, copies of the Monchhichi can be found all over the world.
But the version of the doll sold in former East Germany,or the German Democratic Republic (GDR), bypassed the authenticity issue by taking on a different name: the Tiemi.
The Tiemi was the East German version of the MonchhichiImage: Privat
Monchhichi behind the Iron Curtain
While the Monchhichi's popularity boomed in West Germany, it wasn't available in the communist East, which banned the import and the sale of capitalist consumer items.
The Tiemi, whose namesake was toy designer Susanne Tieme, was produced in the small town of Sonneberg that was already a toy-producing hub at the beginning of 20th century.
When Sonneberg landed in the Soviet-controlled eastern part of Germany after World War II, the region's numerous family businesses were nationalized into so-called people-owned enterprises.
One such state business in Sonnerberg manufactured the Tiemi, which became very popular and was exported throughout Eastern Bloc countries.
But following German reunifcation in 1990, the plant was sold and privatized and production ceased
Today, plush figures made in Sonneberg have become collectors' items. An internet search for "Sonni DDR" toys leads to a wide variety of dolls that some might find even creepier than Labubus.
Edited by: Stuart Braun
A brief history of the nutcracker doll
Invented over 150 years ago, the nutcracker is a typical Christmas decoration in Germany. Here's how it became the most famous figurine among many other traditional wooden decorations.
Image: Zoonar/picture alliance
A global phenomenon
Germany is a leading manufacturer of traditional nutcrackers. Today, the decorative Christmas figures are collected by people worldwide. While they have been around for ages, the wooden dolls only became popular in the US in the 1950s. The nutcracker acquired its iconic status through a globalized transmission of popular culture.
Image: Imago/robertharding
A famous ballet
The German author E.T.A. Hoffmann wrote the story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" in 1816. French writer Alexandre Dumas came up with his own adaptation of the story in 1844, which was then turned into a ballet by the Russian composer Tchaikovsky in 1892. Now a Christmas classic, the work contributed to the nutcracker's fame worldwide.
Image: Imago/United Archives International
Brothers Grimm symbolism
Jacob Grimm, the oldest of the famous Brothers Grimm, also wrote about nutcrackers in his treatise on Germanic mythology, "Deutsche Mythologie," from 1835. He described how wooden nutcrackers were carved as protective figures of strength and power. The grim-mouthed nutcrackers symbolized good luck. By baring their teeth, they were to protect homes by warding off evil spirits.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Another early German version
Heinrich Hoffmann, best known as the creator of the children's book "Der Struwwelpeter" (Shaggy Peter), also wrote his own version of E.T.A Hoffmann's story. Published in Germany in 1851, his illustrated tale was titled "King Nutcracker or The Dream of Poor Reinhold," and told the story of a poor child who dreams of the "Fairy Town of Toys" and meets the "Nutcracker King with royal jaws."
Image: picture-alliance/akg-images
The father of a global icon
Inspired by Heinrich Hoffman's version of the story, an Ore Mountain carver named Friedrich Wilhelm Füchtner created the iconic traditional nutcracker model by 1870 that later went into serial production — which is why he became known as the "father of the nutcracker." The family business in Seiffen is now being run by the eighth generation of Füchtners.
Image: Original Füchtner
From a mining region
There are many traditional nutcracker producers in the Ore Mountain region, which makes up the natural borderland between Germany and the Czech Republic. Initially attracting miners, the forested area with long, dark winters also inspired villagers to develop other carved wooden decorations: Christmas pyramids, candle holders called Schwibbogen, and smoking figures known as Räuchermännchen.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Thieme
Generations of soldiers
Mass production of the nutcracker doll in the region started in the late 19th century, but wooden figures used to crack nuts were already created in Europe for centuries. The right picture features a model dating back to ca. 1650, along with one of the first typical Ore Mountain region figurines from 1870. Left and center are more recent models, depicting a Swiss knight and an American soldier.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Thieme
Creative wood carvers
By the 1700s, Austrian, Italian and Swiss carvers were making animal and human-shaped nutcrackers. No one knows who came up with the idea. According to legend, a rich farmer who was too lazy to crack his own nuts promised to reward his entire village if anyone came up with a solution. A carver created a colorful puppet that could crack nuts with its jaws. The Napoleon figure (center) is from 1822.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Sauer
Cracking up
Traditional nutcrackers typically took on the attributes of figures of authority, such as kings, soldiers, forest guards or policemen. During the Christmas season, the poor could celebrate their hard year of work by having the nutcrackers break nuts at their command — a satisfactory act of political subversion. These newer models depict politicians Bill Clinton, Helmut Kohl and Gerhard Schröder.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Nietfeld
Traditional and modern souvenirs
The largest German producer of traditional nutcrackers is Steinbach. After WWII, the family business quickly grew by developing contacts with US soldiers based in the Hanover area who brought back nutcrackers to their families as original German souvenirs. The company develops new collectible models every year, and Darth Vader is among the 350 figures they have on offer.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/E. Wabitsch
Beware of cheap imitations
Nearly 130 production steps are needed to create a traditional handmade Ore Mountain nutcracker. Each one has up to 60 parts which are made of locally sourced spruce and beech wood. The beard and hair is usually rabbit fur. The carved nutcrackers are then painted. Original pieces from the Ore Mountains typically cost at least €70 ($80). Some cost way more depending on quality, size and brand.
