Before Jonathan Martin could finish setting up his table at the Magic City Flea Market in downtown Miami, he already had three customers in line. But they weren’t there for food or clothes — they were waiting to customize their Labubu figures.
Labubus are soft, almost teddy bear-like plush figures. They’ve got round faces, big eyes and a signature toothy smirk. They’ve taken the internet by storm.
While some fans are happy just to get their hands on one of the highly sought-after figures, others are taking things a step further: adding tattoos, piercings and rhinestones.
And in South Florida, Martin has become one of the go-to artists for these customizations.
“ A Labubu, I would say is a fashion toy. I would say it's become an accessory, and it was really popularized by celebrities who wore them as bag charms,” said Martin. “People see celebrities running off with a certain trend and it kind of just catches on. And this is one of 'em that kind of spread like a wildfire.”
READ MORE: What's behind the plush toy craze?
Labubus are sold in themed collections, or series, with different names, colors and even moods.
The character was created by Hong Kong-born, Belgian artist Kasing Lung as part of his The Monsters storybook series. The toy adaptations are produced by Chinese collectible toy company Pop Mart — known for its “blind box” model, where you don’t know which figure you’re getting until you open it. That mystery is part of the fun.
Martin first discovered the plush toys on social media. By day, he works as a server at a restaurant in Miami Beach. But he is a well-rounded artist who also sculpts, paints and etches onto mirrors.
So when he saw people in cities like Los Angeles and New York tattooing Labubus— taking an actual tattoo needle to the toy’s face — he decided to try it out. Martin had been dabbling in tattooing for a couple of years and thought tattooing the plush toys could be a good way to hone his skills.
He started practicing on second hand vinyl dolls to get a feel for the material. Eventually, a friend offered up their Labubu for some ink.
“That was the first one I did and it came out really good. And that's when I said, 'Okay, I need to try to figure out how I'm gonna get out there and do this for the people,'” he said.
And he did. Martin’s wife is a vintage clothing vendor at the Magic City Flea Market on weekends and so they thought that’d be a great place to test out Martin’s Labubu personalization services.
Soon it became a great side hustle. Now, in addition to the the flea market, Martin also appears at pop-up events across South Florida.
Tattoo gun, disinfectant and food storage bags
He charges between $12 and $20 per tattoo and an extra $10 for piercings or rhinestones. Just like a traditional tattoo shop, he has “flash sheets” pinned to a giant corkboard to showcase his designs.
“I hand draw on the designs. So, the designs tend to vary a little bit from what’s on the board slightly because every one is hand drawn and individual.”
Martin’s tattoo kit varies a bit from traditional tattoo artists. He has the basics: his tattoo gun, needles, vaseline and disinfectant. But he also carries washable markers, plastic food storage bags, painters tape and a magic eraser.
“I set 'em in a Ziploc bag and then I wrap all the fur around the face in painters tape, you know, just to protect it as much as possible,” he said. “I always say these things are hard to get and some people pay a pretty good amount of money for them. So the last thing I want to do is ruin somebody’s Labubu, you know?”
At a recent pop-up event, Elizabeth Santiesteban arrived with a decked-out purse carrying four completely personalized Labubus, and one unopened Labubu, ready to customize.
“I’m getting a crown tattoo and it’s gonna have a little rhinestone in the middle for my daughter Nikki,” she said.
Elizabeth and her daughter, Nicole Santiesteban, have been collecting Labubus for a few months. After seeing them on TikTok, the two got hooked. Nicole says the ability to personalize has only made the experience more exciting for collectors.
“I think that’s so cool. The fact that they’ve taken it this far to [get] tattoos and personalize. The clothes, the rhinestones. I think it’s just so interesting. Like, when a fad starts, people just go crazy with it,” she said.
Alyssa Roelans and her two daughters were also in line, eager to make their Labubus one-of-a-kind. They’d been looking to customize their figures for some time.
“We saw it happening in New York, in Washington Square Park. They were having Labubu Paloozas and fashion shows, and pop-ups at tattoo studios. We've been talking about getting our Labubus tattooed for a few months now. It's cool to see it happen in Miami,” she said.
'It brings people joy'
For Martin, what started as a trend, has turned into something more meaningful. In the process he says he’s met new people who really appreciate his work. While some may see collecting and personalizing the plush toys as a silly distraction, Martin sees it differently.
“Life is really serious and we're in a weird state right now, right? And there's a lot of turmoil; and there's a lot of things going on in the real world that people wanna run away from,” he said. “I think it's nice to be able to have things that we can seek comfort in. I've seen the joy that it brings people. And I think that's the main reason why I've been doing it.”
The timing couldn’t have been better for Martin. Summer is known as the “slow season” in South Florida, with fewer tourists, warmer weather and in turn, lower income for service workers.
“It's pretty drastic where what I make on a weekly basis during the summer is probably almost half of what I make during the busy season. So, this kind of couldn’t have come at a more perfect time for me to supplement my income and help me get through the slower season of the restaurants,” he said.
Ultimately, Martin hopes Labubu tattoos will serve as a springboard for his artistic career.
“There's really only so far I could go with it. What my hope is, that I would be able to take this and have it grow me as an artist. And hopefully be able to do more tattooing from tattooing the Labubus. That's kind of my goal.”
For now, he’s riding the Labubu wave, one tattoo at a time.
