How Labubu's Story and Image Make It Feel 'Alive'? Exploring Consumers' Emotions through Animistic Psychology

• Zehan Zou

  Author

This study aims to explore the unique elements in the imagery and story design of Labubu, a popular blind box character, and how these elements evoke emotional resonance in consumers through the lens of animistic psychology. The research employs a comprehensive approach, utilizing a questionnaire survey (n = 100) to investigate the relationship between consumers' purchase motivations and emotional sources, while analyzing Labubu's design features from the perspectives of animistic symbolism and an expanded four-dimensional anthropomorphism model (appearance, image, emotion, and story). Findings reveal that Labubu's distinctive physical traits, such as its serrated teeth and pointed ears, combined with its narrative backstory as a mischievous elf, function as powerful anthropomorphic cues. These integrated elements trigger an immediate emotional response, fostering an animistic perception where consumers view the character as a living companion rather than an inanimate object. Labubu's commercial success is deeply rooted in its ability to tap into fundamental human psychology by attributing life and soul to the character. This study highlights that successful character design requires both visual appeal and narrative richness, offering valuable insights for consumer psychology and design theory regarding the creation of long-term emotional attachments.

• JEBH000015.pdf