Customers go wild for Bunnings’ new ‘bogan Labubus’
Bunnings has slapped limits on one of its most popular products after being flooded with customers – but it’s nothing to do with the hardware giant’s regular range.
Source: TikTok/Tyla Foster
Earlier this week, the big retailer launching a limited run of “mystery box mini bears” that has already been dubbed the “bogan Labubu” on social media.
There are five of the pint-sized stuffed bears, described as “unique Bunnings-inspired designs” – a “team member”, a bear in high-vis, another in a rain poncho and one in a straw hat, as well as a rare “secret bear”.
Bunnings says the bears are designed to “celebrate the trades and the people who make our communities thrive”, while the secret bear “represents women in trade apprenticeships”.
“We know how much customers love our classic Bunnings Bears, and this new mini version brings that same charm in a fun, collectible format,” Bunnings merchandise director Cam Rist said.
They sell for $12.50 each (compared to their Labubu rivals, which sell for about $32).
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The catch for keen shoppers as that they don’t know which bear they’re getting, as they’re sold in a “surprise blind box experience for extra excitement”, according to Bunnings’ website.
Anticipating the success of its Labubu-adjacent launch, the hardware retailer has limited purchases to five per customer. But even that hasn’t been quite enough to keep up with demand, with stock described as “limited” in many outlets across the country.
Queensland mum Tyla Foster said she rushed to her local Bunnings on Monday to be one of the first to nab the collectors’ item.
“I was like, I have to go immediately and beat some of the rush,” she told Yahoo Lifestyle. “I was expecting them to be gone.”
But Foster was in luck, finding a stand fully stocked with the boxes. She grabbed five – managing to get one of each.
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“I just can’t believe our luck,” she said.
Foster, who coined the phrase “bogan Labubu”, is still adding to her collection.
“I fear that they’re going to be the next craze, and they’re pretty affordable, in the grand scheme of things, at $12.50,” she said.
And she just might be right, with the Bunnings bears beginning to turn up on online sales sites such as eBay and Facebook Marketplace at prices well north of what they cost in-store. A quick scan of eBay found numerous single bears being sold for more than $30 and sets for nearly $400.
A range of the bears being sold online. Image: eBay
Bunnings is far from the only retailer to look to capitalise on the success of Labubus in recent months. Furniture giant Ikea has launched a range of miniature furniture for the collectible monsters, McDonald’s has had Labubu Happy Meals and even Kodak has got in on the act with its tiny retro-inspired Charmera Cameras.
Supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths have already been on the collectible trend for years, with ranges such as Minecraft Cubeez, Disney Discs, Harry Potter discs and Little Shop.
Consumer expert Gary Mortimer told Yahoo Lifestyle the blind box concept elicits the same dopamine response that people get when they play the pokies.
“We might have a couple of wins, and then we get a loss, and then that negative response encourages us to do it again,” he said.
“Sometimes what you might get in surprise box may disappoint you, but that actually encourages you to try again to see if you get something better next time.
“Brands love this idea because it gives you an opportunity to put a very small, sort of sample size product inside one of these surprise boxes, and get your product out in the market.”
