Beyond Collectibles: The Popmart Series Defining 2025’s Toy Culture

Beyond Collectibles: The Popmart Series Defining 2025’s Toy Culture

In the world of modern designer toys, Popmart has evolved into more than a collectible trend—it’s a global art language. Every series tells a story, every figure evokes emotion, and every box offers a chance to discover a reflection of yourself, wrapped in vinyl.

While dozens of collections make waves each season, four recent releases have firmly captured the imagination of fans and collectors alike: THE MONSTERS Wacky Mart Series, CRYBABY Wild but Cutie Series, Bikini Bottom Buddies, and SKULLPANDA L’impressionnisme Series. Each is vastly different in tone, style, and energy—but together, they show how Popmart is expanding its artistic and emotional reach in 2025.


1. THE MONSTERS Wacky Mart Series – Retail Gone Rogue

What happens when Labubu and his chaotic crew are let loose in a grocery store? You get the THE MONSTERS Wacky Mart Series, a chaotic, colorful, and irresistibly funny collection that turns a mundane setting into a monster-made playground.

This series is pure visual satire. Each figure features Labubu and other “monsters” reimagined as reckless retail workers, lazy cashiers, or snack-addicted customers. Think oversized popcorn buckets, barcode scanners turned weapons, and supermarket carts that look more like carnival rides.

What makes THE MONSTERS Wacky Mart Series stand out is how deeply it leans into absurdity. It's a hilarious commentary on modern consumer culture, packed with tiny, thoughtful design touches—crushed candy bars, spilled drinks, even an expired coupon or two.

It’s the perfect collection for collectors who appreciate humor, urban themes, and the idea that even chaos can be beautifully curated.


2. CRYBABY Wild but Cutie Series – Fierce, Flawed, and Free

If Wacky Mart is all about fun, the CRYBABY Wild but Cutie Series dives into something deeper: the wild contradictions of emotion. CRYBABY, a character known for her soft eyes and soft voice, is reintroduced here with a twist—wrapped in primal textures, fierce poses, and unapologetic attitude.

Animal skins, tribal prints, spiked accessories, and windswept hair: this series tells the story of a girl who has been through something—and has come out not weaker, but wilder.

What’s stunning about the CRYBABY Wild but Cutie Series is how it balances two seemingly opposite traits. The characters are both powerful and delicate. Their tears still fall, but their feet stand firmly in defiance. It’s emotional empowerment in designer toy form.

Each figure from this set feels like a personal mantra: "You can be soft and strong. You can be wild and cutie."


3. Bikini Bottom Buddies – Classic Characters, Reimagined with Style

Popmart’s collaboration with the underwater world of SpongeBob SquarePants was met with skepticism—until people saw the designs. The Bikini Bottom Buddies collection is a masterclass in nostalgic reinvention.

This isn’t just a cartoon reprint. It’s a fashion-forward, stylized reinterpretation of SpongeBob and friends, blending familiar faces with elevated forms. SpongeBob sports sailor stripes and sneakers, Patrick has a retro ‘90s edge, and Sandy Cheeks is more action-figure than ever before.

Each figure stays loyal to its roots while adapting to Popmart’s premium aesthetic. The color gradients, outfit textures, and pose expressions make Bikini Bottom Buddies one of the most collectable licensed series of the year.

For lifelong fans of the show, this set isn’t just a walk down memory lane—it’s a reintroduction to childhood icons, now wrapped in collectible sophistication.


4. SKULLPANDA L’impressionnisme Series – Impressionist Fashion in 3D

Always one to push boundaries, SKULLPANDA returns with one of her most artistic and unexpected releases yet: the SKULLPANDA L’impressionnisme Series. Inspired by the dreamy strokes and pastel palettes of the 19th-century Impressionist movement, this collection feels like a living painting.

Delicate frills, soft brush-stroke patterns, ballet-inspired silhouettes, and muted tones blend with SKULLPANDA’s unmistakable dark eyes and signature stare. It’s a collection that doesn’t shout—it whispers.

What sets the SKULLPANDA L’impressionnisme Series apart from other fashion figures is its emotional weight. These aren’t just pretty dolls; they feel like part of an art exhibit. You can almost imagine them walking through a Monet garden or frozen mid-performance in a Degas ballet scene.

Collectors often describe this series as “museum shelf ready”—and it’s easy to see why.


Why These Four Collections Resonate Right Now

What connects THE MONSTERS Wacky Mart Series, CRYBABY Wild but Cutie Series, Bikini Bottom Buddies, and SKULLPANDA L’impressionnisme Series isn’t their style, setting, or character—it’s their emotional clarity.

Each series taps into a distinct feeling or memory:

  • Wacky Mart plays with the absurdity of our consumer habits.

  • Wild but Cutie empowers softness and wildness equally.

  • Bikini Bottom Buddies refreshes beloved memories with maturity.

  • L’impressionnisme honors art history with wearable storytelling.

Together, they show that Popmart is no longer just making “toys”—it’s creating collectible emotion.


Collecting in 2025: Expression Over Rarity

In previous years, designer toy culture often revolved around rarity—chase rates, secret figures, resale values. But with these collections, a shift is happening. Now, collectors are curating based on how a figure feels.

It’s not uncommon for someone to buy only one figure from a series—not because it's rare, but because it resonates. Maybe a CRYBABY figure reminds them of their personal growth. Maybe a SKULLPANDA piece aligns with their aesthetic. Maybe a Wacky Mart monster is just the laugh they need on a hard day.

This is what makes these collections truly timeless. They offer more than objects—they offer identity anchors.


Final Thoughts: A Shelf of Stories

As Popmart continues to expand and redefine what it means to collect, series like THE MONSTERS Wacky Mart Series, CRYBABY Wild but Cutie Series, Bikini Bottom Buddies, and SKULLPANDA L’impressionnisme Series remind us why we fell in love with vinyl figures in the first place.

They’re not just decorations. They’re reflections. They make us laugh, reflect, dream, and sometimes even cry. In a world that moves too fast, these 3-inch figures slow us down and bring us back to what matters: feeling something real.

So whether you're starting a new shelf or adding to an old one, choose the figures that speak to you. Because in the end, the best collection isn’t the most expensive—it’s the most honest.