Overview

• A blind-box Labubu doll was spotted on Karl Marx’s grave at Highgate Cemetery this week, quickly becoming a viral sensation on social media.
• Social media users reacted with amusement and irony, with one user asking “Is that a f***ing Labubu?” to underscore the contrast between collectible capitalism and Marxist thought.
• A handwritten three-page letter by Chinese university student Liu Yuhae also appeared on the tombstone, expressing gratitude for Marx’s work and joking that she looked like a potato she hoped to cook for him in the afterlife.
• Pop Mart’s blind-box model drives artificial scarcity and hype around Labubu figures, which can resell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars in secondary markets.
• Cultural observers say the episode illustrates the rise of necrotourism, where visitors engage with historic cemeteries through art, memory and unconventional offerings.