Chinese Factory Exploitation: Pop Mart Under Fire for Child Labor and Harsh Conditions

Popular “Labubus” dolls, which took the internet by storm in 2025, are now making headlines for the wrong reasons. A New York-based NGO, China Labor Watch (CLW), has revealed that Pop Mart, the Chinese company behind these dolls, has been employing children and subjecting workers to exploitative conditions in its factories.

Allegations of Child Labor and Excessive Overtime
The investigation focused on the Shunjia Toys factory in Jiangxi province, where 16- and 17-year-old teenagers were reportedly made to work without legal protections. Workers were forced to meet unrealistic production targets through excessive overtime, in clear violation of Chinese labor laws. Pop Mart has pledged to investigate the allegations and promised strict action if the claims are verified.

The dolls, known for their large eyes and mischievous smiles, became a viral sensation in 2025. However, a labor rights investigation has now exposed serious concerns about the conditions under which they are produced. CLW spent three months interviewing more than 50 factory employees, including three minors under 18.

Workers Forced to Sign Contracts Without Understanding Them
According to the CLW report, many young employees did not fully understand the contracts they signed and were unaware of their legal rights. Workers were often required to sign blank contracts or complete paperwork under strict time limits, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.

Unrealistic Production Targets and Health Risks
Teams of 25–30 workers were expected to produce at least 4,000 Labubus dolls per day. Chinese law limits monthly overtime to 36 hours, but workers reported regularly logging more than 100 hours of additional work each month—posing serious risks to their health and well-being.

Production Far Exceeds Official Capacity
Shunjia Toys’ official annual production capacity is 12 million units, with plans to increase it to 33 million by the end of 2025. CLW’s findings suggest actual production is significantly higher, with two teams alone producing over 24 million units annually. Lee Qiang, Executive Director of CLW, told The Guardian, “The gap between planned capacity and actual output is not unusual in China’s manufacturing sector. Rapidly growing market demand often puts direct pressure on employees.”

Pop Mart’s Popularity and Revenue Surge
Labubus dolls are part of Pop Mart’s “Monsters” line. In the first half of 2025, Labubus recorded sales of 4.8 billion yuan (approximately £511 million). CEO Wang Ning has stated that the company is on track to achieve 20 billion yuan in revenue for the year, highlighting both the popularity of the dolls and the rapid expansion of production.

Pop Mart’s Response
A Pop Mart spokesperson said, “We take the welfare and safety of employees in our OEM factories very seriously. We conduct regular audits of our supply chain partners, including annual independent third-party audits by internationally recognized firms.”

The company added, “We appreciate the information brought to our attention and are currently investigating the matter. Moving forward, Pop Mart will continue to strengthen supply chain audits and monitoring systems. If the allegations are confirmed, we will require our partners to implement comprehensive corrective actions in accordance with local laws and regulations.”