An investigation into a Chinese factory that manufactures the popular Labubu toys alleged several labor rights violations, including underage employment, blank contracts, overtime schedules above legal limits and “unrealistic” production targets.
China Labor Watch (CLW), an independent U.S.-based civil and social organization, conducted the investigation at a Shunjia Toys facility that makes Labubu toys for Chinese designer toy company Pop Mart. The probe featured interviews with 51 employees, including workers from the assembly, machine sewing, hand sewing and injection molding departments.
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Labubu, a fang-toothed, wide-eyed toy, went viral in 2024 and has since exploded in popularity, with Pop Mart expecting to achieve $2.78 billion in revenue in 2025. However, CLW estimated that the site — employing 4,500 workers and producing 182,000 toys daily — incurs a direct labor cost of roughly 70 cents per toy.
The organization listed 18 “key issues,” headlined by the employment of 16-year-olds as long-term production workers without the legally required protections. It also reported that workers were given incomplete labor contracts and were instructed by staff not to read them, but only to fill in personal details, sign and date the forms. Sections covering contract terms, working and rest hours and job duties were left blank.
Workers allegedly received no training on the facility’s hazards, which included toxic and hazardous chemicals, and endured overcrowded workstations, small seating spaces and other conditions that led to nausea, vomiting and medical emergencies requiring ambulances. Some workers were reportedly diagnosed with tuberculosis after three months on the job.
CLW also accused the factory of unrealistic production targets that required lines of 25 to 30 workers to complete 4,000 toys per day. One worker claimed that staff refused them assignments because of “low efficiency” and denied them wages for completed work.
Other alleged findings include monthly overtime exceeding 100 hours, despite a labor law that limits overtime to 36 hours per month, unpaid pre-shift meetings and cases of more than 14 consecutive working days with one rest day per month.
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