The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is supposed to be a celebration of joy, nostalgia, and holiday magic — a cozy yearly ritual where families gather around their TVs to watch giant balloons float down Manhattan while they wait for their turkey to finish cooking. But this year, instead of classic icons or even fun newcomers, we were blindsided by the one thing EVERYONE begged the universe to stop sending us: Labubus. More Labubus. Giant Labubus. Flying, grinning, nightmare Labubus.
POP MART somehow convinced the parade organizers to unleash a 16-foot-tall fuzzy gremlin on a float called “Friends-Giving in POP CITY,” and honestly… who let this happen? Who sat in a meeting and said, “Yes. Thanksgiving needs more creatures that look like a Furby that ate a Mogwai after midnight.”
And listen — this isn’t about hating toys. We love toys. We collect toys. We breathe designer vinyl, blind boxes, and overpriced exclusives. But Labubu fatigue is real. We are TIRED. This thing has been shoved in our faces nonstop for two years, and now it’s invaded one of America’s oldest holiday traditions like an unwanted cousin who shows up drunk at dinner.
The internet had a meltdown, and rightfully so. Viewers watching the parade with their families suddenly had to explain why a demonic bunny-goblin was riding a rooftop made of presents, smiling like it knows how the world ends. Even the commentators sounded scared — you could hear the confusion in their voices as they tried to pretend this was festive.
Meanwhile, POP MART fans acted like this was the second coming of Mickey Mouse, claiming Labubu is “cute” and “mischievous.” Sure. And my uncle’s tax fraud is “quirky.” Call it what you want — the thing still looks like it crawled out of a gacha machine in hell.
What made it even funnier is that this parade is supposed to represent American culture. Thanksgiving tradition. And the float lineup somehow went from Snoopy and Pikachu to:
"Behold… Labubu. Lord of the Fuzzy Nightmares."
This isn’t just a parade balloon. This is a symbol.
A symbol that we have lost the plot as a society.