Police search for man who allegedly stole two 28-inch-tall popular Labubu dolls worth of thousands of dollars

SAN FRANCISCO — Crime occurring inside and out of the storefronts are one of the main challenges and obstacles that merchants have to face in San Francisco. Two 28-inch-tall Labubu dolls which worth over $2,400 were stolen on two different days a week apart from a houseware store on Clement Street. The thefts have made two store owners worried that the same suspect might keep returning to the store to steal the globally popular Labubu products.

Coco Chen and Musk Ming Chen are wife and husband who opened a houseware store, Trending House, along the Clement Street corridor in San Francisco's Richmond District in 2022 during the pandemic.

Labubu figures in sealed "blind box" packages and dolls are globally popular among the young generation in recent years. Labubu is a line of collective plush toys created by artist and toy designer Kasing Lung in 2014 who was born in Hong Kong, immigrated to the Netherlands during his childhood, and currently resides in Belgium and Hong Kong.

In 2024, Labubu figurines went viral and became more popular from Asia extending worldwide among collectors and young people. More products of Labubu characters have been created since then. The 6-inch tall little Labubu dolls are also seen everywhere in the United States hanging on backpacks of many young people.

The Chen couple have carried Labubu dolls as their merchandise in the houseware store. They bought a number of the 28-inch-tall Labubu dolls for $1,200 each and displayed them at the cashier area in their store for sale.

The first theft occurred at 10:10 am on September 30. The employee who worked in Trending House was not at the cashier area. The store’s surveillance footage showed that a man wearing a dark color hoodie sweatshirt and short pants walked into the store and fled with the stolen giant brown plush Labubu, Zimomo.

Both owners said they did not file a police report after the first theft since they thought it was only a one-time incident that police might not be interested in opening an investigation.

Their decision for not calling the police was also related to Proposition 47. It was in their mind that the Police Department would not take much action on small cases which fall on the limitation of Proposition 47.

Proposition 47 was passed by voters statewide in 2014 that stealing merchandise valued at $950 or less is generally a misdemeanor offense, typically charged as shoplifting or petty theft.

In November 2024, California voters passed Proposition 36 which was aimed to modify some provisions of Proposition 47 established 10 years ago. Prop. 36 allows felony charges in cases involving a pattern of organized retail theft or a defendant with two or more prior theft convictions. The measure also lengthens the sentences for organized retail thefts and repeated theft convictions by up to 3 years from 6 months in Proposition 47.

However, a week later on October 7 at around 9:30 am, the same man returned to the store and stole another giant Labubu, Angel in white plush, at the cashier area. The employee who was at the other side of the store tried to chase the suspect but it was not successful.

After the second incident, two owners became very worried that the same suspect would keep coming back very often to commit similar crimes of stealing more Labubu dolls.

Then they filed police reports at the Richmond Police Station for both thefts. They also decided not to display any giant Labubu dolls inside the store to prevent that from happening.

After the police reports were filed, police officer Jimmy Tran, who speaks Chinese language, has stopped by their store very often to work with them on both incidents. Two owners told Wind Newspaper that the great police services from Tran were unexpected and have changed their impressions about police work. They appreciated Tran much.

"It was the first time for us to get to know a police officer so well and Jimmy [Tran] has made us feel more safe here," said Musk Chen.

"The City should allocate more funds to the Police Department to enhance public safety and hire more police officers to protect us, instead of transferring public funds to nonprofits," Coco Chen said. "In the past administration, it was wrong to defund the Police Department while increasing city funds for the nonprofit organizations which could not replace police services."

Coco Chen further said the crime situation and homelessness on the streets during the past few years under past city administration discouraged customers coming to San Francisco to shop and dine. Residents of San Francisco have also been used to going somewhere in the Bay Area for shopping.

"To be honest, our business has not been getting better under Mayor Daniel Lurie. It has been so slow in 2025," said Coco Chen.

Fewer customers are seen coming by for shopping, while shopliftings keep happening to add more losses to small businesses. The Chen couples said they have been struggling to survive and looking for ways to grow business.

Captain Kevin Lee of Richmond Police Station confirmed that police reports were filed by the Trending House store owners.

"On October 7, 2025, a suspect stole collectible Labubu dolls valued at $1,200 from a store on the 500 block of Clement Street. The same individual is believed to have taken similar items the week prior, with total losses estimated at $2,400. The suspect fled the store on foot going east on Clement Street," Lee said.

Lee also said Richmond Station has increased police presence on the Clement Street Corridor in an effort to identify and apprehend the suspect.

Members of the public are encouraged by Lee to provide information about the thefts and the suspect. Anyone, who may remain anonymous, can contact SFPD at (415) 553-0123, or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with “SFPD.”