Simply once you thought your social media feed was shrugging off the clutches of the viral Labubu dolls, there’s a brand new revelation: the lovable bag charms could have a demonic connection. Labubus are being linked to Pazuzu, the Mesopotamian king of wind demons, who, in response to Britannica, is the son of Hanpa and brother to Humbaba (Huwawa). Movies circulating on social media have netizens freaking out over unusual exercise noticed after bringing dwelling the viral toy, from flickering lights to eerie noises heard late within the evening.
The lore goes that Pazuzu helped people push back different demons, and, thus, representations of his face served as standard apotropaic amulets within the 1st millennium BCE within the Center East.
Pazuzu’s physique is just like these of different Mesopotamian demons, however his head is distinct from all others. It’s a rectangular form, with capric horns, huge eyebrows over deep-set spherical eyes, a canine jaw that shows tooth and tongue, an extended two-pronged beard marked out by horizontal strains, and protruding ears.
Why are Labubus being linked to Pazuzu?
That’s the place the chilling similarity with Labubus come up. The Web is busy drawing parallels between the Mesopotamian demon and Labubus, the quirky, wide-eyed collectible collectible figurines created by Hong Kong-based toy model POP MART, in collaboration with artist Kasing Lung.
Labubu dolls usually are not conventionally “cute”. Their huge eyes, mischievous grin, and barely eerie vibe communicate on to Gen Z’s love for the offbeat and peculiar — feelings that encapsulate their vitality. And the Pazuzu’s head is the earliest recognized instance of Mesopotamian iconography mixing a number of animal and human options, with the sooner iconography including just one animal physique half, corresponding to a lion’s head, on a human physique.
bUt ?
L̴A̴b̴U̴b̴U̴ ̴x̴ ̴P̴a̴Z̴u̴Z̴u̴ ̴c̴O̴L̴L̴A̴B̴ ̴L̴E̴A̴Okay̴E̴D̴.̴.̴.̴ 👁👹
tHeY sAy iF u pUt 3 lAbUbUs iN a tRiAnGlE 🔺
a cHiLd lAuGhS iN yOuR wAlLs 😬
yOuR tOoThBrUsH gOeS mIsSiNg
aNd a bUnNy eAr… pic.twitter.com/EYr0qJW2X0— LabubuMisfits (@LabubuMisfits) July 2, 2025
Jokes about supernatural exercise surrounding Labubus have gained consideration, with netizens expressing misery and concern over youngsters gathering and taking part in with these dolls. Nevertheless, all hyperlinks are simply hypothesis and conjecture, with no concrete proof pointing in the direction of any actual connection.
Britannica additional states that the earliest archaeological proof of Pazuzu—discovered within the grave of a royal lady entombed in Nimrud (close to present-day Mosul, Iraq)—dates to eighth century BCE. Photos of Pazuzu have been discovered all through the traditional Center East, relationship to the first millennium BCE, together with the Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian, and late Babylonian intervals.
Not creeped out but?
Pazuzu’s iconography has puzzled researchers due to its sudden and absolutely realised look within the archaeological document, displaying no obvious evolutionary phases. The shortage of any earlier identifiable representations renders it unimaginable to pinpoint the precise geographic origins of the imagery, although it most definitely developed in both Egypt or Mesopotamia.
Whereas Pazuzu’s head is typically depicted alone, it’s typically paired with the faces of different Mesopotamian demons or gods. Some Pazuzu amulets have photos inscribed on their backs of deities who have been thought of everlasting allies of people, corresponding to Ugallu and Lulal. Archaeologists conjecture that these pairings have been meant to make sure Pazuzu’s energy remained directed away from human targets and to guard the wearer from hazard.