Simply while 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 might have a demonic connection. Labubus are being linked to Pazuzu, the Mesopotamian king of wind demons, who, based on 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 residence the viral toy, from flickering lights to eerie noises heard late within the night time.
The lore goes that Pazuzu helped people beat back different demons, and, thus, representations of his face served as widespread apotropaic amulets within the 1st millennium BCE within the Center East.
Pazuzu’s physique is much 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 enamel and tongue, a protracted two-pronged beard marked out by horizontal traces, 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.
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Labubu dolls should not conventionally “cute”. Their large 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, similar to a lion’s head, on a human physique.
bUt 𝕨𝕙𝕪 𝕕𝕠 𝕞𝕪 𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 𝕗𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕖𝕣 𝕨𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕚 𝕤𝕖𝕥 𝕙𝕚𝕞 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟?
L̴A̴b̴U̴b̴U̴ ̴x̴ ̴P̴a̴Z̴u̴Z̴u̴ ̴c̴O̴L̴L̴A̴B̴ ̴L̴E̴A̴Okay̴E̴D̴.̴.̴.̴ 👁👹
tHeY sAy iF u pUt 3 lAbUbUs iN a tRiAnGlE 🔺a cHiLd lAuGhS iN yOuR wAlLs 😬yOuR tOoThBrUsH gOeS mIsSiNgaNd 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 kids gathering and taking part in with these dolls. Nonetheless, all hyperlinks are simply hypothesis and conjecture, with no concrete proof pointing in direction of any actual connection.
Britannica additional states that the earliest archaeological proof of Pazuzu—discovered within the grave of a royal girl entombed in Nimrud (close to present-day Mosul, Iraq)—dates to eighth century BCE. Photographs of Pazuzu have been discovered all through the traditional Center East, courting 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 report, displaying no obvious evolutionary phases. The dearth of any earlier identifiable representations renders it inconceivable to pinpoint the precise geographic origins of the imagery, although it most probably developed in both Egypt or Mesopotamia.
Whereas Pazuzu’s head is typically depicted alone, it’s usually paired with the faces of different Mesopotamian demons or gods. Some Pazuzu amulets have photographs inscribed on their backs of deities who have been thought of everlasting allies of people, similar 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.
