Monchhichi is the new viral toy after Labubu and Skullpanda

If you're just learning about Monchhichi now, then congratulations, you’re not old! The rest of us vaguely recall it as that weird monkey-baby doll with a thumb sucking habit, lurking in your cousin’s cupboard in the ’90s. Well, brace yourself because Monchhichi is back, and this time it’s hanging from Chanel and Prada bags like it owns the place.

Why is Monchhichi suddenly everywhere?

Gen Z has declared war on traditional notions of cute because why settle for teddy bears, plushies or Hello Kitty when you can flaunt a doll that looks like it just rolled out of a fever dream? The internet calls it “ugly-cute”. Monchhichi has joined Labubu and Skullpanda in the pantheon of toys that look like they were designed during a power outage.

The hype formula is simple: blind boxes, scarcity, and the dopamine hit of an unboxing video. Throw in an influencer co-sign (BLACKPINK’s Lisa, of course), and then you’ll see how Monchhichi doesn’t remain just another doll, but a lifestyle accessory. For $14 you can get a keychain. For $200 you can snag a resale edition, which is basically the same thing but comes with bragging rights.

Pop-ups in Asia now resemble sneaker drops, counterfeit Monchhichis are multiplying like rabbits, and toy stores have had to enforce purchase limits. Meanwhile, Sekiguchi, the Tokyo company behind this furry Frankenstein, has doubled its revenue and is probably toasting Gen Z’s taste for irony with expensive sake.

But here’s the kicker: it works. Minimalist quiet luxury is out. Whimsy, nostalgia, and a little ugliness are in. In an economy where joy is being rationed, why not buy a weird little doll that makes strangers double-take on the subway?

Monchhichi might be a plastic-faced oddity, but it’s also proof that in 2025, ugly is aspirational. Somewhere out there, a confused millennial is dusting off their childhood toy shelf thinking, “Wait… I could’ve been rich.”

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