A recent Trading Standards operation saw over 2000 illicit items seized from city centre stores.

The operation targeted fake “Labubu” Dolls, which have soared in popularity in recent months.

The elf-like dolls were created by Chinese toy maker Pop Mart, but counterfeit versions have hit the shelves across the city prompting warnings from the Derby City Council Trading Standards team for shoppers to be wary.

Although we all love a bargain and want to keep up with the latest trends, these counterfeit dolls carry very serious risks, including possible choking and health hazards. Some of the items seized were missing plastic hands, eyes, and accessories, showing how easily these small parts can detach.

Officers visited eight stores, seven of which were found to be selling counterfeit products and there are still more to visit. In total, the operation seized the following:

  • 523 Labubu style dolls
  • 8 Labubu style toys
  • 72 Other toys (including Disney Stitch soft dolls)
  • 18 Miscellaneous items (including some Labubu style purse, & mirror products)
  • 190 Keyrings (including Labubu style keyrings)
  • Assorted counterfeit Labubu packaging

Also among the seizures were 1,511 disposable vapes, which have been illegal in the UK since 1 June 2025.

Councillor Shiraz Khan, Cabinet Member for Housing, Strategic Planning and Regulatory Services, said: 

Like authorities around the country, we’ve seen a boom in the number of counterfeit Labubu dolls across the UK. As well as being unauthorised fakes, these counterfeits pose a real safety risk due to poor build quality, small parts and the possible use of chemicals known as phthalates.

These dolls are primarily aimed at children, but each one that was seized has the potential to cause significant harm to a child, including death from choking on small parts or, through suffocation from the filling. That’s why it’s so important that we get them off the shelves as soon as possible.

I want to once again thank our Trading Standards team for their hard work in identifying and seizing these counterfeit products. It’s work like this that often goes unseen but is vital in keeping our community safe.

Trading Standards utilise a number of enforcement tools when carrying out their work, in this instance, all retail premises visited co-operated with officers and voluntarily signed the goods over to Trading Standards for disposal. This ensures they do not make it back on the market.

Each premises where goods were seized will receive a written warning, advising them that a more formal approach will be taken if they are caught selling such items in the future. This could lead to prosecution.

The penalty for selling counterfeit goods is up to 10 years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.

Although selling illicit and counterfeit products may seem like a victimless crime, it is far from it. In many cases, organised crime gangs that bring these products into the country are often linked with terrorism, human trafficking, modern slavery, and the sale of other dangerous products. More about this link can be found on Europol website.

You can find out more about Derby City Council Trading Standards, see product recalls, and make complaints on the Derby City Council website.

More information and advice on how to prevent or help a child that is choking can be found on the NHS website.