The Lafufu Coloring Book & The Very Merry Lafufu Coloring Book by Adams Media

I am a pop culture maximalist who also happens to be a big fan of Blackpink and especially Lisa, but not even I understand the chokehold that Labubus have had on the global imagination ever since she was snapped with the doll attached to her purse.

But, y’know, since I’ve never been immune to FOMO, I’ve absolutely researched the subject. It helps that I have Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids, and that my millennial sister is 100% the kind of person who’s susceptible to this kind of craze. She even does blind bag unboxings on social media, which is wild. At USD30+ a pop for a chance at a toy that, quite frankly, looks like a dirt magnet, I have not found purchasing these to be a sensible use of my budget (tho I definitely asked my co-parent to look into getting me a knock-off while he was in Taiwan recently, lol.)

So, obviously, these Lafufu coloring books are right up my alley! It gives me a chance to participate in a weird pop culture phenomenon without spending ridiculous money (and while indulging my crafty side, too.) A Lafufu, btw, is the term for faux Labubus: real ones can be easily differentiated by the fact that they have 9 teeth, as trademarked.

They also, as you might be able to deduce from the cover, usually have their faces rightside up, with any variations being considered a manufacturing defect (and thus a collectible rarity.) Lafufus have no such restrictions! In fact, Lafufus do what they want! And in the 45 single-sided illustrations in this delightful coloring book, they have fun adventures for you to color in, whether they’re playing games, enjoying nature or being abducted by aliens.

Since I personally shudder every time I see a fuzzy toy at the beach, I skipped over the pages where Lafufus are frolicking on the sand and decided to color in a picture of one listening to a record player indoors. I used a mixture of markers and coloring pencils, which I find work best when testing out coloring books. I also placed a sheet of scrap paper underneath to catch any ink bleedthrough, tho I was very pleased that there didn’t seem to be any.

That isn’t the only hallmark of quality paper here, tho. It’s smooth under my tools, so while it won’t lend itself to the artistic realism one would usually use expensive colored pencils for, it’s definitely budget-friendlier to cheaper pencils (I borrowed my kids’ generics for this piece.) And the smoothness is, ofc, a dream for markers. I wasn’t being super artistic when I was coloring this in — it was a much needed diversion to occupy my hands while I was hatewatching a football game with my group chat — but I really enjoyed having a soothing activity to occupy those parts of my brain that weren’t busy being snarky and competitive.

If you’re already looking forward to Christmas, whether in terms of celebrating the season or shopping for loved ones, then The Very Merry Lafufu Coloring Book is available now too! This volume features another 45 illustrations of Lafufus indulging in all sorts of fun winter and Yuletide activities, such as playing in the snow, drinking hot chocolate and staying up for Santa. The paper quality is identical to the first book, and while it’s not cold enough yet for me, personally, to start coloring it in, it’s definitely something to look forward to once Thanksgiving is over (and once I get over my general lack of enthusiasm at figuring out how to color in white on white.)

These two books of charmingly weird illustrations will definitely help scratch any Labubu-adjacent itch you may have. Another nice feature of both books is the way that the panels are centered with big margins on each page, making them easy to cut out and display should the inclination move you. I definitely enjoyed the Warholian exercise of participating in this (admittedly mild but no less relevant) critique of culture, commercialism and popularity, without having to shell out fine-art level bucks for what’s essentially a Troll-level collectible. And while these are very definitely an adult coloring book, they’d be fine for any age or skill level.

The Lafufu Coloring Book & The Very Merry Lafufu Coloring Book by Adams Media were both published October 21 2025 by Adams Media and is available from all good booksellers, including