Thieves swipe thousands in rare Labubu dolls from La Puente shop, video goes viral

Thieves swipe thousands in rare Labubu dolls from La Puente shop: In the early hours of Wednesday morning, a small resale shop in La Puente was burglarized in a costly and calculated manner. The thieves did not steal electronics or cash; instead, they went straight for Labubu dolls, viral plush toys beloved by collectors and social media users alike. For shop co-owner Joanna Avendano, the theft was more than just financial; it was deeply personal.

A La Puente's One Stop Sales shop lost more than $30,000 in merchandise when burglars stole its entire stock of popular Labubu dolls. Co-owner Joanna Avendano believes the break-in was premeditated, possibly due to social media posts announcing restocks.

These whimsical, wide-eyed collectible plushies have skyrocketed in popularity owing to TikTok trends and celebrity endorsements.

How did the LA Puente resale shop burglary occur?

Surveillance footage shows the suspects smashing their way in shortly after 2 a.m., moving quickly and precisely. Avendano claims she awoke with a "gut feeling" to check her phone. The store's security system sent motion alerts, which confirmed her fears, as quoted in a report by ABC7.

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“Once I checked my phone, I saw there was motion, a sound that was coming through the front,” she stated.

"I was watching everything, from when they got in, what they were taking," said Avendano. "I was panicking because I was just ... I couldn't do anything,” as quoted in a report by ABC7.

"There was a lot taken, maybe like around $30,000 or more of inventory," she said. "We worked so hard to get to this point, and for them to just come in and, like nothing, take it all away, it's really bad."

One Stop Sales took to Instagram, “Today we got robbed and they took all of our inventory, trashed our store, we are still in shock. If you guys can share this post, please and help us find these thief's.”



At 1:29 a.m. on Wednesday, deputies were called to a burglary in the 600 block of Glendora Avenue in La Puente, east of Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The sheriff's office said in a statement that "a number of boxes of Labubu dolls, valued at around seven thousand dollars, were stolen,” as quoted in a report by AOL.

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Why focus solely on Labubu dolls?

Labubu dolls are not your typical stuffed toys. They've become collectors' items, with some going for hundreds of dollars online. Their unique designs and limited availability make them an ideal target for market-savvy thieves.

The dolls have a large following on social media, with videos of new releases receiving thousands of views in minutes.

Was the theft related to social media activity?

Avendano believes that the hype, combined with her own recent post announcing a restock, may have attracted unwanted attention. Avendano suspects the burglary was not random. The night before, she noticed a suspicious truck parked near the store. She now believes the suspects were watching her shop and its online presence.

“I just hope someone recognizes them or the truck,” she said. “We worked so hard for this, and it’s heartbreaking to see it all disappear overnight, as quoted in a report by ABC7.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's City of Industry station is currently investigating. Detectives are reviewing surveillance footage and looking for leads, including the suspicious truck that Avendano mentioned.

The theft is a setback for a small business that is still getting off the ground, but Avendano hopes that sharing the story will help find the stolen dolls and the people who took them.

FAQs

What exactly did the burglars steal?
They only took Labubu dolls worth approximately $30,000, ignoring electronics and cash.

Why does the owner believe it was planned?
She'd seen a suspicious truck the night before and had recently posted a restock video online.