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“Look out for fake Labubu dolls” is the warning being issued to Nottinghamshire residents by Trading Standards officers.

The advice comes after a number of counterfeit dolls were seized by Nottinghamshire County Council’s Trading Standards team in recent weeks, with many of these found to pose a choking risk to children due to small breakable parts.

Other safety issues identified with the counterfeit dolls include poor stitching, which exposes the stuffing and poses a suffocation risk, incorrect or absent safety labelling, and a lack of details of the responsible company for customers to contact should an issue occur.

Parents and children looking to purchase dolls this summer are advised to:

·       Check packaging – give the packaging a second look and make sure that it displays a CE or UKCA mark along with the name and address of a UK based supplier.

·       Look for instructions – when inspecting packaging, look for safety warnings and instructions for safe use as genuine products will display these.

·       Be wary of cheap goods – Labubu dolls are in high demand and so if a price seems too good to be true or is lower than expected, then it most likely isn’t genuine.

·       Purchase only from reputable sellers – buying from trusted toy shops and authorised retailers means you’re more likely to be purchasing a genuine product.

Councillor Dawn Justice, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Communities at Nottinghamshire County Council, said:

“We have seen the Labubu dolls craze grow across the UK but sadly we know that scammers will do anything to imitate popular products and capitalise on this popularity.

“We know that parents and children may be looking to purchase one of the coveted dolls and so we’re asking anyone looking to buy a Labubu doll to just take a few extra moments to check carefully before buying. Genuine packaging will have clear good quality graphics, bold colours and text with even spacing between words. Genuine dolls are well proportioned, rounded with finely detailed stitching and stitched in labels.

“Fake dolls display a number of safety concerns including small parts and exposed stuffing and they are often sold at a much lower price than those which are genuine. The genuine dolls retail around £13.50 but can be upwards of £1,000, depending on the specific doll, and its rarity. With all this in mind, our advice is that if something seems too good to be true, then it probably is.

“If you are concerned that you have purchased a fake Labubu doll or think that you have seen counterfeit dolls on sale in Nottinghamshire, please contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service on  0808 223 1133 or visit their website www.citizensadvice.org.uk.”