Toys themed on Labubu, a popular furry doll from Chinese toy company Pop Mart, are pictured during the opening ceremoy of a new offline store of Pop Mart in Bangkok, Thailand, July 5, 2024. (Xinhua/Sun Weitong)

　　HANGZHOU, June 21 (Xinhua) -- The shop floor of a pajama factory in Jiangsu Province, east China, had stood still for some time before recently springing back to life, its resurrection kickstarted by a fluffy toy.

　　“Labubu was not really my cup of tea, but now I think it is adorable,“ said Qiu Zunzun, general manager of Shuofeng daily necessities company in Suzhou, jokingly.

　　With its signature spiky toothed grin, Labubu has taken the world by storm. Noticing the craze, Qiu, spotted a gap in the market -- outfits for collectors to dress up their fluffy friends. So, he bought some toy samples and cloth, and by the end of May, the factory was rolling out dresses for the little imp.

　　“In less than 20 days we produced more than 80 kinds of doll's dresses, with a turnover of about 170,000 yuan (about 23,643 U.S. dollars).“ Qiu estimated that with orders still growing, the monthly sales revenue could reach 1 million yuan.

　　The punky, cute, bunny-eared creature from China has inspired fans around the world to line up for a chance to own one. It is the latest case of Chinese IP globalization, which signals a shift in China's role from a manufacturing hub to a source of original cultural exports, and injects vitality into traditional industries.

　　CHINESE IP GOES ABROAD