Going gaga over Labubu

The world’s hooked on Smiskis, Labubu, and Sonny Angels; a new pop culture buzzword is here; and Kai Cenat’s redefining what it means to dominate livestreaming.

This and more below.

The world’s obsessed with blind-box figurines like Labubu and Smiskis. Why? They’re not just collectibles, but emotional support for generations that are trying to redefine their adulthood. Dive deeper here.

A fascinating new term has surfaced in pop culture discourse ‘Khia’ – referring to an artist “who people talk about, but who no one seems to care about culturally”. Dive deeper here.

Live streaming is booming, and Kai Cenat’s subathon proved audiences want more from entertainment — they crave interactive, participatory experiences. Dive deeper here.

And more in our full deck:

• The queue renaissance: When waiting became cool

• Global bookshelf: Why Japanese fiction is taking over