POP MART has placed LABUBU inside a game console.

On October 23, POP MART (09992) officially released an entirely new product category offline — the "THE MONSTERS Drink Shake & Snap Machine" — priced at 299 yuan per unit.

This palm-sized electronic device brings LABUBU and other characters from THE MONSTERS family into a pixel game world. Beyond running a drink shop, players can also use it to take photos and connect with other devices for interactive play.

The product continues POP MART's familiar blind-box sales format, but the style options have been noticeably narrowed, with only two appearances offered: a regular Nut variant and a hidden Peach variant.

The device comes with an 800mAh built-in lithium battery, supports Type-C charging, and includes a metal ring attachment so it can be worn as a portable charm.

Unlike past designer toy products that attracted consumers mainly through appearance design and collectible value, this new release places greater emphasis on the interactive experience during actual use.

POP MART is now entering an electronic toy market that has been cultivated for nearly 30 years by Tamagotchi, owned by Japan's Bandai.

LABUBU Gets a Game Console

The core gameplay of this Snap Machine is running a virtual drink shop called "THE MONSTERS CAFE."

After entering the game, players can choose different sprite characters as shop owners, gather ingredients through mini-games such as forest foraging and special drink workshops, and then use the device's built-in gravity sensor to shake the machine and craft beverages.

Finished drinks can be sold for in-game coins, which are used to purchase new clothing, furniture, and other decorative items. As the business progresses, players can gradually unlock character, drink, outfit, and sticker galleries, freely decorating the drink shop.

Beyond business management, this device is also a mini camera.

The Snap Machine features a built-in rear camera that can capture photos with a retro grainy texture. Players can decorate them using frames and stickers earned during gameplay, then export the photos via a data cable.

The more distinctive design lies in offline interaction.

When players enable the social function in settings, the device can detect other Snap Machines within a certain range that have also enabled the feature. A first-time connection unlocks an exclusive frame, and subsequent connections also yield rewards.

Two players can also tap the sensor area on the left side of their devices together to randomly start a rock-paper-scissors or card-flipping mini-game, with the winner receiving additional game rewards.

POP MART has further extended this interaction into its own offline commercial spaces.

Players who bring their devices to POP MART City Park and selected designated stores can unlock limited ingredients, hidden drinks, frames, and stickers by tapping exclusive touchpoints.

To coincide with the new product launch, POP MART held a "Rock Paper BU" interactive event from October 23 to 25 at designated stores in cities including Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Shenzhen. Consumers could participate in rock-paper-scissors games to receive LABUBU drink machine-shaped transparent cards.

From simulation management to photography, and from social interaction to offline check-ins, this product attempts to transform LABUBU from a doll that is collected and carried into a game character that consumers can repeatedly interact with.

This direction also continues POP MART's approach this year of strengthening product "playability."

The PUCKY "Knock Knock" series of vinyl plush charms launched earlier this year was dubbed an "electronic wooden fish" by consumers because of its repetitive tapping interaction. POP MART specifically mentioned this product in its 2026 interim report, noting that its fun interactive design gained widespread attention on social platforms.

The THE MONSTERS "Retro Barbershop" series launched in June allowed consumers to personally dress up LABUBU. Some products feature detachable and interchangeable hair, while others use a magnetic fringe design, letting consumers create their own hairstyles and change outfits.

POP MART also set up barbershop-themed pop-ups in cities including Shanghai, where consumers could bring their figures to experience trimming and styling services.

The common thread among these products is that after purchase, consumers can continue to participate through tapping, outfit changes, DIY, and other means.

However, previous innovations were mainly focused on plush materials, mechanical structures, and clothing accessories. This Snap Machine further introduces screens, sensors, cameras, and game content, making the interaction noticeably more complex.

For POP MART, the product's usage scenarios have also expanded from unboxing, display, and styling to daily entertainment.

Comparing Against Tamagotchi's 30-Year Business

Among domestic designer toy brands, mature products like the Snap Machine that combine simulation management, photography, and device-based social interaction are rare. But in the global electronic toy market, POP MART is not the first player to explore this kind of business.

The most representative product is Tamagotchi, owned by Japan's Bandai.

In 1996, Bandai launched the first-generation Tamagotchi. Players could raise a virtual pet through a small electronic device, caring for its food, health, and emotions. Different raising methods would affect the pet's growth outcome.

Over the past 30 years, Tamagotchi has undergone multiple rounds of product iterations, gradually adding color screens, touch controls, photography, networking, and device-to-device social features.

The Tamagotchi Pix launched in 2021 already featured a camera, allowing players to take photos and interact with characters; the Tamagotchi Uni launched in 2023 added Wi-Fi functionality, extending pet raising into a virtual social world.

The latest generation, Tamagotchi Paradise, was released in 2025, with new models continuing to launch in July this year.

Players can use a dial to zoom in or out on the screen, observing and caring for the electronic pet at different scales. Pets change according to environment, diet, and raising methods, and two devices can connect to let pets interact and breed, producing new character forms.

Bandai disclosed that this generation of products can generate over 50,000 appearance combinations through breeding and genetic mechanisms.

Tamagotchi Paradise is officially priced at 6,380 yen in Japan, roughly 300 yuan; during the current Double 11 period, the Tmall Bandai official flagship store sells it for approximately 339 yuan, placing it in a similar price range to POP MART's 299-yuan Snap Machine.

However, the core gameplay differs: Tamagotchi emphasizes continuous raising, with the player's care methods determining pet growth; the Snap Machine focuses on simulation management, item collection, and lightweight mini-games.

Beyond the gaming experience, Tamagotchi also has collectible appeal.

After years of iteration, Tamagotchi has accumulated a large number of different generations, shell colorways, and limited collaboration editions, with some scarce models commanding premiums in the secondary market.

For example, the Bearbrick collaboration released in 2026 had a retail price of $45, while StockX recorded a recent transaction price of $134, nearly three times the original price.

Unlike POP MART, which creates scarcity through hidden-edition probabilities, Tamagotchi's collectible value comes more from version iterations, limited releases, and supply-demand changes after discontinuation.

The combination of gaming experience and collecting demand has also given Tamagotchi product vitality spanning different consumer generations. This is already reflected in its long-term sales scale.

Bandai disclosed that as of August 2025, Tamagotchi's cumulative global shipments have exceeded 100 million units, entering more than 50 countries and regions. Among these, Japan, the United States, and Europe account for 49%, 33%, and 16% respectively, while Asian markets outside Japan account for only 2%.

Although Tamagotchi has long accumulated a certain level of awareness through overseas merchandise, proxy purchasing, and player communities, its localized product supply and licensed operation system in the Chinese market were only further expanded in recent years.

It was not until 2025 that Bandai listed Tamagotchi as a newly licensed IP in China, and the Simplified Chinese-supported Tamagotchi Paradise entered pre-sale on the Tmall official flagship store.

At the same time, Tamagotchi is welcoming a fourth boom. The Paradise series launched in 2025 saw pre-orders exceeding four times the same period of the previous generation, pushing Tamagotchi back into the view of young consumers and adult toy enthusiasts.

For POP MART, this provides both a mature market to reference and a new competitive threshold.

The former already has THE MONSTERS' IP influence and offline channels, but to keep electronic toys continuously attracting consumers, it still needs to accumulate experience in game content, product iteration, and collectible value.