Ugly-Cute Craze: Fugglers Are Becoming the Affordable Option for Creepy Cuteness

South Africa’s ugly-cute craze has a new face, and it comes with crooked teeth, a mischievous grin and a price tag under R400. Fugglers, ZURU’s ‘funny ugly monsters,’ are fast becoming the accessible alternative to Labubu’s cult collectibles proving that weird, wonderful and slightly creepy doesn't have to break the bank.

The ugly-cute craze has two distinct origin stories. Fugglers began life on Etsy in the late 2000s, when a crafter started sewing plush toys with eerily realistic human teeth, sparking a cult following online. Their unsettling charm was quickly noticed by toy makers, and in 2018 ZURU acquired the rights to scale them globally, selling over 8 million to date.

Labubu, by contrast, was born in 2014 from the imagination of Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung, who’s quirky, fairytale-inspired character became the centrepiece of Pop Mart’s blind-box “The Monsters” series. Within a few years, Labubu’s rarity and resale value turned it into an international status symbol.

FOMO vs Affordability

According retail analyst and futurist Bronwyn Williams at Flux Trends in a recent interview, Labubu’s success is deeply tied to scarcity and status: “It’s this intense desire to be part of this craze… to want what other people want… celebrities are getting in on the trend too but there’s also the sense of real FOMO, of missing out if you’re not capitalising on it.”

She added: “The prime attraction here is for status, ultimately. Status can be conveyed by having a rare one of these things and status can also be conveyed by having wealth.”

In South Africa, scarcity has a flipside: availability. While Labubu dolls are only sold through niche import outlets, often at R1,000–R2,500 a piece, Fugglers retail locally between R89.90 and under R400 in mainstream toy stores, a fraction of the price.

“Affordability is critical in South Africa, and Fugglers hit the sweet spot,” says Glenn Ambrose, Country Manager for ZURU South Africa. “They have the same cult energy and quirkiness that made Labubu explode in Asia, but they’re within reach of the average South African family.”

TikTok Turns Teeth into Trend

Social media has also helped fuel the craze. Globally, TikTok content under the hashtag #toys have surpassed 93 billion views, and ugly-cute characters are carving out their own niche. Thousands of Fugglers unboxings, Outfit-of-the-Day reels, and comedic skits have flooded South African feeds, showing how easily these plush monsters lend themselves to storytelling and customisation.

“Fugglers have really found their moment on TikTok,” Ambrose notes. “We’re seeing teens and adults as well as kids creating personalities for them, adding piercings, making clothes, and building whole storylines around their monsters. It shows they’re more than plush toys, they're characters with attitude.”

Why Weird Works

The popularity of ugly-cute plushies comes down to a cultural shift. In a market filled with polished, picture-perfect toys, imperfect characters stand out. Psychologists describe this appeal as “benign weirdness,” where quirks and flaws become part of self-expression. On social media, that translates into endless creative possibilities: naming them, dressing them, and sharing them as avatars of individuality.

As Williams put it: Labubu is about FOMO, scarcity, and status. Fugglers flip that script, offering quirky, collectible, customisable characters that are inclusive rather than exclusive.

South Africa’s Fastest-Growing Plush Craze

Plush toys are no longer just bedtime companions; they’re now social media stars, TikTok content machines, and cult collectibles for teens and adults alike. Globally, the plush category has surged thanks to the rise of imperfect, weird, and wonderful characters.

In South Africa, Fugglers are at the centre of that growth. Since their launch earlier this year, they’ve rapidly gained traction in the local market, positioning themselves as one of the fastest-growing plush categories.

“Fugglers embody a cultural truth that resonates strongly in South Africa: being weird is something to celebrate,” Ambrose explains. “In a world saturated with perfect plushies and glossy collectibles, their unapologetically awkward charm stands out.”

And perhaps most importantly, they’re accessible Ambrose concludes: “Whether you’re eight or 38, Fugglers prove that weird is the new wonderful and in South Africa, everyone can afford to be part of it.”