Photo credit: Kasing Lung
Apple CEO Tim Cook just added a new piece to his collection. During his quick trip to Shanghai last week for the iPhone 17 Air launch, he met with the creators of one of China’s most popular collectibles. Kasing Lung, the artist who designed Labubu, gave Tim a custom doll with his own face.
Labubu started as a sketch in Lung’s notebooks years ago. The character is part of a family of weird monsters, each with pointed ears and a wide, toothy grin that has fans all over the world. Over time, these figures became must-have items for young collectors, popping up in blind boxes and display shelves from Tokyo to Los Angeles. Tim’s team reached out to Pop Mart, the company that turns Lung’s drawings into real products, to set up the meeting. What came out of that afternoon was more than just a hello.
- WHY IPAD PRO — iPad Pro with the Apple M5 chip delivers extraordinary performance for effortless productivity on a stunning display. Take on pro...
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — iPad Pro with M5 brings next-generation speed and the power of on-device AI to all your tasks.* Featuring up to 2TB of...
- IPADOS — Run pro apps and get more done with iPadOS 26 with Liquid Glass design and game-changing capabilities.* With an intuitive and flexible...
The custom figure stands about 5 inches tall, give or take, and has silky white fur all over its body in a smooth coat. The pointed ears on top are the same color and the face has that signature open mouthed smile—playful, almost mischievous. A pair of circular glasses sit on Tim’s nose, the frames thin and wire-like, just like his everyday glasses. The clothes are casual: a blue button-up shirt tucked into slim black pants with rolled cuffs for a comfortable fit. White sneakers for a modern touch on the feet, scuffed like he’s about to go for a walk down Apple Park.
Lung focused on the hands, sculpting them with little fingers that curl slightly, one holding the figure’s favorite possession. In the palm is a tiny iPhone 17, with a light-up screen and tiny buttons along the sides. The phone is only a quarter inch across but it’s an exact replica of the latest iPhone design. In a nod to the meeting’s scheduling, Tim later posted that his Labubu now carries an iPhone 17 Pro in Cosmic Orange—a brilliant, sunset color that looks great against the white fur.
