Chinese trendy toy maker Pop Mart's flagship original IP Labubu will enter the FIFA World Cup football matches in June, becoming the first Chinese trendy toy IP to appear at the tournament, the company told the Global Times on Wednesday.

In recent years, China's creative industries have risen rapidly, with leading companies delivering the latest milestones that underscore this strong momentum.

The announcement came at the company's 2025 annual results briefing held on Wednesday. Pop Mart reported total revenue of 37.12 billion yuan ($5.16 billion) in 2025, up 184.7 percent year on year, Pop Mart founder and CEO Wang Ning said at the briefing, according to the statement.

This is not the first "breakthrough" achieved by Chinese original trendy toy IPs on the global stage in recent times.

In November last year, the company showcased multiple popular IPs including Labubu, Skullpanda, Molly and Dimoo at the 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, becoming the first Chinese brand in the event's history to feature original, trendy toy IPs on a parade float. Labubu figures will also took part in events including the 100th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in the US at the end of the year.

Notably, Chinese trendy toy IPs, represented by the company's portfolio,  have been expanding into cross-industry collaborations.

Pop Mart plans to launch a range of IP-based small home appliances in April, to be sold on e-commerce platforms including JD.com, Wang said at Wednesday's briefing.

In addition, on March 19, the company told the Global Times it is planning a Labubu film project co-developed with Sony Pictures, which is expected to be directed and produced by Paul King, the filmmaker behind the Paddington series and the box-office hit Wonka. The project is currently in the early stages of development.

Chinese original IPs have recently continued to deliver strong results across diverse cross-industry platforms, marking notable achievements on the global stage.

Another Chinese original IP developer, Letsvan, which is competing alongside Pop Mart on the global stage, has also been expanding cross-industry collaborations, incorporating core product elements into international fashion weeks since last year.

On March 20, Letsvan integrated its flagship IP Wakuku into the runway of Beijing Fashion Week, blending trendy toy aesthetics with original apparel design and showcasing cross-industry appeal. This marked the company's second appearance at the event, according to the Beijing Youth Daily.

The company has also actively pursued collaborations between its IPs and well-known global film and television franchises such as Jurassic World and How to Train Your Dragon, while exploring innovative scenarios including sports, fashion, and art.

The cross-industry initiatives by leading trendy toy brands align with the industry's shift from scale expansion to deeper IP monetization, serving as a key pathway for breaking growth bottlenecks and advancing toward globally recognized cultural symbols, according to a report released by iiMedia Research Institute on March 20.

As the industry moves beyond traffic-driven expansion, competition has increasingly shifted toward unlocking IP value, with cross-sector breakthroughs by leading brands emerging as a new driver of industry growth, the report said.

Chinese market watchers noted these landmark breakthroughs show that China's trendy toy and cultural consumer brands are shifting from scale-driven growth to IP-led global expansion, reflecting stronger cultural expression and brand confidence.

This 'going global' momentum highlights growing maturity in creativity, operations and cross-industry integration, and suggests Chinese brands are increasingly capable of telling their own IP stories, competing under global rules, and building cultural influence worldwide, Zhang Yi, CEO of the iiMedia Research Institute, told the Global Times.

Leading companies' flagship IPs have attracted global consumer attention.

Bloomberg reported on March 15 that Pop Mart characters such as Twinkle Twinkle, Skullpanda and Crybaby are drawing large crowds, fetching hefty premiums on resale platforms and climbing the company's sales charts.

Twinkle Twinkle plush pendants routinely disappear within minutes of restocking. On Chinese resale platform Qiandao, many of the character's toys trade above official prices, while a plushie from the Crybaby Vacation Mode On series is selling at 72 percent above retail, according to Bloomberg.

In 2025, China's traditional toy market reached about 80.13 billion yuan ($11.1 billion), up 3.5 percent year-on-year, while the designer toy segment totaled 87.97 billion yuan, surging 21 percent, according to the China News Service. Data from industry sources also predicted the sector's total value would reach 110.1 billion yuan in 2026, the report said.