As Labubu dolls go viral, creators of India's 'OG haunted doll' take a trip down memory lane

A livid Tatya Vinchu bashes Labubu dolls in the new video

Just when we were beginning to wrap our heads around Gen Z terms like delulu and solulu, along came another three-syllable curveball. Labubu, Hong Kong-based artist Kasing Lung's mischievous dangling plush toys, have quickly become everyone's viral obsession. If the hype eludes you, you're not alone. Indian cricket team ODI captain Rohit Sharma recently expressed his confusion around his daughter Samaira's obsession with the dolls. Samaira isn't alone. The Labubu fan club has roped in celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Rihanna and more recently, Ananya Panday.

A dated photograph of Ramdas Padhye and Aparna Padhye (standing) with different versions of Tatya Vinchu. PICS COURTESY/SATYAJIT PADHYE

Riding the wave, albeit inadvertently, are the Padhyes whose social media notifications have been pinging incessantly this month. "I was surprised to see how many people remembered Tatya Vinchu amid the virality. When I created Tatya in 1993, I honestly didn't have high hopes that people would like him," recalls veteran ventriloquist Ramdas Padhye. "A fan wrote to us saying it was time Tatya asserted his dominance," laughs son Satyajit. Answer, they did. "A hundred dolls will come and go, but don't forget, I was always the OG," the doll reminds us in a new video.

Mahesh Kothare oversees the climax scene of Zapatlela (1993) that was shot on a 90-degree rotated set

The cute-yet-eerie vibe that Labubus have capitalised on isn't groundbreaking, we learn. "When director Mahesh Kothare approached me with the script for his movie Zapatlela (1993), his character brief was simple: The doll had to be adorable and relatable until things went south and he turned into a possessed doll gone rogue. Kothare originally suggested we import a doll from the USA for the task, but I had other plans," Ramdas recalls. A month later, the Padhyes would visit Kothare's residence on the occasion of Ganeshotsav, bearing the blueprint for a new beginning - Tatya Vinchu.

Much of the doll's lasting legacy amidst fleeting trends is courtesy the labour of love behind it, believes Ramdas's wife and fellow-ventriloquist on the film, Aparna Padhye. "We had no green screens back in the day to help edit ourselves out in post-production. Every time you see Tatya on the screen, we're somewhere around, stretching our hands out in camouflage colours," she reminisces. Ramdas, a mechanical engineering graduate from Matunga's Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), believes his degree came in handy in assembling nine variations of Tatya, each suited for an emotion. "Sadly, I don't see that commitment in today's ventriloquists," he sighs.

A Labubu doll

Some time ago, we had heard of Christopher Nolan's famous rotating set from Inception (2010) that helped him create an illusion of gravity. Director Kothare wouldn't have been amused. Satyajit, who frequented the set as a 10-year-old, reveals how the defining rooftop climax was shot in a set that was laid on its side, and later rotated 90 degrees to create an illusion. "We shot the sequence lying prone on the floor. Laksha [the late actor Laxmikant Berde who played the protagonist] once quipped that we were the only ones on the set getting paid to lie down," Aparna laughs.

Rohit Sharma's Instagram post about his daughter's Labubu collection. Pic Courtesy/@ROHIT SHARMA45 ON INSTAGRAM

As Satyajit continues to pull all strings to keep the legacy alive, the family wishes puppets made a comeback in mainstream media. "Puppets have immense potential in education, social messaging and public outreach. We can only hope more people realise this potential," Aparna concludes. Before we signed off, we couldn't possibly forget to ask the veterans what they make of Labubu; does it stand a chance against Tatya? "No! Not at all. It reminded us of the limbu-mirchi contraption you see hanging from cabs and autos in Mumbai," they sign off.

Log on to: Satyajit Padhye on YouTube

All you need is Labubu

PIC COURTESY/@twinklerkhanna

Twinkle Khanna calls Labubus her "new platonic love", even quipping that people insure their dolls

Fashion icon Kim Kardashian garnered mixed reactions for sharing her collection of Labubus online

PIC COURTESY/@PUDDINGNSOUSE

Rihanna was spotted flaunting a pink Labubu dangling from her handbag

PIC COURTESY/@holdbyhand

Pop star Dua Lipa is said to be one of the earliest adopters of the trend, sporting Labubu dolls since 2024

Where to buy?

The Labubu hype capitalises on unusually high demand, a thriving resale market and the element of surprise. Each doll comes in a ‘blind box', giving the buyer no indication of the doll inside. Head to these import and resale platforms to get your own Labubu

>> hypefly.co.in
>> etsy.com
>> kicksmachine.com