Some creatures only come out at night： vampires， werewolves， and now the latest member of the after-hours club： hopeful Labubu collectors.

有些生物只在夜晚出没：吸血鬼、狼人，如今这个“夜猫子俱乐部”又添了新成员——满怀期待的拉布布收藏者。

If you’re not already in the know， that last group might feel as mysterious as mythical creatures. It only adds to the toys’ mystique that the window when you can officially purchase the mega-popular trinkets—sold in limited drops， like fashion collabs and sneakers—only opens for a brief time on seemingly random nights （usually at 10 pm Eastern）. Enthusiasts say that successfully getting your hands on one of the approximately half-foot tall plastic-and-vinyl bunny-eared ghouls with a rictus grin feels like doing the impossible， or at least something more impossible than spending $27.99.

假如不是圈内人，你会觉得上述最后一类简直像神话中的生物一样神秘莫测。而这款超人气小玩意儿的官方购买机制更增添了其神秘感：它们采用限量发售模式，类似时尚联名款和运动鞋，官方购买窗口只在看似随机的某些夜晚短暂开启（通常是美国东部时间晚上10点）。爱好者们表示，要成功入手一个约半英尺高、由塑料和乙烯基制成的、长着兔子耳朵、龇牙咧嘴怪笑的小怪兽，简直像完成不可能的任务——至少绝不仅仅是花27.99美元买个玩具这么简单。

With their faces illuminated by the glow of their smartphones， credit card numbers locked in， fingers at the ready to click and add to cart， for Labubu hunters， there is no duty， no bedtime， sometimes no supper—only Labubu.

他们的脸庞被智能手机屏幕的光线照亮，信用卡号早已输入妥当，手指蓄势待发，随时准备点击下单——对于拉布布的追逐者们而言，此刻没有责任义务，不管就寝时间，有时甚至顾不上晚餐，心中唯有拉布布。

According to lore， Labubus are a tribe of mythical female elves called The Monsters that live in Nordic forests. According to Pop Mart， the toy and design company that produces the dolls， Labubus are a character-driven franchise， largely consisting of plushies， figurines， and accessories， that brings in over $400 million in revenue. And according to their most fervent fans—the people who have made Labubu a success in the hundreds of millions of dollars—Labubus are pure joy… if you somehow manage to get your hands on one.

根据传说，拉布布是一个名叫“精灵天团”的神秘女精灵部落，这个部落生活在北欧森林中。而据生产这些玩偶的玩具与设计公司泡泡玛特介绍，拉布布是一个以角色为核心的IP，旗下产品主要包括毛绒玩具、手办和配饰，年收入超4亿美元。至于那些让拉布布创下数亿美元业绩的铁杆粉丝们，他们则认为拉布布代表纯粹的快乐……前提是你有办法把它买到手。

If only the other things we spend roughly $30 on could bring us such glee.

要是我们花大约30美元买的其他东西，也能给我们带来这么多的快乐就好了！

Yet， many others do not find any delight in that idea. Some assert that the Labubus craze represents capitalism in its latest stage， thanks to a perfect storm of technical uselessness， jacked-up reseller prices， celebrity endorsement， and forced scarcity. Others think the little goblins are aesthetically ominous， even ugly.

然而，还有许多人并不认可这个想法。有些人认为，拉布布热潮代表了资本主义的最新阶段，是技术无用性、中间商哄抬价格、名人代言和饥饿营销等因素共同形成的完美风暴。