Marko Monroe, an Arkansas-born Los Angeles stylist and Avalon TV cast member, has become a sought-after maker of custom Labubu dolls for a growing roster of celebrities, saying his small, reworked figures have landed with Lady Gaga, Blackpink’s Lisa, Mariah Carey and members of several television casts and reality franchises.
Monroe said the work began this year during a slow period in his styling calendar, when he repurposed a toy he received from his boyfriend and started altering Labubus to reflect the personalities or stage looks of clients and performers. His reimagined dolls have since circulated among stars and stylists, prompting online attention and an influx of orders.
Monroe said one of the highest-profile moments came after he made a Labubu inspired by Lady Gaga’s concert entrance and early onstage quiet writing sequence. He outfitted the doll with a bold red cloak and a sleek black bob wig; Gaga was photographed carrying the piece on multiple occasions, which Monroe said accelerated interest in his work. He described the project as “done out of love,” noting he had seen Gaga perform both at Coachella and in Los Angeles and drew visual cues from her show.
The stylist has also made custom Labubus for the cast of Netflix’s Wednesday, including dolls modeled on Jenna Ortega and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and said he even made one for director Tim Burton. Performers from other realms have received Monroe’s designs: Blackpink’s Lisa wore a hot-pink Labubu Monroe assembled with scraps of fur obtained through Lisa’s stylist, Brett, and the girl group KATSEYE was gifted dolls during the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards. Monroe also said Mariah Carey and several Real Housewives figures, including Lisa Rinna and Braunwyn Windham-Burke, have received his custom pieces.
Monroe, who holds a BFA in sculpture, described a personal connection to the craft: the first Labubu he altered accompanied him through travel and became a comfort during a slow professional spell. He said his training in sculpture informed his approach to taking the toys apart and rebuilding them with bespoke fabrics, wigs and tiny accessories. He adds a small tag to his pieces identifying them as his designs; he noted that Brett left that tag intact when Lisa took the doll on stage and that the tag read, “Handmade by Marco Monroe.”
The designer said the Labubu creator, illustrator Kasing Lung, has since followed him on Instagram, a recognition Monroe called meaningful because of his admiration for Lung’s work. He said he hopes to one day make a Labubu for Lung and for Madonna, whom he identified as a fellow Pop Mart fan.
Monroe sells his Labubus through his website, with prices he said range from $250 for a "Surprise Custom" to $350 for an "Ultimate Custom." He described current demand as heavy and said he is managing a backlog of commissions while carving out time for additional celebrity and fan orders.
Monroe’s pivot to customizing collectible toys underscores an intersection of fashion, fandom and small-scale craft in celebrity merchandising. As Labubu figures have appeared in concert performances and on red carpets, Monroe’s studio work has moved from a personal pastime to a commercial offering that amplifies performer branding and provides a collectible tied directly to individual artists’ images.
He said the work remains driven by a mix of creative impulse and fan devotion, and that seeing his pieces worn or displayed by the artists who inspired them has been a highlight of the past year.