Labubus, lafufus, and Hello Kitty: How cuteness conquered the internet

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts116/v4/fb/17/53/fb175385-8d52-ecf9-5268-cbf7a3a67b1f/mza_9060456912121241658.jpg/600x600bb.jpg

Endless Thread

WBUR

430 episodes

1 day ago

Hosts Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson dig into the internet's vast and curious ecosystem of online communities to find untold histories, unsolved mysteries, and other jaw-dropping stories online and IRL.

Technology

RSS

All content for Endless Thread is the property of WBUR and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Technology

https://wordpress.wbur.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Labubu.jpg

Labubus, lafufus, and Hello Kitty: How cuteness conquered the internet

Endless Thread

27 minutes 17 seconds

2 months ago

Labubus, lafufus, and Hello Kitty: How cuteness conquered the internet

While some people find Labubus terrifying, millions of others find their big eyes and furry features irresistibly adorable. Why? From Labubu dolls taking over TikTok, to emoji taking over our text messages, cuteness is all over the internet. Ben and Amory talk to Joshua Paul Dale, professor at Tokyo's Chuo University and the preeminent cuteness expert about how cute has conquered all. A previous version of this episode incorrectly stated that Despicable Me was a Disney movie. The episode has been updated to reflect that Despicable Me is a production of Illumination and Universal Pictures. Show notes: Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired our Brains and Conquered the World (Profile Books) The Cute Studies Project This episode was produced by Grace Tatter, edited by Meg Cramer, and co-hosted by Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski.