Most POP MART characters lead with charm. SKULLPANDA doesn't. It's the line people buy when they want something with an edge on the shelf — darker palettes, sculptural silhouettes, and a character that changes identity completely from one series to the next.
It's also the line with the least clear English documentation. Series names get translated inconsistently, the figure and plush lines run in parallel and get confused, and prices span nearly thirty-fold. This guide sorts that out.
Who created SKULLPANDA?
SKULLPANDA is the work of Xiong Miao (熊喵), a Chinese designer whose background is in film, architecture and game concept art — which shows in the work. She founded her own studio in 2014, and the character launched commercially with POP MART in 2020 through the Ancient Castle blind box series. That debut reportedly sold sixty thousand units within a second of going live, which is the moment SKULLPANDA stopped being a niche art toy.
What SKULLPANDA actually is (and why it looks different)
The design language is consistent across every series: a skull-like helmet and spherical braids. Everything else changes.
The concept the artist works from is what she calls non-absoluteness — the idea that identity isn't fixed. So each series isn't "SKULLPANDA wearing a different outfit," it's SKULLPANDA as a different self entirely: a gothic aristocrat, an ink-brush painting, an impressionist canvas, a creature mid-transformation. That's why the series look so unlike each other compared to, say, a Labubu series where the character stays constant and the theme changes around it.
Practically, this matters when you're buying: liking one SKULLPANDA series does not mean you'll like the next one. With most blind box IPs you can buy sight-unseen once you know the character. With this one, look at the series first.
The two formats — the thing that confuses new buyers
SKULLPANDA runs two parallel release lines. They share series names sometimes, which is exactly where people get caught.
| Figure series | Plush pendant series | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Sculpted collectible figure, usually vinyl/PVC | Soft plush with a clip or strap, made to hang on a bag |
| Typical set size | 9–12 regular figures + 1 secret | 6–9 regular + 1 secret |
| Typical price per box | About $11–21 | About $33–38 |
| Best for | Shelf display, sculptural detail, completing sets affordably | Carrying, gifting, people who want one statement piece |
SKULLPANDA series in release order
The foundation (2020–2022)
- Ancient Castle (2020) — the debut. Gothic, ornate, and the series that established the visual grammar.
- The Mare of Animals (2022) — animal-form transformations. Still one of the most accessible entry points, and unusually affordable for a figure series.
The breakout years (2023–2024)
- Laid Back Tomorrow (2023)
- Everyday Wonderland (2023) — 12 figures + 1 secret
- The Ink Plum Blossom (2023) — 12 + 1. Chinese ink-painting aesthetic; one of the most distinctive series in the whole line.
- Image of Reality (2024) — 12 + 1
- The Sound (2024) — 12 + 1
- Tell Me What You Want (2024) — holiday release, 9 + 2 secrets
- Winter Symphony (2024) — plush pendant, 6 + 1
The current era (2025–2026)
- The Mirage (2025) — figure, 9 + 1
- L'impressionnisme (2025) — plush pendant, 9 + 1. Impressionist-painting palettes; one of the softest-looking series the line has done.
- The Paradox (2025) — figure, 12 + 1
- You Found Me! (2025) — plush pendant, 9 + 1
- The Feast Begins (2025) — figure, 12 + 1
- My Little Pony (2026) — plush pendant collaboration, 6 + 2 secrets
- Petals in Four Acts (2026) — figure, 12 + 1 (also released as a Minibean series)
- Off Mode (2026) — plush pendant, 12 + 1
Alongside the numbered series there is a steady stream of collaborations and large-format one-offs — SKULLPANDA × GUO PEI (a 1/6 action figure with the couture designer), SKULLPANDA × Wednesday, SKULLPANDA × Sanrio, Punk Panda 400%, and limited editions such as Baby Orchid. These are not blind boxes — you know exactly what you're getting, and they're priced accordingly.
How to start collecting SKULLPANDA (the price ladder)
SKULLPANDA has an unusually wide price range for a single IP — from under $10 to nearly $200. Here's the ladder, using our current shelf as the reference:
| Tier | Typical price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Minibean | ~$7 | Tiny bean-format figure. Cheapest possible way to own one. |
| Figure blind box | ~$11–21 | The core format. The Mare of Animals sits at the bottom of this band. |
| POP ATTACH accessory | ~$11 | Clip-on format tied to a series (e.g. Off Mode). |
| Plush pendant blind box | ~$33–38 | L'impressionnisme, You Found Me!, My Little Pony collab. |
| Licensed / named plush | ~$50–66 | Wednesday, Sanrio crossovers, Lazy Panda. Not blind — you choose. |
| Large format & limited | ~$120–192 | Punk Panda 400%, Baby Orchid limited edition, GUO PEI 1/6 action figure. |
A sensible path:
- Buy one figure blind box first. It's the cheapest way to find out whether the sculpting style and palette work for you in person. Photos flatten SKULLPANDA badly — the detail is the point.
- If the aesthetic lands, pick a series rather than a character. Because each series is a different identity, collecting "all of SKULLPANDA" isn't a coherent goal. Collecting one series you love is.
- Only then consider plush. Plush pendants cost roughly double a figure box. Know you like the line before spending there.
- Treat the $120+ tier as art, not collecting. A 400% Punk Panda or a GUO PEI action figure is a single display object, not a set to complete.
What does 400% mean?
The percentage is a size multiplier against the standard figure size — so a 400% piece is dramatically larger than a normal blind box figure, and priced accordingly. It's the same convention used across POP MART and most Chinese designer toy brands. We break the whole system down in the size guide.
How to spot a fake SKULLPANDA
SKULLPANDA is counterfeited less aggressively than Labubu, but the sculptural detail makes fakes easier to catch once you know where to look.
- Paint edges. Authentic figures have clean transitions between colour zones. Counterfeits bleed at the boundaries, most visibly around the helmet edge and the eyes.
- The braids. The spherical braids are the hardest element to mould well. Fakes show seam lines, flat spots, or uneven sphere sizes.
- Weight and finish. Authentic figures feel dense with a controlled matte or satin finish. Fakes tend to be light, hollow-sounding, and glossier than they should be.
- Box print. Look for crisp, correctly registered printing and an intact anti-counterfeit sticker. Blurry or off-register printing is a reliable warning sign.
- Price. As always, the decisive one. A current-series SKULLPANDA figure at a fraction of market price is not real.
Our full method for POP MART packaging checks — including the verification-URL trap that catches most buyers — is in the Labubu Authentication Guide. The packaging checks transfer directly to SKULLPANDA.
Where to buy SKULLPANDA
| Source | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| POP MART official | Direct from the manufacturer; current series guaranteed | Limited country shipping; older series disappear permanently |
| DidaPop | Ships to 60+ countries; carries back-catalogue series alongside current ones; 100+ brands in one cart | 2–5 day processing before shipping |
| Resale platforms | Only realistic route to retired series and secrets | Heavy markup; authentication varies by seller |
| Unvetted social shops | Sometimes cheaper | Highest counterfeit risk; usually no buyer protection |
An honest comparison of every channel, including where buying from a shop like ours is the wrong call, is in Where to Buy Blind Boxes Online in 2026.
Caring for a SKULLPANDA collection
- Keep figures out of direct sunlight. The darker palettes this line favours show UV fading faster than pastel IPs do.
- Dust the braids with a soft brush, not a cloth — cloth catches on the sphere seams.
- Store boxes if you care about resale. Retired SKULLPANDA series appreciate meaningfully, and boxed condition is most of that value.
- Plush pendants: spot clean only. Never immerse — the vinyl face and the fabric body meet at a seam that isn't waterproof.
Ready to start?
Browse the DidaPop SKULLPANDA collection for what's currently in stock, or see this week's new arrivals. To judge sculpting detail before you buy, watch us open boxes on TikTok @didapopblindbox — the detail reads far better on video than in a product photo.
Questions about a specific series or authenticity? Email support@didapop.com or message us on WhatsApp +852 5334 6229.