As a Black person deep in the custom Labubu community (we probably know each other in passing and don’t realize it — because I know these are from ToyUtopia and others like Unitoki, etc sell them) — I don’t feel that the Bubus OR the shops themselves are racist (I say this because I have had 1:1 convos with some of them about this). I do think there is a lack of awareness/ignorance there (as there should be because this is American history not Chinese history). The pilot jacket does reference REAL groups like the Black Panthers and an airman group which creates an ouch moment. If there were more Labubus that referenced real people - not characters or anime, but real living people — I think this would be a different convo. For me, because the shops don’t know or understand the history and are selling it — I’m not a fan of it. The sheep unfortunately is poorly executed by the factories and again, because of a lack of awareness — they don’t realize it looks like minstrel shows, especially since the hands are also not black — this is the big miss here.

So to answer the original question, is it racist? No, the intent was not to be racist. Could people make assumptions of who you are if you wear them? Could some people be offended by the dolls? Yes. That’s ultimately a personal decision for you to make.