Linda Bui’s eyes lit up as she accepted box after box of highly coveted Labubu collectibles, her arms quickly full of the lovable, stuffed monsters that often sell out.
When Bui, 29, heard this weekend’s Panda Fest at the Mall of America would offer the chance to buy especially hard-to-find blind boxes — the Asian retail craze exploding across the country — she knew she had to go.
“It’s kind of like gambling, for adults with money but no children,” the Mankato resident said with a laugh, as she finished her booth shopping and was handed a Coca-Cola themed Labubu, unsure which version of the little monster accessory might be in the box.

This weekend, the Bloomington megamall hosted the Twin Cities’ first Panda Fest, a traveling festival packed with retailers and food vendors celebrating all things Asian culture.
A sea of visitors — many in panda-shaped headbands — packed the north parking lot to sample dumplings, Korean shaved ice, boba tea and seasoned squid on a stick.
Organizers said tickets sold out about a week before the festival, a one-stop opportunity to try out many Asian pop culture fads that have taken over Minnesota and the country. In the Twin Cities, a recent wave of Asian restaurants, retailers — including the popular Daiso shop — Japanese-style claw machine arcades, bakeries and bubble tea shops has proliferated.
At the festival on Sunday, families posed for pictures in front of a 15-foot inflatable panda. And not far from where Bui and dozens of others raced to buy collectibles, children took turns descending into a bin of stuffed animals as part of a “human claw machine.” The kids laid on their stomachs as a harness lifted them up, then forward, as they tried to grab as many plushies as they could.
Panda Fest began in New York City and for the first time this year traveled to other cities. Bloomington is the sixth stop on its itinerary and the only Midwestern location.