Marina Galperina is a senior tech editor at The Verge who works with staff writers and freelancers on reports and theme weeks. She recently started a new newsletter called The Stepback, which breaks down one essential story from a writer of the week every Sunday. (From Marina: “Please subscribe!”)During a recent discussion of Labubus on Slack (yes, this is the kind of topic that comes up during the workday), Marina introduced us to a strange-looking object that she called her “Soviet Labubu.” So, understandably, I had to ask her about it. Let’s start with: what is a Labubu? Yes, it has a rather goth demeanor, partially intentional (the character is frequently sad) and partially because of the lo-fi bootleg quality.