I published Subscribing to category-specific RSS feeds in early 2023. As the title of the article suggests, I noted that many websites (including this one) offer author, section, or taxonomy feeds in addition to a main site feed, and that these narrow feeds may be the “right” feed for certain reading and use cases. I used an example from my feed collection: the New York Post’s Metro section feed, which usually (not always, but usually) includes the Post’s actual news and reporting and not the celebrity tabloid nonsense it is often known for. Also see my more recent Finding the Best RSS/ATOM Feed for related feed tips.
(If you do not know what an RSS feed is, you can start with my general introduction.)
The New York Post recently introduced a California edition of the paper, creatively called the California Post. I had been aware of the news but did not think much of it until I started noticing articles about California in my New York Post Metro Section feed. I suppose the Metro section is now New York and California (mostly Los Angeles, it seems) metro? My first thought was to find a way to filter out the California articles. However, on second thought, I found myself reading a few of the California articles. Since there are some California articles of interest and I did not find that they were drowning out the local (for me at least) New York City news, I decided to leave the now-expanded Metro feed as is.
All was going well with the New York Post New York/California Metro section until I saw this:
What you see there is a now-archived New York Post Metro entry in my feed reader, which is Miniflux. We have a headline: “Labubu maker will finally open a US headquarters – here’s where.” What we do not have is the where, by which I do not mean location, but instead whether this article was part of the New York Post or the California Post. I do not like the here’s… headline format as a general matter. It is too manipulative even when it is not clickbait per se. But it s use “here” was terrifying. I very much wanted this article to be a California Post article.
I have not covered the “Labubu” issue in The New Leaf Journal. I have however addressed the menace in my weekly newsletter, The Newsletter Leaf Journal, wherein I share links from around the web (usually 21) with commentary. I have thrice shared links about Labubus with comments. I present them below to give readers an idea of where I stand on the Labubu question.
First, from Newsletter 241 (August 16, 2025):
Link: $30,000 in stolen Labubu collectibles recovered by police in California
Comment: Wait! Let’s hear him out before we prosecute him. Maybe the gentleman was doing something good like throwing them into a burn pit and then salting the Earth.
Next, from Newsletter 243 (August 30, 2025):
Link: Can Labubu Mania Last Forever?
Comment: It’s probably a harbinger of the end times so I guess it depends on how you define forever.
Finally, Newsletter 255 (November 22, 2025):
Comment: KPop Demon Hunters, Labubu highlight Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Comment: I don’t know anything about these “KPop Demon Hunters” but if they’re going to eliminate the “Labubu menace” with “extreme prejudice,” they have “my approval.”
I trust that everyone is now adding The Newsletter Leaf Journal to their email or RSS subscription lists after seeing that tantalizing preview of the type of “content” preexisting subscribers enjoy (almost) every Saturday. I also trust that you have somewhat of an idea of what I think of the “Labubu,” which I will proudly note I managed to avoid learning about until mid-2025 thanks to my excellent internet usage.
Now what was this article about? Oh right, the New York Post “Metro” section Labubu teaser headline of uncertain geographic origin. I overcame my deep trepidation and opened the Post report. The article began:
The world-famous Labubu Pop Mart is opening its headquarters in California.
Thank goodness. Enjoy, California!
Aside: While one could plausibly argue that I am harsh on the Labubu, I submit in their (very qualified) defense that at least they are not “furries” (yet).
