Celebrity trend adoption reached new heights when Madonna celebrated her 67th birthday in Siena, Italy with a giant pink cake topped with an edible Labubu doll. These “creepy-cute” goblin-like collectibles have become 2025’s most unexpected celebrity status symbol. While other stars struggle to stay culturally relevant, Madonna demonstrates that authentic trend participation transcends generational boundaries.
Italian Tradition Meets Viral Culture
The historic Palio di Siena provided an unlikely backdrop for pop culture’s latest obsession.
Madonna marked her birthday by attending the historic Palio di Siena horse race, watching from a prime balcony with her four children—Rocco Ritchie, Lourdes Leon, and twins Stella and Estere—plus boyfriend Akeem Morris. This centuries-old tradition, held twice yearly in honor of the Assumption of Mary, draws thousands to witness ten riders representing city districts compete in the medieval square.
After the race, Madonna hosted a celebration at the Grand Hotel Continental. The evening’s showstopper wasn’t vintage champagne or designer fashion, but that towering Labubu creation inscribed “Happy Birthday Madudu”—instantly aligning her with 2025’s most divisive collectible craze.
The Labubu Effect Takes Hold
These goblin-like plushies have become the year’s most unexpected celebrity status symbol.
These peculiar dolls have been dangling from designer bags on red carpets worldwide. Lady Gaga recently embraced the trend in a viral video moment, while BLACKPINK’s LISA has gifted them to fellow entertainers, cementing their pop culture legitimacy. Not everyone’s convinced—Mean Girls star Reneé Rapp publicly criticized the dolls, which only amplified their notoriety.
Madonna’s Labubu embrace represents strategic cultural positioning from an artist who’s built her four-decade career on anticipating emerging trends and making them her own.
Reinvention Never Retires
Madonna’s trend participation follows her recent Celebration Tour triumph, proving staying power requires constant evolution.
This Labubu moment follows Madonna’s massive free concert on Rio’s Copacabana Beach during The Celebration Tour, where she drew enormous crowds earlier in 2025. Both events demonstrate her understanding that modern pop stardom demands continuous cultural engagement beyond musical output.
Madonna shared video highlights from her Italian adventure across social media platforms, extending the Labubu trend’s reach to millions of followers. That’s masterful audience cultivation: transforming personal celebration into cultural commentary while introducing her fanbase to emerging phenomena. The Queen of Pop just reminded everyone why she earned that title through authentic trend participation rather than desperate relevance-chasing.
