Design studio THIRTY NINE reshaped the retail vision of POP MART with two new flagship locations, one in Sanlitun, Beijing and the other at Shanghai IFC. Known for its emotionally resonant characters and collectible toy culture, POP MART invited THIRTY NINE to reimagine the in-store experience. The result is a narrative-driven concept that frames the visit as a “Journey of Surprises,” unfolding through character zones, tactile materials, and modular installations.
From Flat Graphics to Physical Encounters
Instead of decorating with IP characters, the design builds structure and flow around them. THIRTY NINE transformed signature motifs from LABUBU, MOLLY, DIMOO, and SKULLPANDA into spatial elements. Each character’s personality translates into material choices, display geometry, and navigation cues. Volume, scale, and function take precedence, allowing the characters to shape the architecture rather than sit within it.
Exterior Signals, Interior Worlds
The storefronts break from their retail surroundings by using wood grain textures and layered forms to stand out. Visitors first encounter tall wooden columns that filter movement and vision, creating a porous facade that teases what’s inside. Through these structures, familiar faces like MOLLY and SKULLPANDA emerge, inviting passersby into an imagined world that feels more like a theatrical set than a commercial space.
Interaction Replaces Convention
Inside, THIRTY NINE avoids the flashy finishes often associated with designer toy stores. Instead, soft floodlighting and curved GRG modules set a grounded tone. The store removes unnecessary partitions, relying on shelf walls and island-style displays to define space. These displays act both as product platforms and as visual markers for each IP zone, delivering functionality and visual coherence without blocking flow. Photo booths and installations further enhance the interactivity, making the store feel alive with possibility.
LABUBU’s Forest and the MEGA Zone
LABUBU’s section steps away from the usual product layout and into storytelling. Wood tones set the mood for this elf-like creature’s mythological roots. Subtle steps and platforms help define LABUBU’s world without enclosing it, building a space that invites exploration. Meanwhile, the MEGA Collection area presents large-scale figures of 400% and 1000%, arranged with precision and accompanied by sculpted relief walls that explain each character’s narrative and emotional resonance.
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Design That Grows With the Brand
The modular display system allows for reconfiguration, giving POP MART flexibility to adapt future product launches or visual campaigns. The stores act as platforms for storytelling, where fantasy lives not in digital screens but in structure, movement, and material. This design language connects POP MART’s growing IP library with the everyday lives of its fans, bringing fantasy into form.
Project name: POP MART Flagship Store (Sanlitun, Beijing)
Project area: 189 m²
Opening time: Sep. 2024
Design studio: THIRTY NINE
Photography: yuuuunstudio
Project name: POP MART Flagship Store (IFC, Shanghai)
Project area: 148 m²
Opening time: Nov. 2024
Design studio: THIRTY NINE
Photography: yuuuunstudio
