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Every few Fridays, in the middle of the night, a line forms outside the Pop Mart store at Westfield Century City.

They insist her boyfriend is a look-alike figure named Zimomo, but Pop Mart denies the relationship.

It’s a sudden and astonishing ascent for an ugly-cute character that debuted nearly a decade ago, and fortuitous timing for Pop Mart as it makes a major push into the U.S.

The company’s stock price has more than tripled this year, giving Pop Mart a market cap of $12.1 billion.

Opened in February, the Century City Pop Mart is a maximalist shrine of whimsical characters such as Skull Panda and Dimoo and their many, many related products: vinyl plush dolls in all sizes, action figures, keychains, stationery, purses and tote bags, cups, hair clips, smartphone and earphone cases, lamps and night lights.