A collectible can look immaculate in a product photo and still be a poor bag charm. Weight, swing radius, clasp access and surface finish decide whether it survives a commute. That distinction matters more in 2026: POP MART reported RMB 9.8249 billion in plush-product revenue for the first half of the year, up 60% year over year. Plush was no longer a side category; it had become a major way collectors carried character IP outside the display cabinet.
Source & Interactive Tier List Matrix: Originally ranked by OBPAI TierList (2026 Plush Bag Charm Ranking). Interactive drag-and-drop rankings available on OBPAI.
This English edition adapts OBPAI's September 10, 2026 ranking for an international collector. It preserves the original hierarchy and adds a practical question the financial tables cannot answer: which pieces are genuinely comfortable to clip to leather, canvas or nylon? The ranking covers plush pendants and vinyl-plush pendants designed to hang from a bag. It does not treat every plush toy with a key ring as equal, and it does not rank ordinary shelf plush.
How the 2026 ranking works
Editorial Ranking Criteria
| Category fit | The item must function as a pendant or keychain, not merely as a small plush toy. |
| Carry design | Clasp access, hanging loop, weight distribution and swing radius matter more than shelf presence. |
| Evidence | Corporate results and current official product listings outrank resale anecdotes or social-media hype. |
| Craft | Embroidery, vinyl-to-plush joins, pile recovery and hardware finishing affect long-term use. |
| Value | A lower tier can still be the better buy when it offers easier access and less hype premium. |
The tiers are not a single sales chart. POP MART publishes group and IP-level revenue, while independent labels generally do not release comparable figures. A B-tier placement therefore does not mean poor workmanship; it means the public evidence, market reach or carry-tested product range is less extensive than the leaders'. Where reliable numbers do not exist, this article says so.
The 2026 plush bag charm tier list
S-TIER LABUBU and Chiikawa
LABUBU, from THE MONSTERS by POP MART, remains the category benchmark. POP MART reported RMB 4.4544 billion in first-half 2026 revenue for THE MONSTERS. That figure covers the wider IP rather than bag charms alone, so it should be read as evidence of franchise scale—not as pendant sales. THE MONSTERS pendant releases made the now-familiar combination of a sculpted face, a soft body and visible carry hardware difficult to miss.
Chiikawa shares S tier for a different reason. Its compact licensed plush keychains turn a narrative IP into a practical carry format without relying on a rigid face shell. The best examples keep the embroidery readable at arm's length and place the hanging loop so the character faces forward instead of rotating toward the bag.
Choose S tier when recognizability is the priority and you are comfortable verifying tags, packaging and seller provenance. High demand also attracts counterfeits, so popularity increases the need for inspection rather than reducing it.
A-TIER CRYBABY, HIRONO, DIMOO, SKULLPANDA and Kuromi collaborations
CRYBABY, DIMOO, SKULLPANDA and HIRONO each generated more than RMB 1 billion in revenue during the first half of 2026, according to POP MART's interim results. Again, those are IP-level totals, not bag-charm revenue. Their placement is supported by both franchise scale and continuing pendant assortments.
The formats are not interchangeable. The official HIRONO Road Journal listing specifies approximately 15.5 cm without its loop and 20 cm including the loop, with polyester, PVC, ABS and POM in the material stack. That is a substantial pendant: it suits a tote or backpack better than a small shoulder bag. CRYBABY's Cheer Up, Baby! series is smaller at roughly 4.3 × 2.6 × 3.9 inches and uses a polyester-fiber body, making it easier to place without dominating the bag.
Kuromi collaborations sit here because Sanrio recognition gives a pendant immediate visual clarity, while the partner design determines the actual carry quality. Check the clasp, character orientation and exposed rigid parts on the specific release; the license alone does not guarantee a leather-safe charm.
B-TIER Nommi, Maymei, Baby Three and PUCKY
Nommi, Maymei and Baby Three offer the strongest alternative lane for collectors who want vinyl-plush character design without building the entire purchase around top-tier scarcity. OBPAI places them in B tier because they have active product lines and recognizable formats but lack directly comparable public IP-revenue reporting. That is a limitation of the evidence, not a disguised quality score.
Nommi Sweetness 100 is the compact option in the Hi.toys assortment. Its listing specifies a 7–12 cm range, an ABS-and-polyester construction and nine regular designs plus one hidden design. That size is easier to control on a handbag handle and leaves room for the zipper to operate.
Maymei Winter Weirdness is the larger option. The listing gives a height of 20–22 cm and a PVC, ABS and polyester-fiber construction. Its longer swing radius works better on canvas totes and nylon backpacks than on smooth leather, where a rigid component can repeatedly tap the surface.
Baby Three belongs in the same accessible designer-plush conversation, but specifications vary by series. Treat the individual listing—not the IP name—as the authority for size, materials and return conditions. PUCKY earns its B-tier position from POP MART's own interim report, which identified the Tap Tap Babies vinyl-plush pendants as a popular social-media release during the reporting period.
C-TIER Zoraa and independent-studio pendants
Zoraa represents the independent-studio lane: smaller circulation, less public financial data and fewer standardized points of comparison. C tier is not a dismissal. Independent releases can offer more unusual silhouettes and lower character saturation, but buyers must do more work at the listing level.
Before ordering, confirm the actual manufacturer, material breakdown, dimensions, included hardware and after-sales terms. If a listing uses only rendered images, gives no rear view of the loop and does not name the material, there is not enough evidence to judge it as a carry object.
D-TIER Counterfeits and unlicensed copies
Counterfeit pendants belong in D tier regardless of price. Misshapen face shells and poor embroidery are visible problems; weak loop stitching, sharp hardware edges and unknown materials are the more practical risks. A cheap copy that scratches a bag or sheds a clasp is not a value purchase.
Do not use packaging color alone as an authenticity test. Compare the exact series name, manufacturer information, product dimensions, tags and seller documentation. If the price is far below the normal range and the seller avoids close-up photographs, walk away.
How to choose a charm for the bag you actually carry
Smooth leather
Use the lightest charm in your rotation and keep rigid vinyl or ABS parts from striking the body of the bag. A short fabric connector or clear protective sleeve can separate metal hardware from the handle. Clip the charm near a handle base rather than at the center of a long strap; less travel means fewer repeated impacts.
Canvas
Canvas tolerates a larger silhouette and makes B-tier designs such as Maymei easier to carry. The main concern is leverage: a 20 cm pendant can pull against a narrow zipper tab. Attach it to a reinforced handle loop or D-ring, and check the gate after the first day.
Nylon backpacks and crossbody bags
Nylon works well with vinyl-plush pendants because the surface is less vulnerable to tapping, but thin webbing can twist. Use a stable attachment point and keep the charm away from wheels, escalators and seat hardware. For crowded commutes, move the pendant to an inward-facing loop.
What the financial data does—and does not—prove
POP MART's 2026 interim results provide the strongest comparable data in this category: RMB 17.1729 billion in group revenue, RMB 9.8249 billion from plush products, and named revenue totals for major artist IPs. The report demonstrates category scale and portfolio reach. It does not tell us that one individual pendant is more durable than another.
The product-level observations therefore come from published listings. POP MART's official pages document the dimensions and material stacks for HIRONO Road Journal and CRYBABY Cheer Up, Baby!. Hi.toys listing data supplies the Nommi and Maymei specifications quoted above. No unsupported resale multiple or invented durability test has been added.
Matched to this article
Carry the Story
In-stock bag charms & pendants selected to match this article, with sales and availability used inside the relevant category.
The practical shortlist
- Choose LABUBU or Chiikawa when instant recognition matters most and you can verify authenticity.
- Choose HIRONO or CRYBABY when you want a mature POP MART design with official dimensions available before purchase.
- Choose Nommi for a smaller designer-plush format that is easier to fit on handbags.
- Choose Maymei when you want a larger visual anchor for canvas or nylon.
- Browse Baby Three by series, checking each listing rather than assuming one standard specification across the IP.
Hi.toys groups the relevant formats under Bag Charms, Plush Keychains and Blind Box Keychains. Brand-specific selections are available in Nommi, Maymei and Baby Three.
Compare pendant size, material and hanging length before choosing a series.
Source & Interactive Tier List Matrix: Originally ranked by OBPAI TierList (2026 Plush Bag Charm Ranking). Interactive drag-and-drop rankings available on OBPAI.