Nature's Labubu: Why Gen Z Are 'Unboxing' Conkers?
Name: Horse chestnuts.
History: Brought into the UK over four centuries back.
Appearance: The outdoor world's Labubu.
No, I don’t think that’s right. It is. Check out a TikTok video of someone revealing a conker, and you’ll almost certainly hear them call it “the earth's Labubu”.
Unboxing conkers? What on Earth are you talking about? Goodness, you are definitely not up to date, aren’t you? Gen Zers are taking to TikTok to film themselves unpeeling conkers from their spiky capsules.
What's the reason? Due to the sense of wonder! When you open up a conker, you can't predict what you’re going to get. Could it be large? Might it be flattened? How shiny will it be? It is like a mystery box every time!
Are Labubus big and flat and shiny? No, they’re somewhat eerie dolls that have become collectible because they also come in mystery boxes.
Can someone please tell gen Z that they’re doing conkers wrong? Is that so? How do you play with horse chestnuts, then?
Thread a lace through the center, and try to destroy everyone else’s conkers. Wow, really? That’s unusual.
Yes. You’ll have a much better chance of winning if you soak the conker in vinegar overnight and then bake it like a pie. Seriously?
Seriously. And should you gather an excess, you can toss them in the schoolyard and all the other kids will fight each other for them. A beautiful, natural thing like a conker, and you use it as a tool for battle? A weapon that comes with a long set of complex and confusing guidelines?
That's the custom! The King recently awarded the World Conker Championships with three hundred horse chestnuts! At least gen Z is only filming them.
Why don’t you know this? Probably, because some schools started banning conkers two decades ago, due to various health and safety fears.
Today's society always surprises. Maybe revealing horse chestnuts just isn’t your thing. In which case, perhaps you would be better suited to some other popular gen Z trends.
Oh really? Like what? Well, there’s this thing called knitting, and something else called pottery that I can describe for you.
We’ve had knitting and pottery for centuries! Let me guess, you heat tools in apple drink and then use them to jab one another?
No! OK, relax. I thought all old-people traditions involved violence in some form, after that conker thing.
This is overwhelming. Take a breath. If you need me, I’ll be unboxing seeds for clicks.
Do say: “TikTok can’t stop filming conker reveals.”
Don’t say: “That's crazy.”
