What you need to know
Christmas is starting to look like Christmas for one Australian influencer.
Matt Hay, 31, recently made headlines when he unveiled a Christmas tree decorated with around 48 ornaments of the popular toy known as a love bus. The video shared on his TikTok account has now been viewed 1.5 million times and received 158,400 likes.
Love baths have become increasingly popular in recent months as a result of their hard-to-find nature and ability to transition between fashion accessory and toy. Lovebus is only officially available for purchase online from Chinese toy company Popmart, but that hasn’t stopped resellers from creating an alternative market for the bizarre-looking monster-like figure, known for its toothy grin and furry body.
So it came as no surprise to Hay that his attempts at Christmas decorations received a lot of feedback on the internet. And for the influencer, sparking conversation was exactly the goal, he tells PEOPLE exclusively.
Matt Hay/TikTok
“Essentially, I think this is the biggest, best, most successful prank I’ve ever done on the Internet,” he reveals. “So, sorry, spoiler alert, I did this because I knew the internet would react.”
It’s summer in Australia in the southern hemisphere, so Hay’s idea for the Christmas tree came to him as he and his partner were cleaning out their spring cabinets.
“I joked to my partner, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’d better not have a Christmas tree,'” Hay laughs. “Before you know it, it’ll be December, so it might be best not to put it back in the cupboard after cleaning it.”
Hay’s Love Bu collection has been growing since before the Christmas tree stunt became a thing, with the influencer saying she loves “avoiding the hype of something”.
“Everything in my life is happening online,” he says. “So, of course, I’m going to be obsessed with the love bus, just like everyone else has been this year.”
As an influencer, Hay says a core part of her job is knowing and being able to predict what will perform well as online content. That’s why we knew his lovey-dovey Christmas tree would strike a chord with all types.
Matt Hay/TikTok
Hay says he grew up constantly being told that in order to “entertain” people, he needed to start a YouTube channel or become Big Brother. Before the pandemic, he got interested in TikTok and has since made social media his career. He also recently got into stand-up comedy through his social media presence and even started a podcast.
“I love my job and I’m such a workaholic. Work keeps me on my toes and every day is something different,” he says. “So it’s the perfect job for me, and I think that’s why I’m so good at it.”
Regarding Labubu’s Christmas tree, Hey said the ensuing internet chatter could almost become a “case study” in content strategy.
“We knew the internet would react to it no matter what side of the fence you were sitting on, and it worked,” he says. Reactions online have ranged from joy to anger, Hay said.
“I think another key to why this has been successful is that there’s not just people saying, ‘I hate it’ or ‘I love it,’ but there’s a lot of social conversation surrounding it,” he shares.
People have flooded his comments with all sorts of thoughts about the tree, ranging from “How do you have enough money to buy a love bath?” “Where did you get this? I can’t get it.”
Matt Hay/TikTok
Hay reveals that some people like the look of wood but hate Love Baths, while others hate the look of wood but love Love Baths. “Opinions have been widely disseminated so far, and this has been a huge catalyst for the video to go viral,” he says.
Hay made sure to reveal that not all of the Love Baths were his, and that much of what was on the tree was borrowed from friends and his partner. Some were his, and Hay traveled to Singapore to pick them up from a brick-and-mortar Pop Mart in the area.
In total, he estimates there are about $1,000 worth of love baths hanging in the tree. However, the official website sells the toys for around $30 each, so there’s a good chance you’ll have $1,500 worth of love baths in your tree.
Contrary to the hype, every viral moment will come to an end, and Christmas trees are likely to take on a more traditional Christmas tree shape as the holiday approaches.
“My little nephews come over and if they see that scary little love bus in the tree, I think they’re going to have nightmares,” he jokes.
But as a result of the spread of this virus, Hay says they may need to consider doing something similar next year.
“It might not be a love bath, but I think the problem with social media is that no matter what the big trends are, people have come to have expectations,” he teases. “I have to continue to follow trends, but I’m definitely hopeful. There will be bigger and better things next year.”
