MGA Entertainment, Terracycle Team up for L.O.L. Surprise Package Recycling

One of the biggest concerns in toy packaging is starting to be addressed.

MGA Entertainment entered into a partnership with Terracycle to make it easier for fans to recycle L.O.L. Surprise packaging. Starting now, fans can save all of their packaging, including wrappers, bags, balls, trays, and more, by placing them in a cardboard box. Beginning in the U.S. this May, parents can visit the Terracycle website to request a secure shipping label to have their L.O.L. Surprise packages recycled. An international program will roll out later this year.

The partnership was revealed on March 18, which is Global Recycling Day. MGA Entertainment CEO Isaac Larian promises that “soon, all of MGA products and packaging will be recyclable.”

The amount of waste generated by toy packaging has become a genuine concern in recent years, especially with the rise in the popularity of blind-packed and “surprise” toys, which often include layers of plastic, paper, and cardboard waste. The Toy Association recently launched the Smart Packaging Initiative (SPI) Tool in an effort to help toy makers create packaging designs that are more eco-friendly.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.