MGA Entertainment, iQIYI Ink Licensing Deal for L.O.L. Surprise! in China

The L.O.L. Surprise! phenomenon will get a big push in China, thanks to a new licensing partnership between MGA Entertainment, Inc. and iQIYI.

Under the new agreement, iQIYI will identify and manage third-party licensing for the L.O.L. Surprise! brand, while leveraging its expertise in the online content space to expand the brand’s reach throughout the territory.

“The deep knowledge and understanding that the iQIYI team possesses regarding the Chinese market is invaluable to further expanding L.O.L. Surprise!,” says Isaac Larian, CEO and founder of MGA Entertainment. “With agents on the ground in China, who live and breathe the Chinese culture, we are confident that they will make incredible strides to strengthening the L.O.L. Surprise! brand.”

Outside of the standard distribution channels for the toys themselves, the newly inked agreement marks the first time that L.O.L. Surprise! will receive a complete licensing program in China.

“We are delighted to partner with MGA Entertainment and become the company’s first and exclusive licensee in China to promote the world-renowned IP brand L.O.L. Surprise!,” says Wu Gang, vice president, iQIYI. “Since its launch in December 2016, L.O.L. Surprise! has become one of the world’s most popular toy brands. With iQIYI’s massive user base, our deep understanding of the China market, and our strong development capability of the full IP value chain, we are confident that we would bring the L.O.L Surprise! brand to more children and families in China and further promote its brand and development in the market.”

This year, L.O.L. Surprise! hit a milestone 1 million subscribers on YouTube, debuted a subscription box with CultureFly, and launched a packaging recycling program in partnership with Terracycle. Additionally, the new L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. dolls hit retail this month, quickly selling out in some locations.

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.