MGA Entertainment (MGA) one of the largest and fastest growing privately held toy and entertainment companies in the world – and maker of popular brands like L.O.L. Surprise!, Rainbow High, Little Tikes, Bratz, and more – has announced new survey data exploring the gifting dynamic between gift givers and recipients this holiday season.
To kick off the season of shopping, the MGA survey of 2,000 American gift givers, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of the brand, revealed that the key to gift giving this holiday is, above all else, the element of surprise.
About 80% said giving gifts is more fun when the recipient isn’t expecting it.
Nearly half (49%) believe gifts are especially fun when it’s a surprise to both the giver and the recipient – like a mystery box or a blind-box item.
More than one in four (27%) Americans named “surprising” to describe what makes the perfect gift.
The survey also found that the most common gifts to give to kids are toys (72%), and a quarter of Americans aim to earn the title of the “ultimate gift-giver” when giving gifts.
“The survey results reflect what MGA is all about,” said Isaac Larian, CEO and Founder of MGA Entertainment. “As the creator behind the global sensation L.O.L. Surprise! – or as we like to call it ‘the ball that started it all’ – we know how important the element of surprise is as part of the gifting experience.”
Packaged in layers that reveal the many accessories one by one, L.O.L Surprise! delivers on the consumer need for a wow-factor unboxing experience. The brand has expanded its offerings this season with the L.O.L. Surprise! Fashion Show dolls, L.O.L. Surprise! Loves Mini Sweets dolls, the L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. Fashion Show Mega Runway playset, and the MINI L.O.L. Surprise! Winter Family dolls, which are featured in the new movie, L.O.L. Surprise! Winter Fashion Show, premiering on Netflix on October 22, 2022.
MGA has identified three additional trendlines for holiday gifting this year through the survey, as families start shopping earlier than ever:
1. Together is better.
42% of Americans look for toys that can be shared and experienced together – a standard that MGA holds high when designing toys. The new Little Tikes Crazy Fast 4-in-1 Dunk’n, Stunt’n, Game’n Set offers a variety of different games – like mini basketball, cornhole, and an arcade launch – for the whole family to experience. The new Little Tikes Magic Workshop is MGA’s first-ever breakthrough in fantasy/fiction roleplay, in which kids and their adults can mix potions, make magic and more. Plus, the latest ride-ons, like the Little Tikes Glowstick Scooter, are the perfect toys for little ones to learn how to ride on two wheels.
2. Being yourself: self-expression & inclusivity.
30% of gift givers prefer to purchase toys that inspire confidence, and more than a third (39%) prefer giving gifts that would be entertaining to the receiver. MGA’s Rainbow High™ dolls attend an arts high school, each following an area of artistic passion and personal style, evident in her signature color and fashion. The dolls encourage kids to let their true colors shine, embodying the confidence that comes with being yourself.
Both Rainbow High fashion doll series – the Rainbow Vision Rainbow Divas and Rainbow Vision Neon Shadow dolls – include characters with a variety of unique features (the wider line includes 30 different head sculpts, 20+ skin tones, and a wide range of distinctive eye shapes) and fashion choices that represent differences we see all around us. Both the dolls and their characters in the hit Netflix show, Rainbow High, make kids feel confident representing their own style.
3. Kidults love toys, too!
Nostalgia is having its moment this year, with 25% naming toys and collectibles as common gifts for adults. Adults who played with and loved toys as a child and collect them as adults are known as “kidults,” a growing population among toy lovers. The new Bratz Girls Nite Out 21st Birthday Edition Fashion Doll brings back a popular line from the beginning of the brand to meet the collector passion, including the core girls – Cloe, Yasmin, Jade, Sasha, and Dana – to celebrate the iconic originals turning 21 this year.
With the announcement of its new line of tiny collectibles called MGA’s Miniverse, MGA is celebrating its recent venture into toys for kidults, expanding its demographic to include collectors and anyone ages 18 and up. Some of the first collectibles to join the MGA’s Miniverse line include Bratz Minis (tiny reproductions of original Bratz dolls), Bratz Mini Cosmetics (with real makeup) and Little Tikes Minis (featuring classics like the Cozy Coupe in mini replica form with real, working details).
Featuring many of this year’s hottest toys – with inclusion in Target’s Bullseye Top Toys of 2022, Amazon’s “Toys We Love” list and Walmart’s 2022 Top Toys List – MGA is proud to share these survey findings of surprise, self-expression and spending quality time together in the spirit of the holiday gifting season. For more information, please visit us at www.mgae.com or check us out at LinkedIn or Twitter.