2 of season’s most popular toys have layers of surprises
Published 9:17 am Thursday, December 20, 2018
Wal-Mart officials say this year’s hottest Christmas toys are all because of toy unboxing videos that kids watch on YouTube.
The L.O.L. Surprise Dolls and Ryan’s World Mystery Eggs are fast selling all across the nation.
The $69.99 glittery, dome shaped plastic case that is known as the L.O.L. Surprise Doll is filled with 50 surprises, four dolls, along with accessories, clothing, charms and other knick-knacks, that must be individually unwrapped.
One 14-minute video of a woman opening the Big Surprise box has 11 million views.
“It is not just limited to the L.O.L. Surprise items,” Wal-Mart Media Specialist Erica Jones said. “Ryan’s World Mystery Egg is selling all over the world.”
Ryan is a first-grader who’s been making YouTube videos for three years and has become a major influencer in the toy industry. The clips typically show him unboxing a toy, playing with it and then waving goodbye to viewers. His most watched video, in which Ryan hunts for large plastic eggs, has more than 1.5 billion views.
He was this year’s highest-paid YouTube star, earning $22 million in the 12 months leading up to June 1, 2018, Forbes estimates.
Jones said that there is a huge correlation between the increase in the sale of these types of toys and the website YouTube.
“These kids are on YouTube watching all of these videos,” Jones said. “That is why all of these toys are taking off.”
Parents shouldn’t worry too much though, because according to Jones, classic toys are still in style.
“We are seeing a lot of easy bake ovens being sold as well,” Jones said. “It just goes to show that kids still want the classics.”
Another big gift that won’t break the bank for those who already have a Playstation 4 or an Xbox is the new video game Fortnite. Fornite is not entirely free, ‘Fortnite Battle Royale’ is free, however, and they make money by selling V-Bucks. The full version of Fortnite is not free and costs around $42. That includes the original game and battle royale mode.
“Kids love Fortnite,” Jones said. “We have had several kids wanting to have it for Christmas.”
Jones said shoppers can use the Walmart App to determine if the toys they seek are available locally.
As of yesterday, every single Ryan’s World Giant Mystery Egg was out of stock at the Andalusia Wal-Mart, but several of the L.O.L. Surprise Dolls were available.