L.O.L. Surprise! has a lot of, ahem, surprises in store for its 10th anniversary.
As part of the celebration, MGA Entertainment is set to debut a new live-action scripted series surrounding the product, which is touted as the “original unboxing brand.” For those who are unfamiliar with the dolls, they come equipped with blind bags featuring clothing, accessories and more that consumers are able to unwrap after purchase, showing the “surprises” within. Sometimes, the dolls themselves are even a surprise, depending on which product is purchased.
The new series, dubbed L.O.L. Surprise! The Next Headliner, will mark the first live-action project for the franchise, following on the heels of 2012’s animated L.O.L. Surprise! The Movie. The scripted comedy series is said to blend mockumentary-style humor, aspirational pop-star fantasy and original music.
Per the official logline: “The story follows five aspiring performers who arrive expecting to compete for a coveted music industry opportunity, only to discover that their greatest strength lies in collaboration rather than rivalry. As they navigate friendship, self-doubt and the pressures of pursuing a music career, they form a band and chart their own path to stardom.”
Josh Hackbarth, chief marketing officer at MGA Entertainment, says that while the brand has previously produced animated stories and live-action unscripted content, there was a desire to expand and tell a longer story while making music a big part of the show.
“L.O.L. has evolved from being a toy brand into being a full-on franchise over the last 10 years,” he says. “And we have extensions kind of across the board. We wanted to extend that story into something very premium and really go after some longform storytelling, and we tie it back to music. There’s a music competition that these girls are competing in, and they realize that working together is actually just as exciting as embracing their individuality, and you can actually do both at the same time.”
While the core demo for the series is kids 8-12, Hackbarth says the show is a four-quadrant show, intended to appeal to both boys and girls along with their parents and older siblings. “It’s great family viewing,” he says, noting that since the brand is 10, there are kids who are now teenagers who grew up with L.O.L. and are becoming nostalgic for their earlier years and the toys they played with. “They remember L.O.L. when they were kids,” he says. “They may not be buying it as much today, but they still remember the brand. They’re 14, they’re 18 years old, and they’re really nostalgic about their own youth.”
The show will also include “a surprise Grammy-winning global music sensation, who steps in to mentor the performers through pivotal moments on their journey to stardom.” However, Hackbarth declines to share any hints on who that person is: “Because we are L.O.L. ‘Surprise,’ it has to remain a surprise, but I can say it’s someone with incredible global recognition who fits perfectly into this idea of a ‘music first’ world we’re building, and it’s going to be very exciting for fans and especially for us when we can debut that to the world,” he shares.
Hackbarth adds that the cast features “triple threats” in the worlds of acting, singing and dancing including Giselle Torres, Indi Star, Journey Montana Binns, Kate Mina Lin and Olivia Taylor Cohen.
The series is produced in partnership with London Alley, a Vice Media company, and writer-showrunner Corinne Marshall, creator of K.C. Undercover. Chell Stephen (Riverdale, Nurses) directs. Each episode features original music composed by Demitri Lerios and performed by the cast, with a full soundtrack album set for release alongside the season finale.
L.O.L. Surprise! Dolls are known for the trendy, chic clothing — something that will carry over to the series. “We have the best product design team in the world,” Hackbarth says. “They work incredibly hard to understand trends, to understand what kids are really loving. They often can see into the future of what’s going to be happening; they’re reading the same thing that fashion houses would. They’re doing their deep research, they’re embedded in it.” The show will replicate that fashion-forward mindset. “There’s some amazing costumes,” Hackbarth adds. “It’s a very aspirational show.” The eight-episode series is set to debut Aug. 1 on the L.O.L. Surprise! YouTube channel, with episodes rolling out bi-weekly, leading up to a two-part finale.
Along with the show, MGA has several other plans for the 10th anniversary, kicking off on July 7, which MGA has dubbed 7/07 Day, which is “L.O.L” upside down (get it?). The global $7 billion franchise is launching L.O.L. Surprise! Music Festival, a “yearlong anniversary celebration inspired by the energy, creativity and culture of music festivals.”
“What better way than music to bring our 10th anniversary to life?” Hackbarth explains of the theme. “We were seeing all of the kind of cultural buzz that music festivals have. [They become] the central hub for culture, and kids aspire to that. So we wanted to embrace that ourselves and theme out the line year in the celebration, and sticking with music allows us to go deep into the music side.”
The celebration includes artist doll collaborations, new product launches, original entertainment, live experiences, fan-first moments and evolved doll sculpts and stylings.
Recording artists Jennie and Rosalía have teamed up with MGA for collectible L.O.L. Surprise! Music Festival Headliners Tots and O.M.G. Music Festival Fashion Dolls inspired by their most iconic performances and fashion moments (and 10 lucky customers will unwrap a limited-edition gold-dipped Jennie doll). The L.O.L. Surprise! Music Festival Headliners Tots come packaged in a heart-shaped ball with a keychain, artist mini poster and surprise reveals, while the O.M.G. Music Festival Fashion Dolls feature chic, stage-ready looks, fashion-forward accessories and exclusive artist posters. MGA teases that there is “still one mystery headliner left to be announced” as part of the product line.
Hackbarth says that Jennie and Rosalía were a great fit for the L.O.L. Surprise! brand, and specifically the music festival-themed celebration, for several reasons. “They’re global, they’re fashion-forward, they’re music-driven, but most importantly, just like L.O.L., they’re very deeply connected to culture, which we love,” he says. “They’re very confident, they embrace their self-expression, their style, their creativity, and they are all about this thrill of discovering something new as well. So it’s just a perfect kind of DNA blend.”
Other new products include additional L.O.L. Surprise! Music Festival Tots: Eight music festival-inspired Tots representing scene, Latin, K-pop, pop, country, pop-punk, hip-hop and indie genres; storytelling playsets that include a DJ booth, main stage, neon Arcade and roller disco; a tour bus playset that converts into a performance stage; and an advent calendar. MGA also is launching new licensed product extensions tied to brands including Harry Potter, SpongeBob SquarePants, Dr. Seuss and the growing L.O.L. Surprise! Loves Hello Kitty and Friends universe.
In addition, MGA is introducing new doll face sculpts for the first time since the launch of L.O.L. “It brings a really new fresh look to the brand, because kids aren’t the same as they were 10 years ago and so we want to keep delivering fresh new faces, literally, to them,” Hackbarth says.
Other elements of the anniversary celebration include a large-scale in-person activation at Lollapalooza designed for fans, families and collectors that will include merch and giveaways. Hackbarth quips that “there’s nothing more fitting than bringing L.O.L. to Lollapalooza; it’s right there in the name.”
“We wanted our fans to experience L.O.L. in different touch points,” he continues. “You may ask, why Lollapalooza? Well, not only is our theme a music festival, of course, but a lot of our fans grew up with L.O.L. Surprise!, and Lollapalooza, and our partners with Live Nation, often say it’s first music festival for many, for many people. It’s a younger demographic, and so we just love this idea of activating with a brand that the fans are very comfortable with and excited about and bringing it to them in a completely different way.”
MGA’s anniversary celebration also includes 7/07 Day deals (with a selection of products on sale for $7.07) and a sweepstakes with prizes including toys, exclusive offers and tickets to any concert, anywhere in the United States, for them and their friends.
L.O.L. Surprise! has amassed more than $7 billion in global retail sales since its launch 10 years ago (MGA has a hugely successful portfolio of other brands including Little Tikes, Rainbow High, Bratz and MGA’s Miniverse, among others).
Hackbarth explains why L.O.L. Surprise! has endured for so long. “What it really comes down to is, over the last 10 years we have delivered on one simple thing, and that is we’ve never stopped the surprises,” he says. “We have the surprise in the name. We changed the toy aisle by making it about much more than just the toy inside. It’s the experience of discovery and collectability, and that part became just as exciting as the doll itself. It was really innovative at the time when we launched and over the last 10 years, we continue to find what’s that new thing that will keep the kids engaged.”
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