Image Credit: Kendrick Brinson for The New York Times
L.O.L.Surprise dolls come from the USA, from the mind of Isaac Larian, an Iranian-American entrepreneur and founder of MGA Entertainment, the company that has been producing Bratz since 2001. They have also developed award-winning games including Baby Born the Animated Series, Little Tikes, Rainbow High, and Mermaze Mermaidz ( MGA Official Website).
Creativity is a trademark of the brand, which produces games and operates as an entertainment company. This allows them to create advertising campaigns integrating diverse content formats such as extended movies, videos, apps, and YouTube and social media channels to realize a unique narrative. This unique combination could be defined as "Transmedia Marketing," a new way of advertising that allows the brand to build an interactive and immersive narrative around the object, the dolls in this case, engaging consumers on a deeper level, extending the impact and reach of the brand, and gaining a more profound understanding of the needs and desires of their audiences ( Zeiser, 2015). This change is parallel to the increasing role of social media and digital content consumed as a new way of entertainment.
Almost as a consequence, LOL Surprise dolls were born after a sleepless night by MGA's founder, who noticed the popularity of product reveal videos on YouTube. The unique characteristic of this game is not only its candy-colored appearance but also its being completely hidden and packed in several boxes and paper layers, around a dozen, making this "unboxing" experience unique and full of excitement (Lieber, 2020).
It is also interesting to note that the company went through a long legal battle started by Mattel in 2004, accusing the designer behind Bratz of violating the terms of contracts by designing Bratz while still working for Mattel.
Find more info about LOL Surprise and MGA here: MGA Entertainment