A young child’s dream, accompanied by his parent’s support and expertise, ended up in the creation of a YouTube channel whose success is unprecedented. The dynamic child plays with toys while his mom records him to share those moments on YouTube.
Ryan is an average 5-year-old boy who enjoys playing with toys. Unlike most five-year-olds, however, Ryan’s toy reviews and unboxings, as well as visits to Chuck E. Cheese’s, get viewed by hundreds of millions of people per upload.
Currently holding its position as the second largest channel in the world for 18 weeks and counting, “Ryan ToysReview” has become a more significant attraction than PewDiePie and Justin Bieber, as well as media empires like Buzzfeed. The number of views it receives amounts to roughly $1 million a month from advertising revenue.
The opening and reviewing of toys isn’t a new concept in general, and videos of the sort have been on YouTube for years now, generally well-liked. An example being DisneyCollecterBR which had an adult woman who never showed her face opening and playing with toys while speaking in a soft manner.
Always recorded with a static camera from a single closeup shot, the channel made its way into the top 10-most-viewed channels in 2013 and routinely topped the list by 2014. After kids got added in as hosts to the mix, this type of channel’s views and popularity skyrocketed.
Before becoming a YouTuber, Ryan was a fan, watching EvanTubeHD and Hulyan Maya continuously. One day he went up to his mom and asked, “How come I’m not on YouTube when all the other kids are?” That was the beginning of his million dollar idea.
Produced by his mother, Ryan combines elements from a personal vlog and “unboxing” video with innocent childhood antics and frequent consumerism. The original premise was for Ryan to review toys, but Ryan’s videos have evolved to much more than just that.
His mom, who quit her job as a chemistry teacher to produce and edit Ryan’s YouTube videos full-time, is the mastermind responsible for the channel’s evolution. The toy industry is paying close attention to channels like Ryan’s, as kids on YouTube has a significant impact on retail.
It’s common for toymakers and retailers to sponsor or send free products to famous YouTubers. Ryan’s success translates into more money, not only for his family members but a large part of the industry as well.
This article was inspired by THE VERGE // YouTube’s Biggest Star is A 5-Year-Old That Makes MIllions Opening Toys