L.O.L. Surprise! Launches Live-Action Series for 10th Anniversary

MGA Entertainment announced that L.O.L. Surprise! will debut its first live-action scripted series, *L.O.L. Surprise! The Next Headliner*, on August 1. The eight-episode comedy follows five aspiring performers who enter a music-industry competition, learn that collaboration beats rivalry, and form a band.

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Since its 2014 debut, L.O.L. Surprise! has become a $7 billion global franchise built on blind-bag toys. The brand released an animated movie in 2021 and unscripted live-action content. For its 10th anniversary, MGA launched “7/07 Day” (July 7) and a “Music Festival” campaign featuring “Headliners Tots” and “O.M.G. Fashion Dolls” with Jennie and Rosalía.

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Josh Hackbarth leads the strategy. Writer-showrunner Corinne Marshall (creator of *K.C. Undercover*) and director Chell Stephen helm the series. The cast—Giselle Torres, Indi Star, Journey Montana Binns, Kate Mina Lin and Olivia Taylor Cohen—are billed as “triple threats” in acting, singing and dancing. Composer Demitri Lerios provides original songs; Jennie and Rosalía appear as collectible dolls.

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Targeted at children 8-12, the show is a “four-quadrant” family program. Each episode includes original tracks by Lerios; a soundtrack follows the finale. MGA adds new doll sculpts, face designs, licensed extensions (Harry Potter, SpongeBob SquarePants, Dr. Seuss, Hello Kitty) and a Lollapalooza activation with Live Nation. Promotional offers include $7.07 pricing and a sweepstakes for concert tickets. The series premieres on August 1, followed by the soundtrack, and the Music Festival line will roll out through the year, ending with the Lollapalooza event.

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MGA said the series extends L.O.L. Surprise’s shift from a toy line to a multimedia franchise. Hackbarth said the goal is premium, long-form storytelling that blends music and fashion, aiming to attract new fans and older consumers. He emphasized the “surprise” element as central to longevity and positioned the music-festival theme as a cultural hub for youth.

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• “L.O.L. has evolved from being a toy brand into being a full-on franchise over the last 10 years,” — Josh Hackbarth, Chief Marketing Officer, MGA Entertainment

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• “We wanted to extend that story into something very premium and really go after some longform storytelling, and we tie it back to music.” — Josh Hackbarth

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• “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,” — Josh Hackbarth

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• “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,” — Josh Hackbarth

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