Ryan Kaji
Born 2011 · Age 14
American child YouTuber and entrepreneur, creator/star of the multi-channel franchise Ryan's World (formerly Ryan ToysReview). Expanded into toys, TV, games, apps, and a feature film.
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Life & Career Timeline
Loann (mother) arrested for shoplifting (background)
Public record: Loann (Ryan's mother) was arrested and fined for shoplifting; later served time/probation (background detail often cited in profiles).
Shion (father) emigrates to U.S. for education
Shion moved from Japan to Texas to attend Texas Tech University (background on Ryan's family).
Shion and Loann meet and later marry
Parents Shion and Loann met while undergraduate students at Texas Tech University and later married (family background).
Birth of Ryan Haruto Guan
Ryan Haruto Guan was born (professionally known as Ryan Kaji).
First YouTube video published (channel launch)
Ryan's first video 'Kid playing with toys Lego Duplo Number Train' posted; channel began (originally Ryan ToysReview).
Channel reaches 1 billion total views
Ryan's World reached 1 billion cumulative views across its content.
Multiple rapid subscriber milestones (2–9M) in 2016
Channel passed 2M (Mar 17), 3M (Jun 2), 4M (Aug 26), 5M (Nov 11), 6M (Jan 18 2017) as part of 2016 growth surge.
Parents quit jobs to work on channel full-time
By 2016 both parents left their prior jobs (mother a high-school chemistry teacher) to manage Ryan's YouTube business.
Huge Eggs Surprise video goes viral (rise)
One of the channel’s early viral videos (the Giant Eggs / Giant Surprise Egg genre) helped propel the channel's rapid growth.
Forbes: $11M earned between 2016–2017 reported
Forbes reported Ryan earned about $11 million across 2016–2017 (ranking him among top-paid YouTubers for that period).
Rapid view milestones through 2016
Channel crossed multiple cumulative view milestones in 2016 (2B, 3B, ... up to 10B) as listed in SocialBlade timeline.
Channel hits 1 million subscribers
Ryan's channel reached its first major subscriber milestone.
Multiple cumulative views milestones through 2017 (10B+)
Channel reached many cumulative view milestones month-by-month, demonstrating explosive early growth.
Sunlight Entertainment (family production company) in operation
The Kaji family established their production company Sunlight Entertainment to manage and scale video production (company existed by ~2017).
Pocket.watch partnership signed
Ryan's parents signed a deal with pocket.watch (children's media startup) to handle marketing/licensing and expand the brand.
Channel hits 10 million subscribers
Ryan's World reached 10 million subscribers on YouTube.
Ryan-branded products: broad licensing (1,600 licensed products)
By reports, the franchise expanded to hundreds/thousands of licensed SKUs (clothing, toys, toothpaste, bedding etc.) across many countries.
App 'Tag with Ryan' launched (iOS/Android)
Ryan ToysReview, pocket.watch and WildWorks released Tag with Ryan, an endless-runner mobile game for children.
Forbes: highest-paid YouTuber 2018 — $22M
Forbes listed Ryan as top-earning YouTuber in 2018 with estimated earnings of $22 million from videos and product/licensing deals.
Ryan's World toy line announced at Toy Fair 2018
At the 2018 New York Toy Fair Ryan's World-branded toys were announced in partnership with pocket.watch and Bonkers Toys.
Ryan's World toys released exclusively at Walmart
The first retail release of Ryan-branded toys sold exclusively at Walmart on August 6, 2018 (later expanded to Target/Amazon).
Channel name change to 'Ryan's World' (brand pivot)
The family rebranded the channel from 'Ryan ToysReview' to 'Ryan's World' to reflect broader content and branding beyond toy unboxing.
Forbes: highest-paid YouTuber 2019 — $26M
Forbes reported Ryan earned approximately $26 million in 2019 from YouTube and licensed products.
FTC / industry scrutiny of kidfluencers intensifies
The TINA complaint and subsequent FTC actions prompted changes across platforms and increased regulatory and public scrutiny of child influencer business practices.
Industry influence on toy sales recognized
Media and toy industry acknowledged that Ryan's reviews and videos drove toy demand and affected retailers' stocking decisions.
Ryan's Mystery Playdate premieres on Nick Jr.
A 20-episode preschool TV series produced with pocket.watch premiered on Nick Jr. in the U.S.
Ryan's Mystery Playdate renewed for season 2
The series was renewed for a second 20-episode season shortly after its premiere.
Truth in Advertising complaint filed (sponsored content disclosures)
TINA filed a complaint alleging inadequate disclosure of sponsored videos targeting preschoolers on Ryan ToysReview.
FTC/YouTube COPPA settlement and enforcement changes
Following regulatory action in 2019 (YouTube/Google fined $170M for COPPA violations), platforms tightened rules for children's content; impacted kid channels industry-wide.
Release of 'Race With Ryan' video game
Outright Games released Race with Ryan, a console/PC racing game featuring Ryan's World characters (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Windows).
Forbes: highest-paid YouTuber 2020 — $29.5M
Forbes estimated Ryan's earnings for 2020 at $29.5 million from videos, licensing and product lines.
Sunlight Entertainment grows production scale (30-person team)
Sunlight Entertainment (family's production company) reportedly employed ~30 professionals and produced many weekly videos to scale the brand.
Channel wins Streamy 'Kids & Family' award (official)
Ryan's World won the Streamy Award in Kids & Family (2020) — industry recognition of content and influence.
YouTube comments disabled and COPPA-related content adjustments
To protect child viewers and comply with COPPA rules, comments were turned off and content labeling changed across kids channels, including Ryan's World.
YouTube enforces new children's content rules
YouTube began enforcing new rules for content designated for children (part of COPPA compliance) — changed monetization and comments features.
Streamy Award: Ryan's World wins Kids & Family (2020)
Ryan's World won the Streamy Award in the Kids and Family category.
Super Spy Ryan premieres on Amazon Kids+
Hybrid live-action/animated series 'Super Spy Ryan' premiered on Amazon Kids+.
Ryan's World virtual world announced on Roblox
Ryan's World launched an official game/experience on Roblox platform (announcement December 4, 2020).
Family moves residence to Hawaii during the pandemic
The Kaji family relocated to Hawaii in part to get the children off screens and find different schooling opportunities.
Trust accounts established for children's earnings (reported)
Reports indicate the family placed portions of the children's earnings into trust accounts and managed TV earnings separately (parental financial structuring).
Ryan's World merchandise retail sales reported
Various reports (NYT, Pocket.watch) indicate Ryan's World merchandise generated substantial retail sales; NYT cited over $250M in retail sales (2021) and the family earning at least $25M from merch.
Ryan's personal Twitter account created (later suspended)
A Twitter account purportedly for Ryan was created (parents tweeted on his behalf); it was later suspended, likely due to age issues.
Channel hits 30 million subscribers
Ryan's World reached 30M subscribers (SocialBlade milestone).
Multiple platform expansions: games, apps and streaming shows
By 2022 the franchise had games (console & Roblox), apps, TV series on Nick Jr. and Amazon, and other multimedia products.
Channel reaches 50 billion cumulative views
Ryan's World crossed the milestone of 50 billion total views across its channels.
Release of 'Ryan's Rescue Squad' video game
Outright Games released Ryan's Rescue Squad, a licensed action-adventure game across consoles and PC (March 4, 2022).
Video 'Huge Eggs Surprise Toys Challenge' passes 2 billion views (Jan 2023 reference)
The specific Ryan's World video 'Huge Eggs Surprise Toys Challenge' exceeded 2 billion views (one of the most viewed YouTube videos).
Sunlight Entertainment partners with Toei Animation for 'Elemon'
The family’s production company Sunlight Entertainment announced a partnership with Toei Animation to create Elemon, an anime-style educational series.
Channel hits 35 million subscribers
Ryan's World reached 35M subscribers (SocialBlade milestone).
Rolling Stone media profile & press junket activity
Major press coverage (Rolling Stone) and promotional activities including Kids' Choice Awards press and film promotion raised Ryan's mainstream media profile.
Concerns about Ryan aging out of preschool content noted publicly
Public commentary and some petitions appeared in 2024 questioning whether a teen should continue producing preschool-style content.
Feature film release: 'Ryan's World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure'
A feature film based on Ryan's World released in U.S. theaters (reported theatrical rollout across ~2,000 screens).
Reported estimated net worth ~USD 100M (public profile estimates)
Multiple online profiles estimate Ryan's net worth around $100 million as of early-mid 2025 (aggregate of earnings, trusts, licensing and merchandise).
Channel totals reported: ~39+ million subscribers, 61+ billion views
Wikipedia (July 2025) reports Ryan's World having over 39 million subscribers and over 61 billion total views across channels.
Key Achievement Ages
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