 "dolls, toys")
Isaac Larian arrived in the U.S. as a teenager with $750 in his pocket, then spent a decade working in a restaurant before making his fortune in the toy business. But his biggest obstacle may have been an 11.5-inch tall plastic doll with blonde hair.
“Everyone said, ‘No one has been able to challenge Barbie. It won’t work,’” said Larian, 64, the Iranian-born founder and chief executive officer of MGA Entertainment, creator of Barbie rival Bratz dolls.
Well, it worked well enough to help make MGA one of the world’s largest toy companies. Along with Bratz, the firm’s offerings include Little Tikes
Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app.
Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them.'%3E%3Cg id='Artboard-Copy' transform='translate(0 0.012)'%3E%3Cg id='_126115' transform='translate(0 0)'%3E%3Cpath id='Path' d='M17.537 1.487a.473.473 0 0 0-.467.477v12.67A2.4 2.4 0 0 1 14.7 17.06H3.3A2.4 2.4 0 0 1 .933 14.634V.966H14.587v12.29a.467.467 0 0 0 .933 0V.489a.473.473 0 0 0-.467-.477H.467A.473.473 0 0 0 0 .489V14.63a3.346 3.346 0 0 0 3.3 3.382H14.7A3.346 3.346 0 0 0 18 14.63V1.965a.467.467 0 0 0-.462-.478Z' transform='translate(0 -0.012)' fill='%23c4132a'%3E%3C/path%3E%3Cpath id='Path-2' d='M12.676 3.955a.478.478 0 1 0 0-.955H2.508a.478.478 0 1 0 0 .955Z' transform='translate(0.124 0.166)' fill='%23c4132a'%3E%3C/path%3E%3Cpath id='Path-3' d='M12.676 13H2.508a.478.478 0 1 0 0 .955H12.672a.478.478 0 1 0 0-.955Z' transform='translate(0.124 0.768)' fill='%23c4132a'%3E%3C/path%3E%3Cpath id='Shape' d='M2 6v5.371a.484.484 0 0 0 .467.5H7.531a.484.484 0 0 0 .467-.5V6a.484.484 0 0 0-.467-.5H2.467A.484.484 0 0 0 2 6Zm.933.5H7.066v4.375H2.933Z' transform='translate(0.122 0.317)' fill='%23c4132a'%3E%3C/path%3E%3Cpath id='Path-4' d='M12.321 5.5H8.967a.478.478 0 1 0 0 .955h3.354a.478.478 0 1 0 0-.955Z' transform='translate(0.517 0.317)' fill='%23c4132a'%3E%3C/path%3E%3Cpath id='Path-5' d='M12.321 8H8.967a.478.478 0 1 0 0 .955h3.354a.478.478 0 1 0 0-.955Z' transform='translate(0.517 0.467)' fill='%23c4132a'%3E%3C/path%3E%3Cpath id='Path-6' d='M12.788 10.977a.473.473 0 0 0-.467-.477H8.967a.478.478 0 1 0 0 .955h3.354a.471.471 0 0 0 .467-.478Z' transform='translate(0.517 0.617)' fill='%23c4132a'%3E%3C/path%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006.
Preferential invites to Business Standard events.
Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more.