Seven-year-old toy reviewer becomes YouTube's highest-earning star

A child who reviews toys on YouTube has made $29.8 million.

Ryan tries out a new toy.

Ryan tries out a new toy. Source: YouTube - Ryan ToysReview

A 7-year-old toy reviewer has become YouTube's highest-earning star, making $29.8 million in one year.

On Monday, Forbes released its annual list of YouTube earners with the channel Ryan ToysReview coming out on top.

The channel has amassed more than 17 million followers and close to 26 billion views since launching his main channel in 2015.

Forbes said nearly all of the money came from pre-roll advertising, explaining "when views go up, so do these automated ad dollars".

The videos involve Ryan, whose last name and location are purposefully not provided on the site, opening and road-testing various toys.

The family-run business started in 2015 when Ryan was four, with the team releasing videos almost daily.

According to the Telegraph, his parents will "stop making the videos when their son no longer enjoys it".

"Fifteen per cent of his earnings are put into a bank account to access when he becomes an adult," it reported.

Controversial celebrity Jake Paul was second on Forbes' list, earning $29 million.

The top five was rounded out by sports crew Dude Perfect ($27 million), Minecraft expert Daniel Middleton ($25 million) and make-up artist Jeffree Star ($24.4 million).

Ryan reviews a dinosaur toy.
Ryan reviews a dinosaur toy. Source: YouTube - Ryan ToysReview

Earlier this year, Ryan launched his own toy line at Wallmart.

The Ryan's World merchandise is now being sold at more than 2,500 Walmart stores around the US.

Forbes measured pre-tax earnings from June 1, 2017 to June 1, 2018, without deducting fees for agents, managers and lawyers.


2 min read

Published

Source: SBS



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Watch now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world