Isaac Larian
Isaac Larian is the Chief Executive Officer of MGA Entertainment, the biggest privately owned toy company in the world.
Isaac Larian was born on March 28, 1954 in Kashan, Iran, to Iranian Jewish parents. After attending Kharazmi High School in Tehran, at the age of seventeen he decided to move to the United States to pursue a better education. He immigrated to Los Angeles with only $750 in his pocket and found a job at a diner while earning a civil engineering degree from the California State University. After college, in 1979, Larian and his brother began the company that eventually became MGA. He began by importing electronics and in 1987 started on his path to success with a line of handheld games based around characters licensed from Nintendo. With the release of his first doll, Singing Bouncing Baby, ten years later, Isaac Larian was on his way to dominating the toy industry. A business-oriented mentality had been instilled into Isaac from a young age. He had worked at his father’s textile business as a youth, and there he was influenced by a strong work ethic and sense of integrity. He has said, “I bring that sense of responsibility with me to work every day and I make sure it is a big part of my personal life as well.”
MGA Entertainment, Isaac Larian’s company, as it has been known since 1998, is currently the largest privately owned toy company in the world and the creative force behind the wildly successful Bratz dolls. The Bratz dolls have surpassed even Barbie herself as the most popular dolls for young teenage girls; the franchise has even spawned a film and a plethora of other merchandise. Larian began his company as a licensee for other products, but quickly realized that the real potential for success lay in building his own brands and in pursuing new and creative ideas. Today, the company manufactures more than twenty product lines of toys, games, dolls, electronics, sporting goods, and more. Mr. Larian has said of MGA Entertainment, “Our philosophy is that we don’t think of ourselves as just a toy company but as a consumer entertainment products company.” He also said that “In the USA, I have had the opportunity to live the true American dream and open my eyes to the possibility of making my wishes a true reality, and Living in a democratic society has provided me with freedom of expression and competition, which is a driving factor for success.”
For his incredible entrepreneurial success and achievements, Isaac Larian was named the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2004, and in 2007 he was the overall national winner as well as the winner in the Retail and Consumer Products Category. The award is given to leaders who “demonstrate innovation, financial success and personal commitment as they create and build world-class businesses.”
Bratz dolls are at the forefront of Larian’s success. These fashion-conscious dolls were introduced at a time when younger girls were becoming more and more interested in staying abreast of the latest trends and styles. The Bratz dolls won Family Fun magazine’s Toy of the Year Award four years in a row. “There’s no question that he has had phenomenal success,” says Thomas P. Conley, president of the Toy Industry Association (TIA). Two of the dolls are named after Larian’s children, son Cameron and daughter Jasmin (although the doll uses the Persian spelling of Yasmin).
Larian says, “The reason America is unique is the vast availability of resources and opportunities that it provides. There is relative freedom which makes it easier for one to come up with ideas and turn them into accomplishments. Not everything works out the way you expect it to, so you must adapt to your surroundings and make adjustments in your life. People can have many ideas in their minds, but once you get the chance to say them out loud and work with others you can actually make a difference in the world you live in.” This way of thinking has propelled Larian’s ideas and dreams into reality. With his success, he values the ability to “make a difference in the world” by not only creating great products, but also by being involved in many philanthropic organizations.
Throughout all of his accomplishments and achievements, Isaac Larian has not abandoned his heritage. He says, “My culture is a big part of who I am and I could never let go of my history.” He also displays his pride in his Iranian American identity. Iranian Americans are one of the most educated and ambitious immigrant groups in the United States, according to Larian. Not only do they have a great work ethic which enables them to work toward their goals without losing focus, but they have also had a positive financial and cultural impact in this country. “[Iranian Americans] are competitive and they want to succeed,” he says. “[And] more and more Americans now know who Rumi is and study his mystical work!” Isaac Larian embodies this description of the successful Iranian American immigrant as well as the American Dream. His hard work, tenacity, and perseverance have put him at the top of his game, head of one of the most successful private toy companies in the world. His words of wisdom are an inspiration to other people, not only immigrants, who strive to make something out of nothing: “When you come from little and from the bottom, the only way available is to go up. You have to set goals and work hard to reach them.”
