Cuteness is a commodity. Launched in 2008, Hulyan Maya claims to be YouTube’s very first “family toy unboxing channel.” (“Unboxing” videos, a highly lucrative YouTube genre, simply features people opening presents and product boxes.) Each video stars Hulyan and Maya, sisters who live for three things: “Fun, playtime, and adventures.” According to an ABC News profile, these toy-testing tots drum up roughly 3 million views a day. “It just happened,” said father Mark, offhandedly mentioning that he expected the channel to make $1.5 million in 2015.
Due to the success of Hulyan Maya, both parents were able to leave their jobs, pay off their mortgage, and build impressive college accounts for their three kids, reported Today. Asked how that could be possible, Marissa DiBartolo, senior editor at The Toy Insider, told ABC News: “If you’re making $5 per 1,000 impressions, and you get 1 million views, and you post one new video for every day for 365 days, you’re talking about close to $2 million already.”
The channel proved influential among other pint-sized influencers. Ryan of Ryan ToysReview reportedly got much of his inspiration from watching Hulyan Maya and eventually asked his mom, “How come I’m not on YouTube when all the other kids are?” (via The Verge.)
Now would be a good time to stop reading and start tearing open boxes on YouTube.
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