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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Thursday 4 OcTOber 2018

7-year-old toy reviewer on YouTube becomes a toy himself

By JOSEPH PISANI Last month, Walmart start-
Associated Press ed selling Ryan's World
NEW YORK (AP) — Seven- bright-colored slime for
year-old Ryan drew millions $4, 5-inch Ryan action fig-
of views reviewing toys on ures for $9 and french fry-
YouTube. Now, he's be- shaped squishy toys for $18.
come a toy himself. The retailer is the exclusive
Walmart is selling action seller of some of the line, in-
figures in his likeness, putty cluding T-shirts and stuffed
with his face on the pack- animals.
aging and other toys under Whether kids will want them
the Ryan's World brand. It's "all comes down to the
a bet that kids, who are toy," says Silver, adding that
spending more time tap- hits are made in the play-
ping tablets, will recognize ground, where youngsters
Ryan from YouTube and show off their toys and tell
want the toys he's hawking. others about it.
The new line may also help What Ryan does have is a
Walmart lure former Toys built-in audience. A video
R Us shoppers, as many of him searching the aisles
chains make a play for of Walmart for Ryan's World
those customers ahead of toys has nearly 10 million
the holiday shopping sea- views in a month, and his
son. YouTube page has more
The first-grader, who's been In this July 11, 2018, photo Ryan's World toys, from Bonkers Toys, are displayed at the The Toy than 16 million subscribers.
making YouTube videos for Insider Sweet Suite show, in New York. Anne Marie Kehoe, who
three years, has become Associated Press oversees Walmart's toy de-
a major influencer in the says Jim Silver, editor of nel brought in $11 million started last year when his partment, says a couple of
toy industry. The clips typi- toy review site TTPM.com. last year, but his parents, parents signed with Pock- thousand people showed
cally show him unboxing "Ryan is a celebrity," he Shion and Loann, declined et.watch, a two-year-old up to a recent appear-
a toy, playing with it and says. "Kids watch his videos. to confirm that number or company that works with ance at an Arkansas store
then waving goodbye to He's entertaining." give any financial details several YouTube personali- just to see a kid "jumping
viewers. His most watched So much so that toy mak- about Ryan's deals. They ties to get their names on around and acting crazy."
video, in which Ryan hunts ers have paid Ryan and also do not give their last clothing, books and other Ryan, in a phone interview,
for large plastic eggs, has his parents to feature their name or say where they products. Ryan is the first says a lot of those people
more than 1.5 billion views. products. Forbes magazine live for privcy and safety with a product line be- wanted his picture. He
Toys featured in the videos estimated that the Ryan reasons.Ryan's path from cause of his large audi- then left the phone call to
can see a spike in sales, ToysReview YouTube chan- reviewer to tiny toy mogul ence, Pocket.watch says. play.q

Biography of playwright, activist Larry

Kramer in the works

By MARK KENNEDY
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — The first
biography of playwright
and gay activist Larry
Kramer will be written with
the full support of the sub-
ject himself.
Bill Goldstein has been
tapped to write the autho-
rized biography by Henry
Holt and Co. The book,
not yet titled, will draw on
interviews with Kramer; his
husband David Webster; In this Dec. 10, 2014 file photo, playwright Larry Kramer attends
friends and foes; as well as Acria's 19th Annual Holiday Dinner Benefit in New York.
papers in Kramer's archives Associated Press
at Yale University. Goldstein with AIDS. He co-founded people don't often under-
will have complete edito- the Gay Men's Health Crisis stand his humor or how be-
rial freedom. and founded Act Up, which loved he is by his friends,"
Kramer, now 83, wrote "The has provided a model for Goldstein said in an inter-
Normal Heart" for the stage liberation movements, in- view Wednesday. "And
and the screenplay for the cluding Black Lives Matter then there are people who
film "Women in Love." He and #MeToo. were his enemies — some-
is best known for his pub- "Larry, in private, as with times they're the same per-
lic fight to secure medical many people, is often very son. So I hope to capture
treatment, acceptance different from what his pub- all of that. No one is neutral
and civil rights for people lic persona is and I think about Larry Kramer."q