Transcript:

The southern city of Dongguan is now known as China's designer toy capital. It's a manufacturing hub in Guangdong Province, where many of the world's most well-known toys are made. Cao Chufeng visits Dongguan to see how locally-designed toys are going global. 

Fans are known to say, "When you're young, you play with toys. When you grow older, you can still choose designer toys to play with." These toys are primarily made for people over the age of 15, and include anime-related products, games and movie industry merchandise, as well as collectibles designed by artists. Official data suggests one quarter of global anime merchandise is made in Dongguan, as are nearly 85% of all designer toys sold in China.

MA LI Founder, Apex Toys "Dongguan is a factory for the whole world, and a hub of manufacturing. It is home to a large number of industrial workers, and has mature supply chains. Additionally, there are toy designers with many years of experience there."

Many of the toy companies with manufacturing facilities in Dongguan started out by making products for international toy brands, known as OEM manufacturing. But in recent years, they've been developing original products and designs.

JASON SUN Design Director, Come4arts "If we only engage in OEM manufacturing, we will always be working as proxies for others. With our brand now having numerous original creations, we can vigorously promote our own brand. We also wish to gain recognition from foreign customers for works that reflect our own culture."

CAO CHUFENG Dongguan, Guangdong Province "All the toys in this room are designed by Chinese artists. And this one is probably one of my favorites. It's a work of collaboration between Chinese and Thai designers. You can definitely tell, it's got a Thai element, with the face being an elephant. And my favorite part is that it is not a skinny figure, it's actually got a belly. How cute!"

Companies say international sales of Chinese-designed toys are increasing. They believe the key to growing sales further is to focus on making entertainment-related products.

MA LI Founder, Apex-Toys "The aesthetic is different in every region. But we have one figurine that has been successful in globalization, because it's a spin-off of a game that's very popular around the world."

The China Toy and Juvenile Products Association recently granted Dongguan the title of China's designer toy capital. The local government has announced new support for the designer toy industry.

Source: CGTN
Editor: Lyu Yun