(Yicai) Feb. 19 -- Chinese toy manufacturer Wo Gongchang Culture, which is based in the world’s toy capital of Dongguan in southern Guangdong province, has seen orders for Ne Zha merchandise surge following the phenomenal success of the Chinese animation at the Chinese and global box office.

The value of the original order, placed in December, has soared 500-fold to CNY100 million (USD13.7 million), following the astounding popularity of Ne Zha 2, which was released at the end of January and is now the highest-grossing animated film of all time, Sun Wenke, president of Wo Gongchang, told Yicai.

This is more than Wo Gongchang’s total revenue in 2024, when it logged earnings of CNY80 million (USD11 million). This year’s revenue should be double that of last year, Sun added.

"We secured the licensing agreement to produce plastic peripheral products for Ne Zha 2 in September last year, but the order wasn't finalized until Dec. 19," Sun said.

The new orders include not only the toys that were part of the original order, but also newly added blind boxes, where the exterior packaging is the same but the contents are different, as well as a variety of computers, communication devices and consumer electronics.

To meet the tight delivery schedule, Wo Gongchang has recruited over 2,000 workers from the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain and is installing new equipment.

"This level of mobilization is unique to Dongguan, which is home to over 4,000 toy manufacturing companies and nearly 1,500 upstream and downstream supporting businesses," Sun said.

The local government and industry associations have provided substantial support to encourage factories to get back to work promptly after the eight-day Spring Festival holiday, which ended Feb. 4, he added.

Thanks to these efforts, Wo Gongchang expects to complete its first batch of orders by Feb. 25, which will help alleviate the severe shortage of Ne Zha merchandise on the market, Sun said.

"Our mold workshop is also operating 24 hours a day. These molds are not just for our own use but we also supply them to other companies producing Ne Zha-branded products. Production can start immediately once they receive the molds," Sun said.

"The massive orders for Ne Zha merchandise have not only given Wo Gongchang a lot of business but are also boosting Dongguan's trendy toy industry, which supplies products to the whole world," Sun added.

Editor: Kim Taylor