Introduction
Ryan Kaji is a young YouTube star and one of the highest paid child influencers in the world. He rose to fame by starring in toy review videos on YouTube when he was just 3 years old. Now at the age of 12, Ryan has built an online empire and earned millions through his various business ventures.
Ryan Kaji’s Net Worth
According to Forbes, Ryan Kaji had an estimated net worth of $32 million as of 2022. The vast majority of his wealth comes from his hugely popular YouTube channels which generate millions of views. He reportedly earned $27 million in 2020 alone just from his YouTube channels.
Aside from YouTube ad revenue, Ryan also earns big money from sponsorships and branded merchandise. He has his own line of toys and clothes sold at major retailers like Walmart and Target. The young tycoon also signed a deal for his own TV series on Nickelodeon and Hulu.
Early Life and Education
Ryan Kaji was born as Ryan Guan on October 6, 2010 in Texas. His mother is known as Loann Kaji while his father is Shion Kaji. Ryan also has twin sisters named Emma and Kate who occasionally appear in his videos.
Ryan began watching toy review channels on YouTube as a toddler and soon started imitating them himself. His parents began recording and uploading Ryan’s toy review videos to YouTube when he was just 3 years old.
The young YouTube star was homeschooled for much of his early education. More recently, Ryan has been attending a public elementary school.
Rise to YouTube Fame
Ryan’s first YouTube channel “Ryan ToysReview” was created in March 2015. His initial videos featured the then-toddler opening new toys and giving his thoughts on them. With his adorable antics and infectious giggles, Ryan quickly gained a following.
Within months, Ryan’s channel amassed millions of views. By the end of 2015, it had over 300,000 subscribers. Fans loved watching the bubbly preschooler get excited about trains, cars, action figures, and other toys.
As his viewership skyrocketed, Ryan’s parents negotiated sponsorships and product placement deals with major toy brands like Lego and Hasbro. This brought in even bigger bucks on top of the YouTube ad revenue.
Ryan also expanded beyond just toy reviews. He began creating skits, doing science experiments, going on fun trips, and more. This allowed him to churn out new content daily to feed his insatiable young fanbase.
Major Milestones
Here are some of the major milestones Ryan hit over the years:
- In July 2015, his channel reached 1 million subscribers in less than 5 months, making him YouTube’s youngest creator to do so.
- By the end of 2016, Ryan ToysReview had racked up over 8 billion views.
- In 2018, aged just 7, Ryan was named the highest paid YouTube star by Forbes, earning $22 million that year.
- As of 2022, Ryan ToysReview has over 31 million subscribers and 51 billion views, making it one of the most-viewed channels ever.
- Combined his channels now have over 40 million subscribers and more than 65 billion total video views.
Other Business Ventures
Aside from his massively popular YouTube channels, Ryan has expanded into numerous other business deals and partnerships:
- He has his own line of toys and apparel sold exclusively at Walmart, Target and other major retailers.
- In 2019, he launched his own Nickelodeon series called Ryan’s Mystery Playdate featuring Ryan and his parents partaking in a variety of challenges.
- That same year, he signed a deal to produce original content for streaming service Hulu as well.
- Ryan voices the lead character in the animated preschool series Super Spy Ryan on Amazon Prime Video.
- He authored a book titled Ryan’s World which made the New York Times bestseller list in 2019.
- His parents set up Ryan’s World Entertainment, a production company that manages his YouTube channels and other ventures.
Personal Life and Charity Work
Despite his massive success at such a young age, Ryan is described as a cheerful, down-to-earth kid who loves making videos for his fans. Outside of creating content, he enjoys swimming, gymnastics, and playing with his puppy.
The Kaji family lives in Texas where Ryan attends a traditional public school. His parents emphasize balancing Ryan’s career with normal childhood experiences and donate a share of his earnings to charity.
Ryan’s philanthropic efforts include working with organizations that support children’s health and cancer research. He has helped raise over $1 million for various causes to date.
Ryan Kaji’s Height and Physical Description
Ryan Kaji has a height of 4’2″ or approximately 127 cm as of 2022 at age 12. He has dark brown hair and eyes.
Photos from when Ryan first started YouTube as a toddler show his incredible growth and maturation over the years into an articulate and intelligent young host. He continues to captivate fans with his cheerful on-screen persona.
Conclusion
In just over 7 years, Ryan Kaji has grown from a cute toy-reviewing toddler to one of the most famous and successful child YouTubers ever. His brand continues to expand as he explores new content formats and business ventures. Still, Ryan remains grounded thanks to his parents’ emphasis on education and charity work. At just 12 years old, his net worth and career achievements are beyond impressive with many more years of opportunity ahead.
