It’s no secret that YouTubers can earn a fortune from their videos. But 2018’s highest-paid Youtube star is remarkable for an extremely specific reason: he’s a 7-year-old who reviews toys.
Ryan, from Ryan ToysReview, made the sum for his online reviews between June 2017 and June 2018. Forbes measured pre-tax earnings without fees for agents, managers, and lawyers.
The first-grader who loves Lego, trains, and cars, has amassed more than 17 million followers and close to 26bn views since launching his main channel in 2015. His most popular video, a review of an inflatable water slide complete with huge eggs encasing surprise toys, received more than 1.6bn views.
Forbes released its annual list of the top 10 highest-paid YouTubers on December 3. While most of the list was comprised of gamers and vloggers, little Ryan ToysReview snagged the top spot. Forbes noted that in the span of 365 days, Ryan raked in a jaw-dropping $22 million. The vast majority of the money made through his channel came from adverts that run before his videos start. It said such ads accounted for about 96% of the revenue while the remaining money came from sponsored posts.
The online sensation Jake Paul was second on Forbes’ list. His raps and jokes were viewed more than 3.5bn times over the 12-month period. The sports entertainment group Dude Perfect and Daniel Middleton, who specializes in the popular Minecraft game, was fourth.
The British gamer has been playing the building game on camera for several years and also has a line of merchandise. The top five was rounded out by the makeup artist Jeffree Star.
Ryan recently launched a toy and apparel line at Walmart called Ryan’sWorld, which will likely cause his earnings to increase. However, because he’s still a minor, some of his money is being stored in an account that he’ll only be able to access as an adult. According to the magazine, the rest probably pays for the toys he reviews, as well as production costs.
When asked why he thought he was so popular, he simply said:
“because I’m entertaining and I’m funny.”