Hot Chinese toymaker Pop Mart launches new pop culture magazine called Playground

Pop Mart’s new magazine, Playground, explores social connections and seeks to unlock opportunities for its intellectual properties

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Pop Mart’s new Playground magazine. Photo: Handout

Published: 7:30am, 1 May 2025

Chinese toymaker Pop Mart, whose shares have surged more than 470 per cent over the past year on the back of its popular intellectual properties (IPs), has launched a pop culture magazine called Playground.

The biannual publication, launched last week, featured actress and singer-songwriter Leah Dou on its cover. The first edition explores the theme of social connections and offers a selection of photos, comic strips and other visuals related to the topic.

“We decided on social because it kind of encapsulates many things [that are central to the experience of] the young generation,” said Vicson Guevara, Pop Mart’s executive creative director and co-creator of the magazine, in an interview on Wednesday.

“Social media is [one part of it],” he said. “It’s something that young people can’t live without, but the other piece is relationships – real connections with people, which are closely tied to our brand value as well.”

The magazine’s mission is to connect people and communities, Guevara said.

“By expanding our reach, we can unlock more possibilities for the Pop Mart brand, whether offline or online,” he said. “This will open up new opportunities for our IPs, allow us to use Playground as a platform to connect with artists we admire and add value for both our customers and non-customers.”