L.O.L. Surprise!

Peel away the layers and discover what's hiding inside! With L.O.L. Surprise!, opening the toy is half the fun.

Start peeling. One layer reveals a clue. Another layer reveals an accessory. Keep going and eventually you get to the little doll hidden inside. But don't rush. With L.O.L. Surprise!, opening the package is part of the toy.

MGA Entertainment launched L.O.L. Surprise! in December 2016, right as "unboxing" videos were becoming enormously popular with kids (videos where people filmed themselves opening a toy so viewers could experience the reveal along with them).

Instead of putting the doll behind a clear plastic window where you could see exactly what you were buying, MGA wrapped everything up inside a ball and made discovering what you'd gotten part of the experience (kind of like Hatchimals, but you have to unwrap the L.O.L. Surprise yourself - it doesn't "hatch"). MGA itself described the 2016 launch as the beginning of a worldwide "blind unboxing" phenomenon.

And there wasn't just one thing inside, or just one container to open. Depending on the version you got, peeling away each layer could reveal stickers, clothes, shoes, bottles, and other accessories before you finally reached the toy or doll inside.

Of course, you didn't even necessarily know which doll you were getting. That made L.O.L. Surprise! a collectible - and also meant that buying another one might get you something completely different (or, sometimes, another one you already had).

The original L.O.L. Surprise! balls eventually grew into an entire line of dolls, pets, playsets, and even Harry Potter, Dr. Seuss, and SpongeBob themed versions, many with increasingly elaborate packages containing dozens of individual surprises. Some current sets still make the process of opening all those little compartments and packages a major part of the experience.