Wang Ning and the man who sells the moment before opening
He grasped what billion-dollar marketing departments didn't: the surprise is more valuable than what's inside.
Wang Ning was born in 1987 in Henan province. He graduated in advertising from Zhengzhou University in 2009, worked a year at Sina Corporation (owner of Weibo) and decided to start his own company. On a trip to Hong Kong he came across the LOG-ON store chain — a mix of toys, cosmetics and stationery — and decided to bring the idea to the mainland. In 2010 he opened the first Pop Mart store in Beijing's Zhongguancun, a district known as China's Silicon Valley. He sold everything at once — until he realised that the only category that truly works is figures.
The breakthrough with Molly
In 2016 Wang signed a deal with Hong Kong artist Kenny Wong and his character Molly. That was the moment Pop Mart became what it is today: in 2017 revenue reached 22 million dollars, in 2018 — already 73 million. Earlier, in 2014, Wang enrolled in an MBA at the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University; some of his classmates later joined the management team. In December 2020 the company went public in Hong Kong.
The psychology of the box
Wang understood that the moment before opening the box is more valuable than what's inside. Surprise as a product, hope as a business model. He took the blind-box model from Japanese gashapon machines, but wanted to elevate it: premium packaging, artists, IP with character. He's known for his restraint — he reinvests profits into the IP ecosystem instead of luxury and grows selectively, not at any cost. When the Monsters series with Labubu recorded 726% year-on-year growth, his net worth rose by 1.6 billion dollars in a single day.
Wang Ning doesn't sell toys. He sells the moment before the box is opened — and he knows it's the most valuable thing in the world.
POPLAND — the theme park
Opened on 26 September 2024 in Beijing's Chaoyang Park, across 40,000 square metres. Molly has her castle here, Labubu hides in the forest, and Dimoo waits at a table. There are no extreme rides — there's a world where the figures from your shelf come to life.
The whole Pop Mart collection is waiting for you here — figures from creators worth knowing.
See the collection →Follow: Pop Mart
