Mob Entertainment Emerges as Global Force with Expanding Franchise and Bold Growth Strategy
Founded by brothers Zach and Seth Belanger in 2015, Mob Entertainment is redefining what it means to build modern entertainment IP. Through a smart blend of gaming, consumer products, international licensing, and narrative storytelling, Mob has built a brand that thrives both digitally and physically.
The results speak volumes. In 2024, Mob saw a 176% year-over-year increase in its global player base and a dramatic 590% surge in direct-to-consumer merchandise sales—clear signals of a growing and highly engaged international audience.
"We've always believed in the power of immersive storytelling," says Zach Belanger, CEO and co-founder. "Whether it's through games, characters, or physical products, we're focused on building universes that connect with fans everywhere."
A Franchise That Transcends Platforms
Poppy Playtime first captured audiences with its unique blend of puzzle mechanics and unsettling toy-factory horror. Characters like Huggy Wuggy and Catnap became breakout stars, fueling a viral wave across platforms like YouTube and TikTok and extending the brand's reach far beyond the screen.
Originally launched on PC, the game has expanded to Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and the Epic Games Store. It recently received the Xbox Excellence Award for Store Rating, recognizing the franchise's strong community reception and sustained engagement.
Mob has also capitalized on its momentum through a growing direct-to-consumer business and international retail partnerships. Its branded storefront, PoppyPlaytime.com, anchors global availability, with distribution through major retailers such as Walmart, Amazon, Target, Hot Topic, and Toys "R" Us Japan.
The January 2025 release of Poppy Playtime: Chapter 4 – Safe Haven marked a high point for the brand's narrative ambitions, cementing the game's place in the evolving horror genre while continuing to drive fan investment across channels.
Talent-Driven Growth
Mob's strategic evolution has included recently expanding its leadership bench with key hires who bring deep industry experience and global perspective.
George Krstic, now Senior Director of Creative Development for Film & Games, brings an award-winning résumé that includes Star Wars: The Clone Wars, League of Legends, Transformers, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft. His expertise in worldbuilding and narrative expansion is expected to propel Mob's IP into film and serialized storytelling.
Andrew Lobel, a screenwriter and gaming narrative expert, joins as Narrative Director following the success of his horror film Immaculate at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival. His work on PUBG—one of the best-selling video games of all time—adds further depth to Mob's transmedia ambitions.
Liesa Dornan, Head of International Licensing, brings years of global licensing and brand strategy experience from roles at Marvel, Disney, and Universal Brand Development. She's now steering Mob's licensing and retail footprint into new markets and categories.
"These additions reflect the kind of brand we're building," says Belanger. "We're not just expanding a game—we're investing in the talent needed to build lasting, globally relevant entertainment properties."
A Blueprint for Modern IP
Mob's strength lies in its ability to operate across verticals with cohesion. The company's expanding ecosystem includes new partnerships with Legendary Entertainment, Scholastic, Jazwares, and Maximum Entertainment, with licensed products spanning toys, apparel, publishing, board games, and even augmented reality.
With a forecasted 40% year-over-year increase in e-commerce revenue for 2025, Mob is doubling down on its direct-to-consumer approach while continuing to expand globally through retail and licensing channels.
"Our focus is on long-term IP development," says Belanger. "That means deepening the fan connection across formats—from games to merchandise to stories—and ensuring everything we create feels meaningful and immersive."
Poised for Global Impact
Mob Entertainment's trajectory underscores a broader shift in how franchises are built and scaled in today's entertainment landscape. By combining grassroots creativity with disciplined business execution, the Belanger brothers have created a brand that competes on a global stage.
With broad partnerships, a passionate fan base, and a clear creative vision, Mob is setting the stage for broader expansion across film, publishing, and interactive media—reaching audiences not just where they play, but where they watch, shop, and imagine.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
2 days ago
- Business Times
Italian Brainrot: the AI memes only kids know
[TOKYO] In a Japanese shop selling pocket-money trinkets, there is a rack of toys, stickers and keyrings based on a global crew of AI-generated characters that almost every child knows about – and very few adults. A walking shark in oversized sneakers, an orange with muscular arms and a twirling 'Ballerina Cappuccina' with a mug for a head are among the strange stars of the online phenomenon called Italian Brainrot. 'At first it's not funny at all, but it kind of grows on you,' 16-year-old Yoshi Yamanaka-Nebesney from New York told AFP. 'You might use it to annoy someone and find that funny.' The name nods to the stupefying effect of scrolling through mindless social media posts, especially over-the-top images created with artificial intelligence tools. Shouty, crude and often nonsensical Italian voiceovers feature in many of the clips made by people in various countries that began to spread this year on platforms such as TikTok, embraced by young Gen Z and Gen Alpha members. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up The dozen-plus cartoonish AI creatures have fast become memes, inspiring a stream of new content such as 'Brainrot Rap', viewed 116 million times on YouTube. A YouTube Short titled Learn to Draw five Crazy Italian Brainrot Animals – including a cactus-elephant crossover named 'Lirili Larila' – has also been watched 320 million times. 'There's a whole bunch of phrases that all these characters have,' said Yamanaka-Nebesney, in Tokyo with his mother Chinami, who had no idea what he was talking about. School-age Italian Brainrot fans can be found from Kenya to Spain and South Korea, while some of the most popular videos reference Indonesia's language and culture instead. 'I went on trips with my boys to Mexico' and people would 'crack jokes about it' there too, Yamanaka-Nebesney said. 'Melodic language' Internet trends move fast, and Italian Brainrot 'hit its peak maybe two months ago or a month ago', said Idil Galip, a University of Amsterdam lecturer in new media and digital culture. Italian – a 'melodic language that has opportunities for jokes' – has appeared in other memes before. And 'there are just so many people in Indonesia' sharing posts which have potential for global reach, Galip said. A 'multi-level marketing economy' has even emerged, with AI video-makers targeting Italian Brainrot's huge audience through online ads or merchandise sales, she added. Nurina, a 41-year-old Indonesian NGO worker, said her seven-year-old loves the mashed-up brainrot world. 'Sometimes when I pick him up from school, or when I'm working from home, he shouts, 'Mommy! Bombardino Crocodilo!'' – a bomber plane character with a crocodile head. 'I know it's fun to watch,' said Nurina, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. 'I just need to make him understand that this is not real.' Some videos have been criticised for containing offensive messages that go over young viewers' heads, such as rambling references in Italian to 'Bombardino Crocodilo' bombing children in Gaza. 'The problem is that these characters are put into adult content' and 'many parents are not tech-savvy' enough to spot the dangers, warned Oriza Sativa, a Jakarta-based clinical psychologist. Tung Tung Tung Sahur The best-known Indonesian brainrot character 'Tung Tung Tung Sahur' resembles a long drum called a kentongan, which is used to wake people up for a pre-dawn meal, or sahur, during Ramadan. Indonesia has a young, digitally active population of around 280 million, and 'Tung Tung Tung Sahur' is not its only viral export. This summer, video footage – not AI-generated – of a sunglass-wearing boy dancing on a rowboat during a race at a western Indonesian festival also became an Internet sensation. Noxa, the TikToker behind the original 'Tung Tung Tung Sahur' clip, is now represented by a Paris-based collective of artists, lawyers and researchers called Mementum Lab. 'Noxa is a content creator based in Indonesia. He's under 20,' they told AFP. 'He makes fast, overstimulated, AI-assisted videos.' 'He doesn't call himself a 'contemporary artist', but we think he's already acting like one,' said Mementum Lab, which is focused on complex emerging issues around AI intellectual property, and says it is helping Noxa negotiate deals for his work. Noxa, in comments provided by the collective, said the character was 'inspired by the sound of the sahur drum I used to hear'. 'I did not want my character to be just another passing joke – I wanted him to have meaning,' he said. Cultural nuances can be lost at a mass scale, however, with one 12-year-old tourist in Tokyo saying he thought 'Tung Tung Tung Sahur' was a baseball bat. And the generation gap looks set to persist. 'What's that?!' laughed a woman as she puzzled at the row of Italian Brainrot dolls. 'It's not cute at all!' AFP
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Italian brainrot: The AI memes only kids know
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The dozen-plus cartoonish AI creatures have fast become memes, inspiring a stream of new content. TOKYO - In a Japanese shop selling pocket-money trinkets, there is a rack of toys, stickers and keyrings based on a global crew of AI-generated characters that almost every child knows about - and very few adults. A walking shark in oversized sneakers, an orange with muscular arms and a twirling 'Ballerina Cappuccina' with a mug for a head are among the strange stars of the online phenomenon called Italian brainrot. 'At first it's not funny at all, but it kind of grows on you,' 16-year-old Yoshi Yamanaka-Nebesney from New York told AFP. 'You might use it to annoy someone and find that funny.' The name nods to the stupefying effect of scrolling through mindless social media posts, especially over-the-top images created with artificial intelligence tools. Shouty, crude and often nonsensical Italian voiceovers feature in many of the clips made by people in various countries that began to spread in 2025 on platforms such as TikTok, embraced by young Gen Z and Gen Alpha members. The dozen-plus cartoonish AI creatures have fast become memes, inspiring a stream of new content such as Brainrot Rap, viewed 116 million times on YouTube. A YouTube Short titled Learn To Draw 5 Crazy Italian Brainrot Animals - including a cactus-elephant crossover named Lirili Larila – has also been watched 320 million times. 'There's a whole bunch of phrases that all these characters have,' said Yamanaka-Nebesney, in Tokyo with his mother Chinami, who had no idea what he was talking about. School-age Italian brainrot fans can be found from Kenya to Spain and South Korea, while some of the most popular videos reference Indonesia's language and culture instead. 'I went on trips with my boys to Mexico' and people would 'crack jokes about it' there too, Yamanaka-Nebesney said. 'Melodic language' Internet trends move fast, and Italian brainrot 'hit its peak maybe two months ago or a month ago', said Dr Idil Galip, a University of Amsterdam lecturer in new media and digital culture. Italian - a 'melodic language that has opportunities for jokes' - has appeared in other memes before. And 'there are just so many people in Indonesia' sharing posts which have potential for global reach, Dr Galip said. A 'multi-level marketing economy' has even emerged, with AI video-makers targeting Italian brainrot's huge audience through online ads or merchandise sales, she added. Ms Nurina, a 41-year-old Indonesian NGO worker, said her seven-year-old loves the mashed-up brainrot world. 'Sometimes when I pick him up from school, or when I'm working from home, he shouts, 'Mommy! Bombardino Crocodilo!'' – a bomber plane character with a crocodile head. 'I know it's fun to watch,' said Ms Nurina, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. 'I just need to make him understand that this is not real.' Some videos have been criticised for containing offensive messages that go over young viewers' heads, such as rambling references in Italian to 'Bombardino Crocodilo' bombing children in Gaza. 'The problem is that these characters are put into adult content' and 'many parents are not tech-savvy' enough to spot the dangers, warned Ms Oriza Sativa, a Jakarta-based clinical psychologist. Tung Tung Tung Sahur The best-known Indonesian brainrot character Tung Tung Tung Sahur resembles a long drum called a kentongan, which is used to wake people up for a pre-dawn meal, or sahur, during Ramadan. Indonesia has a young, digitally active population of around 280 million, and Tung Tung Tung Sahur is not its only viral export. In the summer of 2025, video footage - not AI-generated - of a sunglass-wearing boy dancing on a rowboat during a race at a western Indonesian festival also became an internet sensation. Mr Noxa, the TikToker behind the original Tung Tung Tung Sahur clip, is now represented by a Paris-based collective of artists, lawyers and researchers called Mementum Lab. 'Noxa is a content creator based in Indonesia. He's under 20,' they told AFP. 'He makes fast, overstimulated, AI-assisted videos.' 'He doesn't call himself a 'contemporary artist', but we think he's already acting like one,' said Mementum Lab, which is focused on complex emerging issues around AI intellectual property, and says it is helping Noxa negotiate deals for his work. Mr Noxa, in comments provided by the collective, said the character was 'inspired by the sound of the sahur drum I used to hear'. 'I didn't want my character to be just another passing joke – I wanted him to have meaning,' he said. Cultural nuances can be lost at a mass scale, however, with one 12-year-old tourist in Tokyo saying he thought Tung Tung Tung Sahur was a baseball bat. And the generation gap looks set to persist. 'What's that?!' laughed a woman as she puzzled at the row of Italian Brainrot dolls. 'It's not cute at all!' AFP
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Straits Times
Beyond tom yum – how to step out of your Thai food comfort zone
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Popular YouTuber, cookbook author and Thai chef Pailin Chongchitnant at Im Jai by Pun Im, a Thai restaurant in Icon Village. SINGAPORE – If you love Thai food classics such as pad thai, green curry and tom yum soup, well, popular YouTube chef and cookbook author Pailin Chongchitnant thinks you are missing out on a lot. On a visit to Singapore to meet her fans, the 41-year-old Thai-Canadian behind Hot Thai Kitchen says the most popular recipes on her YouTube channel and website ( ) are for classic dishes.
