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Fanatics nets $40 million in merchandise, card sales at MLB Tokyo Series
The MLB Tokyo Series in Japan was so successful that it turned into a huge cash boon for Fanatics.
Fans were so excited about the two-game, opening-season series between the Cubs and Dodgers that the Fanatics-operated MLB Official Stores in Tokyo attracted more than 200,000 fans throughout the week. The primary store at the Tokyo Dome needed 140 registers to handle the demand, while more than 2,000 fans waited in line to get into the store before Game 1 on March 18. Another 1,000 fans waited in line in the snow before Game 2 on March 19.
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The series was so successful for Fanatics that the apparel, trading card and memorabilia company announced Thursday that the series in Japan generated $40 million in fan gear and trading cards sales, making it the best-selling special event in company history.
The 2024 World Series champion Dodgers, led by Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani and Japanese pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, won both games of the series. Played before sell-out crowds at the Tokyo Dome, Game 1 drew more than 25 million TV viewers in Japan.
According to Fanatics, the $40 million in sales included fan gear and trading cards across e-commerce and wholesale; the Fanatics-operated MLB Official Shop retail locations across Tokyo; the MLB Flagship Shop in NYC; the limited-edition Takashi Murakami collection, which included Complex and Fanatics pop-up stores in LA and Tokyo; and Topps collector activations in Tokyo.
Highlights from the record-breaking event include:
• The Murakami collection, which launched on March 7, sold out on the Fanatics App in less than one hour, with the majority of products selling out in the first 15 minutes. More than 100,000 fans downloaded the Fanatics App to secure access to the exclusive Murakami drop.
• More than 12,000 Topps Series 1 Japan Exclusive Mega Boxes sold out within hours at the Topps’ online store in Japan.
• Topps cards also sold out quickly at the Tokyo Dome, MLB pop-up stores, and on MLB’s official online store in Japan. Each of the two Topps Tokyo Series sets available to collectors included a dual-signed #1/1 autograph of Takashi Murakami and Shohei Ohtani, the most sought-after cards of the event.
