Global IP giants and licensing powerhouses converged in Shanghai last month, spotlighting China’s rise as the world’s fastest-growing licensing market at the record-breaking 18th China Licensing Expo (CLE). The 18th CLE, hosted by the Licensing Industry Branch of the China Toy and Juvenile Products Association, was held in Shanghai from Oct 15-17. This year's expo reached new heights in scale and influence, covering an exhibition area of 65,000 square meters, bringing together 566 exhibitors, and showcasing over 2,600 domestic and international IPs across all categories. From lining up for hours to get limited edition products, to filling chats with expressive memes and spending hundreds on collectible blind boxes, more young people are willingly opening their wallets for the IPs they love. Animation, art, culture, video games, fashion, books, music, and sports are among the 11 categories covered by the IPs. Among the standout participants was world-renowned licensor Hasbro, whose 1,900-brand portfolio, including Transformers, My Little Pony, and Monopoly, drew crowds and underscored the company’s deepening ties with the Chinese market. Hasbro has been generating cherished moments for generations of children and families worldwide since its beginnings in the United States in 1923. As of 2022, China ranked as the world’s fifth-largest licensing market and the second largest in Asia, an ascent that continues to draw strong confidence from global licensors. Fueling China’s IP boom is the emotional resonance these brands hold. With a growing number of young consumers eager to invest in the characters and stories they cherish, the emotional consumption market is surging, projected to grow at a 12 percent compound annual rate and surpass 2 trillion yuan (about 281 billion USD) in China alone by 2025, according to the latest Emotional Consumption Research Report. Shotlist: Shanghai, China - Oct 15-17, 2025: 1. Various of 18th China Licensing Expo (CLE) in progress; attendees; 2. Various of exhibition booth of Hasbro; products on display; people; 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Marianne James, senior vice president of global licensing, Hasbro (partially overlaid with shot 4): "We have billions of fans globally, and I would say that we are the number five global licensor now. And a big amount of that fandom is here in China. We had over 16 billion dollars of retail sales last year globally alone. To the point of how important China is from a licensing perspective, it's a really strong market for us." [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]; 4. Products on display [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]; 5. Various of 18th CLE in progress; products on display; people; 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Neal Rudge, president, Pacific Licensing Studio (starting with shot 5): "The IP industry in China is exploding. It's amazing how big this is. So we're coming up here to look at all of the new IPs that are coming out of China."; 7. Various of 18th CLE in progress; products on display; people; 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jo Pasco, vice senior president of consumer products APAC, Universal Products and Experiences (starting with shot 7/partially overlaid with shot 9): "We've been here for just over 10 years as a direct licensing business here in China. All the best stories and designs and innovation is coming from this region and this market. And we're seeing so much amazing growth trajectory, particularly with different demographics. Traditionally we've got brands that target kids, but now the adult consumer is wanting to get the same level of joy that kids get. And so we're seeing a real step change in what products we need to offer in the brands that we offer those consumers." [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]; 9. Various of 18th CLE in progress [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]; 10. Various of 18th CLE in progress; products on display; people. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]