LA-based publisher TOKYOPOP has launched a kids imprint to expand its kids business and bring manga and graphic novels to kids, and it’s open to licensing partnerships to build its catalogue.

The company has a history in kids books, including its line of Disney Manga titles featuring Lilo & Stitch, The Descendants and Toy Story titles, among others. Over its nearly 30 years in business, the publisher has expanded beyond manga into comics, graphic novels and, more recently, picture books and chapter books for kids. 

Now, it’s launching the TOKYOPOP Kids imprint to meet a demand from young readers and parents looking to promote literacy through engaging visuals. “This is an important next step for us: bringing manga, graphic novels and illustrated storytelling to kids in ways that are age-appropriate, inclusive and designed to spark a lifelong love of reading,” the spokesperson said. 

The publisher is open to hearing from potential licensing partners to grow out its catalogue of kids books, the spokesperson added. Its first line of titles releases in the fall, and includes a Barbie title (TOKYOPOP previously signed a deal with Mattel back in January 2025 to publish titles based on Hot Wheels and Barbie). It’ll also be releasing middle-grade graphic novels, chapter books and picture books. 

The global manga market could more than triple in the next few years, from US$10 billion in 2025 to US$43 billion by 2033, according to forecasts from market research firm Grand View Research. 

TOKYOPOP isn’t the only publisher to get in on the hot world of manga. Random House Graphic, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, entered the webtoon market last year with Ink Pop, a line of print editions of webtoons aimed at kids and teens, as well as translated graphic novels. There’s an underserved kids market for these kinds of titles, Random House Graphic’s editor Whitney Leopard told Kidscreen at the time. Now it’s looking like the market gap is beginning to translate into new opportunities for IP owners. 

Image of The Art of Amphibia, a book published last year, courtesy of TOKYOPOP.