Fanatics announced on Thursday that the MLB Tokyo Series generated $40 million in total merchandise and trading card sales, a new company record for a special event, which includes Super Bowls, World Series, All-Star Games, NHL Winter Classics, Wrestlemanias and more.
On Friday, Major League Baseball confirmed that the Tokyo Series was the most watched MLB series ever in Japan with 24 million viewers, had the biggest merchandise sales of any MLB international event or All-Star Game, and had the most attended MLB fan festival ever with 450,000 visitors.
Fanatics is MLB’s official merchandise partner, trading card manufacturer, and operates its online and physical shops, including the ones in Tokyo. For the Tokyo Series, Fanatics partnered with famous Japanese artist Takashi Murakami on a collection of limited edition merchandise and Topps trading cards that drove much of those record sales.
According to the privately-owned company, the Murakami collection sold out within an hour when it was released on March 7, with more than 100,000 people downloading the Fanatics app in order to gain access to the drop. In Tokyo, Fanatics says more than 200,000 people visited its shops during the week of the series, with 140 cash registers needed to accommodate the amount of customers at the Tokyo Dome location. The company estimated that more than 1,000 fans waited in line in the snow before the second game of the series in order to access the store. Joining the Marquee Sports Network broadcast of the series’ first game, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said there was an hour and a half wait to get into the store that day.
On the trading card side, Fanatics sold out of more than 12,000 Topps Series 1 Japan Exclusive Mega Boxes that were only available on the Topps Japan website. The set features an ultra-rare card signed by both Murakami and Shohei Ohtani.
While much of Fanatics’ success in Japan is down to the overwhelming popularity of Ohtani — the company says 57 percent of its total MLB sales in Japan is his merchandise — it’s a continuation of what has been rapid growth for MLB’s popularity in the country. In 2021, Topps trading cards had $1.2 million in Japan sales, but in 2024 that rose to $22.6 million, according to Fanatics.
Murakami (left) and Ohtani hold up examples of their autographed trading card. They were each gifted one of four that were signed. (Photo: Fanatics)
Interest in the Tokyo Series collection extended beyond Japan’s borders, though. Fans also lined up outside Dodger Stadium and Wrigley Field to buy. Once items hit the secondary market, they quickly sold for much more than their retail prices. One of the Murakami designed Nike Elite Ohtani jerseys, of which only 26 were made, sold for $7,000 on eBay after carrying an original retail price of $2,000.
“The Japanese market was steadily building, I think, anyway,” Fanatics Collectibles’ president of trading cards, David Leiner, told The Athletic’s Evan Drellich. “This (series) just poured gasoline on the fire.”
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(Top photo: Fanatics)
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