Isaac Larian

Born to an Iranian Jewish family in Kashan, Isfahan province, Imperial State of Iran, Larian's family relocated to Tehran at the age of four, where they lived in Narmak. His father had a small textile shop where Larian began working at the age of 9.

In search of opportunity, Larian arrived to the United States alone in 1971 at the age of 17, without a place to stay, unable to speak English, and with $750 to his name. He found work as a dishwasher making $1.65 an hour, then was promoted to bus-boy and then waiter.

After a year of work, Larian enrolled at Los Angeles Southwest College, then transferred to California State University, Los Angeles, where he graduated in 1978 with a degree in civil engineering.

After his plans to return to Iran were ended by the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Larian started a mail-order company called Surprise Gift Wagon, which sold decorative brass products from Asia including from South Korea. Unsuccessful in that venture, he focused on importing consumer electronics with his brother Fred in a company that was later called ABC Electronics.

In 1987, Larian and his brother became a distributor for Nintendo and in 1993, they became a licensee for the "Power Rangers." The company changed its name to MGA Entertainment. By 1997, toys became their focus; they had their first internal success with the Singing Bouncy Baby.

Larian is married, with three children, and lives in Los Angeles.

Larian was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the consumer products category in 2004. He was also named the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2007.