Beyond her remarkable achievements on TikTok, Kayla has ventured into the digital gaming sphere as a Global Brand Ambassador for the Piñata Smashlings Roblox game, in collaboration with Toikido, the innovative entertainment company founded by Darran Garnham in 2020.
Toikido has distinguished itself in the digital entertainment and toy industry by creating captivating toys for emerging digital brands, including Piñata Smashlings™, Toikido’s first internally developed IP. This venture marks a significant leap, integrating digital gaming with physical play. Kayla’s partnership with Toikido underscores this fusion, offering fans a chance to interact with her character in the Smashlings game while enjoying tangible benefits and rewards.
Kayla was the youngest of six children in a small, Western Australian town. She dreamed of being a dancer, but as she grew up, she did what many new adults do. She put her dreams away to strive for a more typical life. For her, this meant studying criminology and justice. Even then, though, she still had an eye for dancing, and she saw many dancers, artists, and performers rising from nothing on TikTok. Eventually, she pursued her lifelong dream and gave TikTok a chance.
You already know the story ends with rapid success, but that doesn’t mean INSTANT success. First, there was the grind. For two months, at the beginning of 2023, Kayla posted multiple times daily, experimenting with the platform and trying different kinds of posts. She started how everyone else does, watching post upon post, gaining no traction, and wondering if she was getting anywhere. Still, she learned from every post she made, and early progress on social media is often invisible.
It was in the third month that Kayla gained real traction. She made notable gains with her TikTok livestreams, with over 1,500 viewers per stream. She has also accumulated 1.8M unique views in the last month. In addition to these impressive stats, Kayla has also collaborated with some major brands, including world-renowned teeth whitening oral care company Hismile, a three-video partnership with luxury cosmetics company MCoBeauty, and her six-month partnership with Toikido Smashlings, with her videos as their ambassador amassing over 250K views.
The collaboration between Kayla and Toikido, beginning in September, has seen Kayla actively promoting Smashlings, including making an in-person appearance at Smyths Toys Superstores in the UK. Darran Garnham, Founder and CEO of Toikido, praised the partnership, emphasizing the simultaneous development of the Roblox game and product range to enrich engagement and connect the physical with the digital world seamlessly.
Kayla’s success story is not just about her exceptional talent and the serendipity of her rise to fame; it’s about the courage to pursue her dreams. Reflecting on her journey from studying criminology to becoming a trendsetter in both social media and digital gaming, Kayla acknowledges the importance of taking risks and the determination to persevere through initial challenges.
“We are unbelievably excited to start this partnership with Toikido and the amazing new IP Piñata Smashlings! There’s nothing we love to support more than a brand dedicated to entertaining and captivating the next generation & this partnership encapsulates that perfectly. Not only do I love the game, but so do my friends, family, and soon to be my fans as well!” Kayla shared, expressing her enthusiasm for the collaboration.