Happy Zone Creative City became the first cosplay (costume play) store in China to base its line of costumes and toys on popular animated characters from TV and the movies. The store, which opened in Qingdao this summer, allows customers to don costumes based on the outfits worn by popular animated characters.

An Bo, an investor in the shop, said he plans to invest $50 million to open branches of the toy around the country. He said he hopes to make the stores a leading brand name in animation products and toy sales.

After graduating from college in the United States in 1998, An returned to his hometown of Qingdao and started to work in animation. His company helped the world's top animation brands produce related products.

At the end of 2009, he founded Xinxiu Chang'an Cultural Media Co. Ltd and built two facilities for animation-related design and product manufacturing.

By Dai Yan (China Daily Qingdao Bureau)

Edited by Renee and Wang Jingjing