By Mark Seavy

Long embedded in Chinese social life, mahjong is enjoying a western resurgence that is lending itself to licensing.

First played in mid-19th century China, the tile-based game of skill, memory and strategy initially gained popularity in the U.S. in the 1920s that led to the formation of the standards-setting National Mah Jongg League. More recently, as consumers globally have sought a means for decidedly non-digital socializing, the four-player game has emerged as an antidote to isolation and a new means for licensing.

The growing popularity was underscored by American camps this past summer filled with requests for tiles over TikTok and counselors teaching multiday courses. Bam Good Time’s directory counted 1,327 U.S. club listings as of October 27, 2026. Venues include the 1,500-square-foot Charleston Club in Dallas, TX, and Park City, UT’s Après Mahjong. Après Mahjong has taught more than 1,200 people to play the game in its first 16 months. And those are in addition to the about 1.8 million Americans that have played mahjong on Unwind Media’s Mahjong 4 Friends online multi-player platform.

In addition to the social element, mahjong has gained popularity because of its simplicity. It is played with 144 tiles, which players draw and discard to form a winning 14-tile hand consisting of four sets and a pair featuring suits (bamboo, characters, circles), winds, dragons, and optional flower/seasonal tiles.

It is the tiles that have emerged as fodder for branding and licensing strategies.

Collectibles company Noble Collection, for example, launched pre-orders for the Disney Princess Mahjong Collector’s set ($219) featuring laser-etched melamine tiles featuring Cinderella’s birds (wind tile), magic mirror (dragon), Disney Castle (joker), and others. The sets start shipping November 30. And that was in addition to a Jonathan Adler x Michaels Blue game set featuring Adler’s artwork on acrylic tiles ($199.99). There is also a Hallmark x Miss Mahjong Miss Heirloom bundle ($350) from Hallmark that ships in December. The Hallmark set has painted and engraved tiles featuring designs from the company’s archives including pansies from a classic greeting card design.

“There aren’t many licensed sets, and I am not sure how many other companies will come on board because while it is growing in the U.S. it still has a ways to go in Europe,” Noble Collection President Julian Montoya said. “There is a great deal of development that goes into a set in terms of which characters are used for which pieces and the manufacturing process was not easy because we used melamine. The barriers to entry into this business are high. It is expensive to manufacture and time consuming to develop but if you get it right you can have something special.”

The development cycle, which can take a year, has not been as much a barrier for luxury brands.

Tapestry’s Coach brand, for example, launched a collaboration with Hong Kong streetwear brand CLOT in December 2025. The collection included a mahjong set alongside outerwear, bags, and charms. And Prada was a bit ahead of the recent Mahjong trend when it introduced a Saffiano leather version ($8,100) in 2018. Brunello Cucinelli added one in 2020 made from walnut wood ($10,200).

“Mahjong is resurging because it offers a rare screen-free, in-person social activity,” Mahjong Solitaire Online, which is based in China, wrote in a blog post. “Younger players are rediscovering the game as a way to gather friends, meet people and take a break from phones.”