From toys to Teslas, China's coronavirus disrupts flow of global business

Like many other American staples and luxuries, L.O.L. Surprise! dolls are made in China. Chatsworth-based MGA Entertainment has them manufactured in Guangdong province, trucked to the port in Yantian Harbor, loaded on ships and brought to the United States, where the popular toys are distributed to retailers and scooped up by eager children. The process went smoothly for years.

Then the coronavirus outbreak hit, and the supply chain stuttered.

The situation is "a disaster, frankly," MGA Chief Executive Isaac Larian said. Production of his company's toys has dropped 60% compared with this period last year. To get by, he said, he is filling only partial toy orders - "if a retailer wants 100,000 pieces, we're giving them 15,000 or 20,000."

Businesses of all stripes nationwide are feeling pain from the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed 1,775 people and infected more than 71,300 others worldwide, mostly in China.

Activity at Chinese factories has slowed or stopped. Fewer cargo ships from China are docking at Southern California ports. Chinese visitors' spending in Los Angeles could plunge nearly $1 billion this year.

U.S. shoppers might start seeing items missing from store shelves as early as mid-April, analyst Edward J.