We are all kids at heart. So it may not come as a surprise that scores of adults are buying toys – a fascinating consumer trend. An emerging category known as “kidults” accounts for one-fourth of about $9 billion spent each year on toys and represents 60% of the industry’s dollar growth, which is pretty remarkable and mind blowing. One caveat is that these consumers are defined as 12 and older, which skews the numbers. But it’s a real thing. Apparently, the trend began a decade ago and has grown steadily ever since.
Toymakers have actually begun creating lines of products just for them. Some even started making movies and TV shows for adults to support their product lines. I can relate to what’s going on because my daughter turns 24 this week and wants a big plushie called a squishmallow. They are unbelievably popular right now as are replica toys, which some friends of mine are buying. One of my good friends who is 10 years older than me had rooms full of unopened Batman toys, lunchboxes and all sorts of stuff. Nostalgia definitely plays a role.
Kidults will shell out cash for collectibles that remind them of their childhood, which means toys from the 1980s and ’90s are actually being reproducing to satiate that growing desire among Millennials. Some members of Gen Z are also unplugged from smartphones in favor of flip phones. What should we make of this phenomenon? While an argument could be made that it enables people to revert back to childhood, abandon adulthood or bury their head in the sand, it’s also a whimsical way to embrace your inner child and do it thoughtfully.
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