Kidulting 

Of course, like any good trend, this one needs a name and somebody somewhere, somehow came up with “Kidulting.” And while it seems a bit forced (and in the wake of rehashed news of Jeffrey Epstein, more than a little creepy), it does serve as an overriding theme for what’s happening as grown-ups become big players in the business of buying toys.

How big? Much depends on how you are defining non-kids, but by one measurement, those over the age of 12 (guess that’s the cut-off, though we’d at least go with 13 to keep it Old Testament-correct) accounted for somewhere around 16 percent of the total $43 billion toy industry. Circana, the research company that tracks conspicuous consumption, reported that from January to April this year, adults bought more toys than any other age group, surpassing preschoolers for the first time. And the trend has continued. In the second quarter, sales to adults in the 18-34 age range grew by 10 percent, while sales for those over age 35 grew by 9 percent during the same period, Circana said.

How Did This Happen?

Even if we admit grown-ups have been buying toys for a long time, it appears that the trend accelerated — and finally showed up on the radar — over the past five years. And what happened five years ago? The pandemic. Apparently, that combination of staying at home and nostalgic pining for earlier, simpler times made it an ideal breeding ground for kidulting. “Ever since the pandemic, the adult market for toys has been the growth area for the toy industry,” Juli Lennett, vice president and toys industry advisor at Circana, recently told Marketing Brew. “When there are times of stress, which it feels like we’re getting into that even now, consumers do tend to lean into when they were children and lean into toys.”

This timeframe also roughly coincided with the release of the Barbie movie; the first time a kids’ toy product was the basis for an entertainment property geared as much for grown-ups as kids. (And yes, a lot of adults watched the endless series of Toy Story films, but they were still primarily targeted at kids.) Sales of Barbie dolls — not to mention Barbie accessories, doll houses, cars and even Kens – spiked, and it’s generally believed that a decent proportion of those sales went to adults. Some were serious collectors — always a part of the toy business — but many were just those of a certain age wanting to have a Barbie to look at near their desk, bed, or TV.

Beyond Barbie 

But if Barbie sparked the trend, it was far from the only one making a play for big kids. Mattel’s brother brand for boys, Hot Wheels, launched its Collector series well before the Barbie movie and reports are that sales have tripled since 2017. Roberto Stanichi, executive vice president of Hot Wheels, in a recent interview put it in perspective. “I think it has to do a little bit with the moment that we live in, but at the same time, [there’s] this cross-generational nature of Hot Wheels.” He added, “1968 is when Hot Wheels came out. There are some of the original kids who played with Hot Wheels, and not only have they shared that with their kids, but now some of them are starting to have grandkids. So, you have three generations, full-cycle generations, of kids that grew up with Hot Wheels.”

Mattel has an entirely separate Mattel Creations website that caters to collectors at decidedly adult price points, ranging from $30 Magic 8 balls and a diecast $200 Porsche 930 to a two-foot-tall Shogun Warriors Skeletor figure retailing for $300. Lego caught on to all of this pretty early and began aggressively ramping up its offerings of building sets that were far beyond the juvenile stage. Its architecture series actually debuted in 2008 but more recently has been significantly expanded with 64 sets, ranging from Notre Dame to Japan’s Hemiji castle, as well as city skylines and Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. These are not afternoon playdates either: Notre Dame consists of 4,383 pieces and retails for $299.99.

Other big toy brands like Hasbro and MGA are also hitting up adults. Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast division, according to a recent article in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Good Company newsletter, has generated over $1 billion in annual sales from its Magic: The Gathering collectible card game, making it its best seller. The target audience, according to Hasbro, has an average age of 30.

MGA, known for its Bratz dolls — think Barbie with an attitude if you’re not familiar with them — has launched a series of customizable dolls clearly aimed at the older customer, as well as a Kylie Jenner Bratz that appeals to…whomever. Even Fisher Price, perhaps the quintessential kids’ brand, has a Little People Collector series that recently featured a Britney Spears version. Given that little kids have no idea who she even is, the intended customer is well above preschool age.

Even McDonald’s is getting into the act. Its Happy Meal program — which we suspect has always had a fair share of adult customers depending on the toy included — is launching a new series with collectible tins, each themed to a different classic McDonaldland character, from the Hamburglar to Grimace. Given that most five-year-olds today have no idea who these creatures are are, this is clearly an adult pitch, playing off nostalgia to a time when you didn’t need an Amex Gold Card to buy a Happy Meal. 

Can You Say Labubu?

And then there’s Labubu. The oddly named phenomenon has burst upon the scene over the past year, turning up everywhere from social media — of course — all the way to million-dollar fashion runway shows. If you don’t recognize the name, you’ve probably seen the doll. She’s a fuzzy little creature that resembles more of a demon than a sweet little gremlin, and multiple Labubu keyring charms hang from just about everybody-who’s-anybody’s handbag or backpack. Sold only by Pop Mart, a Chinese retailer that has more than 450 stores around the world but only about 40 in the U.S. (plus at least 50 “Roboshop” vending machines), Labubu dolls come in a mystery box where buyers only discover which one they’ve gotten after making the purchase. It’s a clever business model that has served Pop Mart well, with The Wall Street Journal reporting its sales have doubled since introducing the product line.

You may see them on kindergarten school bags, but you’re much more likely to spot them on adults. And while it’s quite possible the Labubu craze may have peaked and the knockoffs will show up at Walmart and dollar stores soon, there will no doubt be a next Labubu…and another one after that.

Finally, let’s not forget perhaps the first toy products that morphed into grown-up play vehicles: video games. For generations that started as far back as Ms. Pac-Man and Space Invaders and then progressed through Mario and Grand Theft Auto, electronic games have been a mainstay of their existence. The emergence of the E-Games professional sport or just killing time at the airport on your phone playing Minecraft or Fortnite, has made video games a fact of life for many adults. There’s a reason more than six million Switch 2 game consoles (at $449.99 by the way) have been sold since it was introduced less than three months ago. 

No Kidding

Is this all just a fad: Labubus, Hot Wheels and 4,000-piece Legos? Doubtful. The boomer generation never met a nostalgic reminder of their youth that they didn’t respond to. And with more time (and money) on their hands, they are likely to continue to drive this trend for the foreseeable future.

“There is that opportunity,” said Circana’s Lennett, “to really think about the audience and create more toys than we’ve never seen before for that more adult audience.”

It’s why even as the boomers age out, this kidulting thing is not going away. All the subsequent generations, from X and millennials to Z and even the emerging Alphas, are likely to have similar tendencies, recalling the better times of their youth and wanting to have and to hold reminders of the good old days.  It’s like the saying: “The older we get, the better we were.”