Not kids, but 'kidults' are buying more toys and also driving the growth of toy industry

What comes to your mind when you think of toys? Kids? Of course, because they like to play with toys but they are not the only ones who like toys. Now, 'kidults' are crazier for toys than kids. 'Kidults' a sandwiched term for kids and adults, is not only the ones who are customers of toys but also the ones who are driving the entire toy industry.

This new consumer group of'kidults' are responsible for one-fourth of all toy sales annually. According to data from the NPD Group, these kids at hearts are driving $9 billion of growth in the toy industry every year.

Who are the 'kidults' inthe toy industry?

The NPD defines this group as people aged 12 and older. Kidults tend to spend more on toys because of their great fondness for cartoons, superheroes and collectables that may remind them of their childhood. They like to buy merchandise such as action figures, Legos sets and dolls that might typically be considered for kids.

In recent years, even toy makers have started creating new product lines specifically to target this cohort of customers as they realised that demand for toys is very high among this generation of adults.

Trends in the toy industry

In the 1970s and 1980s, the toy industry began to shift away from being just about the next innovative item and toward creating more products based on entertainment franchises. To be sure, there had been toys based on movies and TV shows before this time, but this is when the trend really took off.

Jeremy Padawer, the chief brand officer at toy company Jazwares said, "In 1977, ‘Star Wars’ launches, and you started seeing a lot more licensed products at retail, where we were celebrating our fandom with toys and collectables".This included non-toy merchandise such as bedsheets, crockery and clothing.

Since then, the definition of adulthood has also evolved, earlier it was to be a very upstanding, serious member of society. And to do that you had to demonstrate it intellectually, emotionally, in every other single way.

How did the 'kidulting' trend started in the toy industry?

Around a decade ago, as superhero movies and comic book culture exploded into the mainstream, this kidulting trend began to gain traction. It has become more important to toy companies' bottom lines in the last five years, according to James Zahn, editor-in-chief of "The Toy Book" and senior editor of "The Toy Insider."

Toy companies have even begun creating their own television and movie content in order to support toy lines. Mattel launched its own internal movie company and is set to release “Barbie” in July 2023 and Hasbro bought eOne and will set “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” in theatres in March.These films are not designed for young kids but instead cater to this older group of toy-loving consumers.

Kidults are coveted consumers because they are often willing to spend more money than others on items for themselves and right now, adult toy buyers are the reason for the growth in the toy industry.

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