When he was a kid, Jeremy Hart played with Warm Wheels, but he later grew tired of them and stored the small cars in a toolbox.
Three years ago, he and his brother attended the California Hot Wheels agreement, and nostalgia immediately struck.
When I look and see those Hot Tires from my childhood, I get these little flashes and glances of memories and feelings, Hart said.
Now, the 48-year-old has thoroughly embraced his inward child. He has spent hundreds of dollars on Hot Wheels, and he is constantly looking for new models that can be compared to those he’s owned or that were a part of his younger TV shows like” The Fall Guy” and” The Dukes of Hazzard.” Hart happily displays his set at Dent Express, the auto body shop he started in Torrance, California.
Hart is just one of a growing number of individuals who are displaying their fans on their tables and shelves while buying toys for themselves, reclaiming youth memories, and displaying their fans on their shelves. Some have succeeded in monetizing their addictions, generating lucrative website followings for gadget fans.
Mattel, the Lego Group, Hasbro, and MGA Entertainment are among the toy manufacturers who have noticed the growth of these “kidults” and are now starting to produce games with these clients in mind.
Although the El Segundo-based business has much counted individuals among followers of its major companies like Hot Wheels and Barbie, selling to people have increased over the past few years, according to Mattel President and Chief Commercial Officer Steve Totzke. Depending on the brand, he said, adult collectors may accounts for up to 25 % of sales.
Totzke, who has worked for Mattel for more than 20 decades,” I’m really thrilled that the rest of the industry and society is catching up,” she said.” I do think play is important and you should be enjoying toys and delight at all ages.”
During the COVID-19 crisis, U. S. toy businesses saw profits wave as people stuck at home looked for activities to do. Selling to people who are at least 18 years old and buying products for themselves are also going strong, according to market research firm Circana, despite the decline in overall development.
In the 12 months ending June 2024, U. S. adults tallied more than$ 7 billion in toy purchases, the figures from Circana show. Some of the top-selling games for adults include Pokémon, Star Wars, Lego Star Wars sets, Funko Pop! and Squishmallows. From January to April, people bought more products than any other time group, surpassing children for the first time, according to Circana.
In the second quarter, from April to June, sales for adults ages 18 to 34 grew by 10 %, while sales for ages 35 and older grew by 9 % compared with the same period last year.
Azusa Sakamoto, a 42-year-old nail actor and Barbie superfan, started collecting Barbie dolls and all the equipment and furnishings tied to the mannequin when she was a girl. Known as Azusa Barbie, Sakamoto opinions Barbie as more of a “fashion image” than a toy. Some individuals love Chanel. She loves Barbie.
” I only get whatever I like, you know, whatever makes me happy”, she said. ” I do n’t think … age matters”.
Inside her West Hollywood house, Sakamoto is living in a Barbie earth. Pink rooms have sets of Barbies lining them. There’s a Barbie kitchen, Barbie screen colors and a Barbie drawer.
Pink-haired Sakamoto said she relates to Barbie’s positivity and freedom. She claims to have sold 300 Barbie shirts and more than 600 dolls, and she has shared her fans and new purchases on social media.
According to a survey conducted by Circana in 2024, approximately 43 % of adults in the United States purchased toys for themselves in the last year. Some of the major reasons individuals said they bought playthings were for socializing, enjoyment and collecting. Some responded they purchased products to escape from reality, show in their houses or as opportunities.
Harrison Woodward said the arrival of a concept car from the Lego Technic set renewed his interest in the intricately connected cheap constructions.
” I was caught after that”, he said. I adored the tranquility it brought me. … They’re like 3D riddles”.
He’s now spent close to$ 20, 000 on Lego models, with the majority of the purchases made within the last year. The 26-year-old began earning payment from the social media platform after his clips of him purchasing, building, and showcasing Lego pieces went viral on TikTok. He likewise entered funding agreements with retailers and other businesses.
The Arizona citizen claimed that because of his successful Lego business, he was able to leave his insurance job a few months ago to start creating virtual content full-time. Some of his films, which feature versions of the Titanic, the Eiffel Tower, and the Great Pyramid of Giza, have received millions of views on TikTok and Instagram.
Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a professor of psychology at Temple University, said playing with toys as an child may be beneficial, helping people develop enthusiasm, creativity and communication. People should be afraid, nevertheless, if they’re buying puppets as a replacement for making friends in actual life.
It’s chipped away at social associations adults make because people are experiencing more of the feelings of loneliness, despair, and stress while they spend more time scrolling on their phones, she said.
” They ca n’t be a substitute for humans”, she said. I’m all for it if these products become a way to allow people to play with other people once more, though.
Juli Lennett, vice president and business director, games, for Circana, said social media has made it simple for people to find others with the same hobbies, making it more socially acceptable to purchase products as an adult. Toy enthusiasts online have provided reassurance for some adults who wonder whether buying a doll house they did n’t have when they were younger is healthy behavior.
Charli D’Amelio, a social media star, has unveiled her Squishmallows collection on Instagram. Sammy Sullivan, an Olympic rugby player, is a huge fan of Lego sets. SAG-AFTRA President , Fran Drescher , brought a heart-shaped plushie to union bargaining sessions. When Fisher Price unveiled a Little People Collector Britney Spears set in September, blogger , Perez Hilton , posted” NEED this”! on X, formerly Twitter.
” There is that opportunity to really think about the audience and create more toys for that more adult audience,” Lennett said.
On Mattel Creations, a website for collectors, adults can find limited-edition collectibles that are of higher quality than toys designed for kids.
A$ 300 Shogun Warriors Skeletor figure that is more than 2 feet tall, a$ 200 Porsche 930 Porsche in a display case modeled after a white sculpture by artist Daniel Arsham, and a$ 30 brightly colored Magic 8 balls decorated like an astronaut Barbie or a Hot Wheels race car driver were recently listed as selling out.
In 2020, Mattel released a$ 400 remote-controlled , Tesla Cybertruck , with a vinyl” cracked” window sticker — a nod to when Tesla CEO Elon Musk smashed the “bulletproof” window on the car.
” There’s an aspect of designing for rarity, and then there’s also an aspect of modern play”, said Chris Down, Mattel’s chief design officer. Down and his Mattel team asked themselves,” How are adult consumers not just playing with something the way you would play with it as a child but also playing all the way through to displaying” when designing toys.
Mattel has partnered with artists, an Italian design company, a streetwear brand and others on toys and products. It has tapped into cultural and entertainment draws such as” Harry Potter”, Pokémon,” Wicked” and the hit television show” Breaking Bad”, creating new figurines based on their characters. The business released Little People NFL collector sets in conjunction with Formula One in order to create new F1-themed hot wheels. The popularity of the 2023 Barbie movie, which grossed more than$ 1 billion at the box office, drove sales for the dolls.
Mattel reported net sales of$ 1.08 billion in the second quarter, down 1 % compared with the same period last year. Net income surged to$ 57 million, more than doubling the total from the previous year.
Additionally, The Lego Group has begun embracing adult customers who identify as AFOLs ( Adult Fan of Lego ). On the Lego brand’s website, replicas of the Mona Lisa, cars, plants and more are featured online with the words” Adults Welcome”.
The Lego Group’s senior marketing director, Genevieve Capa Cruz, stated that the company anticipates growing sales for both adults and children.
According to consumer research, “adults who are building with Lego bricks also tend to gift it to the kids in their lives and encourage building together, making it an even more enjoyable activity for everyone in the family,” she said in a statement.
Other toy manufacturers have been gaining the attention of young adults by providing them with customization options.
MGA Entertainment, the Los Angeles-based company that makes Bratz dolls, sells mini do-it-yourself collectible sets, including one in which fans can make their own wizarding potions from” Harry Potter” or weapons from” The Lord of the Rings”. The company’s Miniverse collection also offers the chance for adults ( 21 and over, please ) to make mini cocktails.
” People adore the attention to detail in the toy. It’s like collecting a piece of art”, said Isaac Larian, founder and chief executive of MGA Entertainment.
Adults make up around 15 % to 20 % of the company’s sales, he said. Those between the ages of 18 and 35 represent the company’s” sweet spot”, but its consumers also can be older. The MGA is currently raising money for a Kylie Jenner Bratz doll, and this month it started releasing dolls based on” Mean Girls” characters. Both are targeted at young adults.
Hart and other Hot Wheel fans have plans to buy more of the collection in the future.
” It’ll probably be never-ending for me”, he said. I’ll have a lot of real estate to fill once I get to the display case of the next size.
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