‘Kidults’ now responsible for a quarter of all US toy sales
Adults buying toys for themselves are now responsible for a whopping one-quarter of toy sales in the United States, emphasizing how permanent adolescence is becoming increasingly common.
Countless adults, mostly men, who are collecting things like Lego sets, Star Wars action dolls and Funko Pops, are almost single-handedly keeping the toy industry afloat as actual children become more fixated on video games.
Toy companies are now creating “product lines just for these consumers” to meet growing demand because ‘kidults’ (mostly men in their late 20’s, 30’s and even 40’s) want to be constantly reminded of their childhood.
“These kids at heart are responsible for one-fourth of all toy sales annually, around $9 billion worth, and are the biggest driver of growth throughout the industry,” reports CNBC.
“The definition of adulthood has definitely evolved,” said Jeremy Padawer, chief brand officer at toy company Jazwares. “What it used to mean, to be an adult, 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.”
“Now we feel a lot more free to express our fandom as a part of our adulthood,” he added.
In other words, ‘kidults’ can seemingly no longer handle the pressure of behaving like adults and have chosen instead to regress to a juvenile state of consumerist nostalgia.
A society that trains men to pursue hook-up culture, refuse to settle down and get married is undoubtedly one of the reasons why man-babies are becoming increasingly prevalent.
The chemical bombardment from our environment, primarily through plastics and other pollutants impacting testosterone, is also feminizing men and keeping them trapped in a mentally pre-pubescent, emasculated mindset.
Meanwhile, as Michael Snyder highlights, figures show that around half of young adults aged 18-29 are still living at home with at least one parent.
While crippling student debt loans and unaffordable housing are the two primary factors driving the phenomenon, the fact that more and more adults appear to not want to grow up is also playing a major role.
