NOW, ADULTS MAKE UP 25% OF ALL TOY SALES, BUYING THEM FOR THEMSELVES

It’s that time year where consumerism takes a strong shot of caffeine, cocaine, or whatever hypes the market into spending overdrive.  For retailers, you could call it the happy holidays, merry Christmas, Kwanzaa or absolute acquisitiveness.  People spend a lot more for the holiday season, and scour the market for deals, steals, or simple availability.  And toys are always at the forefront of these weeks, where parents scour in-person and virtual stores for that must have item and its accoutrement while supplies last.  But when it comes to toy sales, there is an astounding number to consider.  It turns out that 25% of all toy sales are by adults who are buying them for themselves.

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Some of this could be that we are all perceiving the world as extra insane these days.  Though that may be driven by the unprecedented level that we all consume news now like never before.  Regardless of why, adults are flocking to buy toys for themselves.  Perhaps adults are hearkening back to the things that brought them joy as children to compensate?  As it is, the toy market as a whole faces serious challenges to remain in the green.  And two things are making that possible this season: inflation and the now solid demographic of adults buying toys for themselves.  After all, 255 of the market share is a big number.

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ADULT MARKET SHARE OF 25% REPRESENTS $9 BILLION OF TOYS SALES ANNUALLY

It’s not clear if it will stick, but some are calling this new consumer power group of adults buying toys for themselves “Kidults.”  And their ¼ of all toy sales power group translates into about $9 billion of toy sales annually.  Even more astounding is that they are now the largest single driver of growth in the entire industry.  Kidults tend to spend more on toys, with a particular penchant for cartoons, superheroes and collectibles.  Think: action figures and Lego sets and dolls that are technically marketed to kids.

Actually, that’s not a bad idea.  Maybe I can find a deal on the monster size Lego Millennium Falcon!