Why it matters:
- Adult consumers are spending billions on toys, games, and collectibles each year, and that spending is expected to continue to grow. In 2024, toy purchases by consumers ages 13 and up surpassed toys purchased for 3- to 5-year-olds for the first time.
- A recent global survey found that 87% of people believe play can cure isolation and loneliness, and that 79% believe it can bring different groups of people closer together.
- Gen Z adults increasingly are seeking out the kinds of in-person, non-digital experiences that games and play provide.
A growing number of industries are targeting an increasingly important and profitable demographic group – grownups who want the kind of fun and games previously targeted at kids.
This demographic, frequently referred to as ‘kidults’ in the toy and entertainment industries, is expected to generate billions in annual sales over the next decade.
Kidulting is getting a lot of attention lately, but the term was coined back in the 1950s to describe adults who were fans of superhero cartoon shows. Those early kidults caused television studios to start airing cartoon shows in the early evenings, after work hours.
Now, the term is expanding beyond adult fans and toy collectors to describe grownups looking to play to relax, interact with others in person, or reconnect with beloved brands from their childhood.
Kidults are driving sales of collectible toys and deluxe Lego sets for adults, influencing the marketing decisions of brands large and small, and spurring the creation of new hospitality and amusement venues.
Kidulting has moved beyond trend to become a permanent focus for all brands, Amanda Cioletti, Vice President of Content and Strategy at License Global, the leading trade publication for the licensing industry, told CO—.
“You have to have product ranges that speak to your fans and whether those fans are pre-schoolers or adults you want to meet them where they are,” Cioletti said.
The toy and entertainment industries were the first to capitalize on kidults, but other industries are realizing it can be a powerful growth driver.
The mega ‘kidulting’ business spans toys and hospitality, consumer goods, and more
The toy industry, for decades, has been running marketing campaigns about the importance of play in child development. Now, toymakers and other businesses are promoting the idea that play is crucial for adults as well.
Toy manufacturer Mattel, in April, released a global research study showing that 94% of people believe play is important, with 87% saying it can help solve isolation and loneliness, and 79% saying play has the power to bridge social differences.
Another recent report, The Return of Touch, from marketing experience company Quad/Graphics, Inc., and The Harris Poll, found that more than 81% of Gen Z consumers said they wish it was easier to disconnect from digital devices, and that three-fourths of U.S. adults are eager for in-person experiences with brands and retailers.
“Young people are actively seeking what screens can’t deliver – serendipitous human connection,” Libby Rodney, Chief Strategy Officer, The Harris Poll, told CO—.
“The businesses winning with Gen Z and millennials are the ones helping them reclaim serendipity and genuine human moments in a world that’s optimized those experiences away,” Rodney said.
Young people are actively seeking what screens can’t deliver – serendipitous human connection. The businesses winning with Gen Z and millennials are the ones helping them reclaim serendipity and genuine human moments in a world that’s optimized those experiences away.Libby Rodney, Chief Strategy Officer, The Harris Poll
The report, Josh Golden, Chief Marketing Officer of Quad, told CO—, “highlights the clear and identified interest, specifically for millennials and Gen Z, in putting down their phone and engaging in real life.” It also identified ways retailers and brands can tap into that and engage more playfully with young adults through in-store experiences and other non-screen marketing methods.
Here are some of the ways brands and businesses in diverse industries are tapping into the kid-adult market:
Toys: Adults become a prized age group for brands from LEGO to Hasbro
In the first quarter of 2024, Americans ages 18 and up generated the highest toy sales of any age group, surpassing purchases for 3 to 5 year olds for the first time, and becoming the most important age group for the toy industry, according to a report by research firm Circana.
In the first quarter of this year, adults spent $1.8 billion on toy purchases for themselves, the highest spending of all age groups, according to Circana.
Three of the world’s largest toy companies—Hasbro, LEGO, and Mattel—have helped drive adult sales by leaning into the kidult category.
LEGO has always had a healthy number of adult fans buying its more complex and expensive sets, but surging sales to adults have helped push LEGO’s revenues to record levels. LEGO’s consumer sales jumped 12% in 2024, a year when the overall toy industry down 1%.
Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast division, which includes Magic: The Gathering, a collectible card game with a fan base with an average age of 30, has been the company’s top revenue driver in recent years, generating over $1 billion in annual sales.
In April, Mattel released a LeBron James doll targeted toward adult fans, with a $75 price tag, that sold out almost instantly.
Mattel also is targeting adult gamers with the launch of pop-up UNO Social Clubs, where grownups can gather to play the popular card game. The first UNO Social Club is scheduled to open at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas in July, with others planned for bars and other grownup venues around the country.
[Read: Retro Rewards: How Businesses Are Monetizing the Nostalgia Trend to Win Over New Customers]
Entertainment: Success of the Barbie movies spurs plans for dozens of movies geared toward kidults
The success of the Barbie movie, which has grossed over $1.44 billion worldwide since its 2023 release, convinced Hollywood that there is a huge audience of adults for entertainment featuring nostalgic brands from their childhood.
Movie studios and toy companies are collaborating to make movies starring dozens of toys, including Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars, Masters of the Universe dolls, Monopoly, and Magic 8 Ball.
There has been what Cioletti of License Global calls “a democratization” of fandom, meaning brands are embracing fans of all ages and backgrounds and creating experiences for them.
“No longer is Masters of the Universe for 4- to 10-year-old boys,” Cioletti said. “It’s for everyone, and it’s for their dads, and it’s for people who don’t have children, and it’s for people who grew up on it, it’s for anyone to experience. You have so many choices when it comes to entertainment these days, and more often than not, the familiar — the reimagined of what you loved, the things that made an impression when you were young — become what you want to resonate with as an adult,” she said.
Consumer Goods: From Pac-Man watches to Squishmallows jewelry, kidult tie-ins generate billions in sales
A growing number of brands aimed at adult consumers are demonstrating that connecting their products with playful themes and childhood nostalgia can drive sales.
The Casio electronics company is collaborating with the Pac-Man arcade game brand owned by Bandai Namco Entertainment, Inc., on a collection of Pac-Man watches, in honor of the 45th anniversary of the arcade game. Donut brand Krispy Kreme also celebrated Pac-Man’s anniversary by creating a series of limited edition Pac-Man themed donuts for sale in its shops and at its retail partners during May.
The cuddly plush toys, Squishmallows, created by Jazwares for kids and embraced by adult fans, has announced licensing deals for adult-targeted products ranging from skincare regimes and lip balm to jewelry and accessories.
Licensing deals inspired by toys and kid-geared brands are big business. License Global’s list of the 2024 top grossing licensing brands in terms of retail sales shows that iconic kid brands generate billions in licensing deals for a wide range of consumer goods and experiences. Disney, Mattel, Hasbro, and the Pokémon brand all ranked among the top 10 brands.
Hospitality: Restaurants and bars turn to play to create a new definition of night life
Restaurant and nightlife companies are adding play to their newest concepts as a way to attract young adults.
Jennifer Worthington, CEO and Founder of hospitality company Play Social, which operates Play Playground immersive entertainment venues for adults in Las Vegas and Nashville, said she’s seen the ability of play to create lasting connections.
Since the first Play Playground opened in early 2024 in the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, it has drawn over 270,000 visitors and seen at least six engagements by couples who met and played there.
“We use large-scale games as a way to encourage people to interact with each other again – whether that’s people you come into the venue with – or new friends,” Worthington told CO—.
Venues like Toca Social, which combines interactive soccer-related games with dining and drinking, and Flight Club, a high-tech darts bar, are looking to expand in the United States, and join other gaming and dining establishments such as Topgolf, Dave & Buster’s, Pinstripes, and Lucky Strike.
These types of venues are thriving because people are craving connection, Worthington said.
“If you can provide an outlet, whether it’s an UNO café for Mattel, or a Play Playground, or a Top Golf, and create that environment for people to come and connect, I think it is very healthy for people right now, and comforting,” Worthington said.
CO— aims to bring you inspiration from leading respected experts. However, before making any business decision, you should consult a professional who can advise you based on your individual situation.
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