Adults bought more toys for themselves than for any other age group last quarter for the first time ever, surpassing toys for even the historically-dominant preschooler market.
Consumers 18 years of age and up spent $1.5 billion in toy-related purchases in the period from January through April, overtaking the three-to five-year-old demographic as the most important age group for the toy industry, according to a new report from market research firm Circana.
Looking back over a longer period, the report said as many as 43% of adults purchased a toy for themselves in the past year, with the top reasons being for personal fun, socialization and for collecting.
Trading cards, Squishmallows (which are a rage across age groups), Lego sets and sports toys were among the most sought-after toy products in the period, the report said.
While adults have always bought toys for themselves, fueled by the collector market for brands like Barbie and Hot Wheels, that niche market, industry experts said, has gone mainstream in the last five years.
The pandemic was an important catalyst for it.
“During the pandemic, when people were flush with cash and had time to spend at home whether with their families or alone, they wanted to reconnect with the toys that made them happy as kids,” said James Zahn, Editor in Chief of industry trade publication The Toy Book
But people who were already toy collectors by that point ramped up their interest. “We’re talking everything, dolls, action figures and diecast vehicles, Outside of collectibles, boardgames, Lego building sets, trading cards, which are extraordinarily hot again, are also firing up adult interest.” James Zahn, Editor in Chief of industry trade publication The Toy Book
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