‘Kids at Heart’ Account for 60% of Toy Sale Growth

Kids aren’t the only ones excited by a toy sale.

One-quarter of the toys sold each year are going to adults, CNBC reported Monday (Dec. 19), citing a study by NPD Group.

What’s more, these “kidults” represent the greatest source of growth for the toy industry. While the industry’s sales declined 3% during the first nine months of the year, revenue rose 3%, driven by higher prices caused by both inflation and the willingness of these “kids at heart” to spend more on toys that they are buying for themselves, according to the report.

Sixty percent of the industry’s dollar growth over the last 12 months has come from these adults — even though they represent only a quarter of sales — the report said.

These adults are buying toys the remind them of their childhood — particularly licensed products related to entertainment franchises like Star Wars and superhero movies, per the report.

Responding to this trend, manufacturers are creating products catering to them, the report said. These include Lego sets tied to entertainment franchises, Hasbro high-quality action figures based on Star Wars and Marvel movies, Mattel’s Barbie and Hot Wheels lines, Razor’s electric versions of their scooters and Basic Fun’s $100 Lite-Brite set based on Stranger Things, according to the report.

NPD did not immediately reply to PYMNTS’ request for comment.

The Wall Street Journal reported in October that adult buyers of toys aren’t just keeping them in the package as collectibles or reselling them to turn a quick profit — they’re unpacking them and engaging with them.

This trend has been driven in part by the pandemic, during which many adults bought these products as a way to cope with stress, as well as a growing societal acceptance of adults buying these items and active discussion of these items on social media, according to the report.

In another sign of the power of toy and game brands, Games Workshop — the creator of the Warhammer game and miniatures — announced Friday (Dec. 16) that it has reached an agreement in principle with Amazon Content Services to let the Amazon subsidiary develop films, television shows and merchandise around the game creator’s intellectual property.

Actor Henry Cavill, who is set to star in Warhammer 40,000, is a long-time fan of the game. Early in the pandemic, he posted on social media a photo of himself painting a Games Workshop miniature.

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