Emotional Consumption: Are Plush Toys the "Mental Ibuprofen" of Adults?

IT LOOKED LIKE a typical fish-and-chip shop. Aproned chefs tended to frying baskets and wrapped orders in newspaper. But the catch of the day came with a catch of its own: at Selfridges, a department store in London, patrons were buying toys rather than trawl. Cuddly cod were garnished with fuzzy lemons and served with plushy peas. The cheapest item cost $25, twice the cost of an actual meal. Jellycat, the British brand behind the pop-up shop, invited everyone to play with their food.

The world has gone soft for soft toys. On TikTok videos tagged #Plushies, featuring various stuffed creatures and objects, have been viewed around 8bn times. Stampedes have broken out at shops. The Jellycat pop-up required visitors to book a slot. Labubu dolls—elfin figures in fluffy outfits made by Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company—are popular across world.

It is not young kids driving the demand but “kidults” (those aged 12 and above). Kidults now account for over a quarter of sales and, in 2023, surpassed preschoolers for the first time as the biggest age cohort for toys overall.

The craze began during the pandemic, as teenagers and young adults, stuck at home amid a global upheaval, sought succour in cute playthings. Lucy Dray, the owner of an online soft-toy shop called Baby Beans, says that plushies “bring people happiness and comfort”—two states that “can be quite hard to find in the world we live in”. Pop psychologists on social media have also preached the benefits of reconnecting with your younger self. One influencer suggested that collecting luxury teddy bears was “healing [her] inner child”.

And as many defer having children until their late 20s or early 30s, kidults have more money to splurge on themselves. Soft toys are an everyday indulgence: you can spend anywhere between $10 and $250 on a Squishmallow. (Or, if you want a limited-edition black cat, you can buy one on eBay for more than $1,500.)

Collectors are not put off by such steep prices: if anything, they only add to the allure. Like obtaining a concert ticket or a sports trading card, getting your hands on a rare plushie gives you bragging rights. Celebrity endorsements have heightened their desirability further. Kim Kardashian and Lady Gaga are avowed fans.

Some will argue that the plushie craze is another sign of an “infantilised” generation. But trivial treasures have thrived in many eras. In the 1980s it was Cabbage Patch Kids; in the 1990s it was Beanie Babies. In due course “fading novelty could occur with specific toys”, says Dave Neale of Cambridge University, who studies games. “But I don’t see it as possible for play more generally because it’s so broad and varied.”

For the time being, plushies are staying put in bedrooms everywhere. When Paco the Salamander, a toy influencer, joked on TikTok that she was “ready to grow up” and get rid of her sizeable plushie collection, her followers insisted that “you’re never too old” to own them. For toymakers, it is all about the soft sell.