British adults spent £383 million on toys in 2017, accounting for 11% of total toy sector.
The trend for adults buying games and puzzles, building sets, action figures and other collectables for themselves is continuing to grow, according to new statistics released today by NPD.
The latest figures show that ‘kidults’ – or adults aged 18+ – spent £383 million on toys in 2017, accounting for 11% of the total toy sector.
Notably, £1 in every £9 spent on toys is adults buying for themselves.
Breaking this down further, and NPD reports that Millennials (18-34) account for almost half (48%) of the spend among grown ups buying toys for themselves; Generation X-ers (35-54) account for 28%; and Boomers (55+) account for 24%.
Among Millennials, 62% of the money spent on toys for adults is by young parents. Another four in ten (38%) are not yet into parenthood. Many of this group are fans of pop culture, expressing their fandom by buying toys – such as the Funko Pop Vinyl figures.
Men represent 55% of Millennials’ spend on toys, rising to two thirds (66%) of Gen X and 70% of Boomers.
The internet also claims 56% of the spend compared to 39% for overall toys and games.
The categories where the ‘kidult’ trend is most prominent are games and puzzles (19% of sales), building sets (15%), action figures (12%) and dolls (11%).
Frederique Tutt, global industry analyst, toys at NPD, said: “The wide variety in the toys adults are buying for themselves reveals the many reasons older people buy toys: from playing board games with adult friends to building sophisticated models, drones and robots.
“And the collectable market has expanded beyond the timeless classics of dolls, plush and action figures to include pop culture models.”
Frederique added: “The growing ‘kidult’ trend shows that where manufacturers and retailers can understand and meet the evolving needs of their audiences, they can grow sales in a very competitive and fast-paced sector. That is equally true whether your brand enjoys a strong heritage or features the very latest cool pop culture figure.”
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