Kidults: why more and more adults collect toys

A figure next to your screen, a blind box opened over lunch, a shelf of characters in the living room: if that sounds familiar, you might be a kidult. The word raises a smile, but the trend is very real, and it weighs heavily in toy sales. Here is who these grown-up kids are, and why they (we) collect.

Kidult: the definition

Kidult is a blend of the words kid and adult. It describes teenagers and adults who buy toys for themselves, not for their children. Figures, building sets, plush toys, trading cards, models, art toys: anything goes.

Long gently mocked, this taste is now fully embraced. Brands have understood it, with collections designed for adults: premium boxes, limited editions, artists’ universes.

The numbers: a quarter of the toy market

Research firm Circana, which tracks toy sales, published a study in 2024 on people aged 12 and over in Europe’s five largest markets: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. Its findings, for 2023:

• people aged 12 and over bought around 4.5 billion euros (4.8 billion dollars) of toys;
• that is 28.5% of toy sales in those countries, more than one toy in four;
• this market has grown by 2.5% since 2022;
• adults are the fastest-growing age group, up 5.5% in two years;
• for some licences, such as Star Wars, more than half of sales are made to people aged 12 and over.

Why adults collect toys

Every collector has their own reasons, but the same ones often come up:

1. Nostalgia: finding the heroes and objects of your childhood.
2. Passion for a universe: a film, a manga, a video game, or an artist’s world.
3. The joy of collecting: searching, completing a series, finding the rare piece. Blind boxes and their secret figures play on this to the full.
4. Decoration: an art toy or a poster gives character to a desk or a shelf.
5. Simple pleasure: a small treat for yourself, a moment to unwind.

What kidults buy

According to Circana, board games, trading cards (such as Pokémon) and products from big licences (such as Star Wars) are among the purchases driving this market. But one category has exploded in recent years: blind boxes and art toys, those artist figures produced in limited editions.

The Labubu craze proved it: adults queue outside shops for a figure a few centimetres tall. And icons like KAWS have brought art toys into art galleries.

Toy or collectible?

There is a real difference. A toy is designed for children to play with, and must meet specific safety standards. An art toy or collectible figure is designed to be displayed by adults: that is why you often read “not suitable for children”. Our EQSO The Crew blind box, for example, is a collectible not recommended for children under 15.

Popterror, art toys for grown-up kids

At Popterror, we fully embrace the kidult side: our EQSO art toys are designed for adult collectors:

• the EQSO The Crew blind box, six street-style characters and one secret figure, to get started;
• the Series 2 vinyl art toys, such as Dark Light, limited to 300 copies, with a premium box and a signed certificate;
• signed posters to bring the universe onto your walls.

And if you are looking for an idea for another kidult, take a look at our gift ideas.

Source of the figures: Circana, 2024 press release on teens and adults in Europe, reported by Kidscreen.