Toys for Grown-ups a Growing Market

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Elizabeth Hulanick has turned to toys from her childhood to deal with worry and stress.

She started bringing Lego toys to work to build things out of the colorful blocks with her co-workers. She also started playing with Silly Putty, a toy made of special rubbery material that changes colors. Playing with the Silly Putty, she said, brought her comfort.

"I always need something to be tinkering with, and that's probably the safest bet for me to stick with a toy versus¹ keep trying to figure out how to fix cars or something like that," said Hulanick, who is 37 years old and lives in New Jersey².

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, many adults turned to toys to remember feelings from their childhood. The stresses from the worldwide health crisis only grew that trend, said Jim Silver. He is editor-in-chief of TTPM, a toy review website.

Many toymakers see adults' interest in toys as a long-lasting thing, even after the pandemic fully³ ends. This so-called "kid-adult" market is a big part of the toy industry. The market is the second-fastest-growing group after customers aged⁴ 12 to 17.

Some toy companies are creating new products, services and websites designed for the older group.

For example, Mattel's American Girl Cafe recently added alcoholic⁵ drinks to their menu after seeing adults show up without children. American Girl makes popular, costly⁶ dolls.

Last year, the company Build-a-Bear launched a website called Bear Cave for customers 18 and over. Products include a stuffed rabbit holding a bottle of wine.

Even the fast-food restaurant McDonald's is marketing⁷ to toy-loving adults. It released its adult Happy Meals in October. McDonald's President and CEO Chris Kempczinski said the company sold half its supply of collectible toys in the first four days of the special deal.

The Lego Group has been increasing its products for adults since 2020. It now has 100 toys designed for older customers. Among the most popular toys for adults are Star Wars and Harry⁸ Potter-linked Lego sets. That information comes from NPD Group Inc., a market research company.

Genevieve Cruz is senior director at Lego. She said, "The pandemic certainly served as a catalyst⁹ for this trend as adults found themselves stuck at home with nothing else to do with a lot of time [on] their hands."

Cruz added, "We do believe that the trend goes beyond the pandemic."

Words in This Story

stress –n. a state of mental tension from pressure

trend –n. something that is currently popular or fashionable

review –v. to report one's opinion about the quality of some product

comfort –n. a state where a person is at ease and is not feeling any pain

tinkering –n. the activity of trying to fix something by making small changes

customer –n. a person who buys goods or services

menu –n. a list of the things offered at a restaurant

catalyst –n. a person of thing that brings about a change or starts some kind of action

1 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

2 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

5 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

6 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

7 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

8 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

9 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。