Kidults – a term that has become somewhat ubiquitous in toy circles in recent years. So ubiquitous, in fact, that there are even people on LinkedIn who have nothing better to do than moan about how much they hate the word, and how we should find a better way of describing that particular audience demographic. Sure, the word Kidult is a bit clunky (although nowhere near as cringeworthy as terms like ‘phygital’), but the alternatives I’ve seen suggested are way worse. And anyway, the semantics are largely irrelevant: we know precisely what the word refers to, and that’s what counts.
Ultimately, the crucial element is the growing importance of Kidults to the global toy market. Earlier this year, Circana US announced that in Q1, Kidult sales had overtaken the pre-school segment for the first time to become the industry’s most important demographic, posting a whopping $1.5b in toy sales from January to April.
A few weeks ago, the latest Circana Europe report revealed that the Kidult market now represents 28.5% of total toy sales in Europe, with €4.5b sales in 2023. The report also confidently predicted that this trend is set to continue.
So, it’s all fantastic news for the toy community, right? Well, perhaps not all fantastic. The Circana report also stated that – and I quote – “sales to children under 12 years old are in decline.” Partly this is down to shifting population demographics, with an ageing population and a decline in the birth rate (-3% over the past decade). Compounding that trend, sales of toys to children have fallen significantly since 2021, with spend per child also declining.
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