Against the backdrop of sluggish household consumption, the French toy market has shown surprising vitality, recording a strong increase in sales described as \u201crare in the past 25 years.\u201d Supporting this counter\u2011trend growth is a group of financially capable \u201cbig kids\u201d who are willing to pay for their own hobbies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Toy industry professionals refer to this emerging consumer group as \u201ckidults\u201d \u2014 teenagers and adults aged 12 and above. According to market research firm Circana, toy sales targeting consumers aged 12 and over surged by 22% this year. Baudouin, President of the Jou\u00e9Club toy retail group, said this represents \u201ca level of growth rarely seen in 25 years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These \u201colder players\u201d began to emerge during the COVID\u201119 pandemic. During lockdowns, activities such as puzzles and coloring books became legitimate reasons for adults to buy toys for themselves. They include collectors of Pok\u00e9mon cards, Star Wars or Marvel figurines, as well as social players who enjoy board games and puzzles with family and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A recent survey released by research institute JuniorCity shows that 47% of people aged 13 to 55 either buy toys for themselves or have received toys as gifts, with an average ownership of 12 toys per person. Among kidults aged 20 to 55, annual spending on toys for personal enjoyment is close to \u20ac200, with men aged 26 to 35 being particularly willing to spend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The primary motivation for \u201cbig kids\u201d to buy toys is \u201crelaxation.\u201d Circana\u2019s global toy industry expert Fr\u00e9d\u00e9rique Tutt explained that amid widespread anxiety, French consumers seek moments of ease and comfort through toys. The fact that the average viewer age of children\u2019s TV channel Gulli is 33.6 years also indirectly confirms this trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the number of adult customers grows, traditional occasions such as Valentine\u2019s Day, Mother\u2019s Day, and Father\u2019s Day are gradually becoming new peak seasons for toy retailers. Mattel France has expanded its product lines for adults: in early September, its Hot Wheels brand launched a Mercedes model on Amazon, which sold out in less than three hours. Meanwhile, the \u201cBookNook\u201d miniature scene models that recently went viral on social media have become highly popular for combining hands\u2011on enjoyment with home d\u00e9cor appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Retail chains are also actively targeting \u201cbig kids.\u201d In July this year, King Jouet opened three King\u2019Dultes pop\u2011up stores in Marseille, Paris, and Nantes. Originally scheduled to close at the end of the year, the pop\u2011ups have been extended until April next year due to performance \u201cexceeding expectations.\u201d La Grande R\u00e9cr\u00e9 is renovating its stores by creating adult\u2011only zones near the entrance, displaying construction toys, board games, and popular IP \u201cfan corners,\u201d allowing adult customers to enter toy stores more confidently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Declaration: This article comes from Shanghai Observer News.If copyright issues are involved, please contact us to delete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Against the backdrop of sluggish household consumption, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stationery-trade-news"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.stationerytrade.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-5.png\")
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