The “kidult” market — adults buying toys for themselves — is the fastest-growing segment in South Africa’s toy industry. The demand is fuelled by nostalgia, the search for stress relief and relaxation, a passion for collectables, and the need for a break from digital overload.
While children are increasingly glued to screens, adults are rediscovering the joys of toys. The term “kidult”, first coined in the 1950s to describe grown-ups who still watched children’s TV shows, has roared back as adults snap up products once marketed exclusively to children.
Globally, kidults now account for 28% of all toy sales, a category that has grown at about 10% a year over the past two years. In South Africa, the broader toy and hobby market is valued at about $2bn a year.
Retailers such as Toy Kingdom and Toys R Us are exploiting the trend. At the annual South African Council of Shopping Centres congress last month, Toy Kingdom MD Hylton Bannon called kidults the fastest-growing category in the local toy market, boosted by lockdown-era habits when adults returned to puzzles, Lego sets, model trains and construction kits.
Lego is leading the surge with adult-targeted ranges spanning Formula One cars, Land Rovers, trains and even its popular botanical series of buildable flowers. Radio-controlled cars are also enjoying a resurgence, fuelled by F1’s popularity.
Bannon tells the FM that while many independent toy stores are closing worldwide, speciality stores such as Toy Kingdom are doing well by focusing on experience over price. In-store “unboxing events” for Hot Wheels, for example, draw big crowds. E-commerce can’t offer the same experience, though online is strong for convenience-driven purchases such as birthday gifts.
The appeal of toys for adults is evident across the industry. Build-A-Bear, part of Toy Kingdom locally, generates 40% of its sales from teens and adults. Hasbro says 60% of its revenue now comes from consumers aged 13 and older, with franchises such as Star Wars and Spider-Man designed to hook collectors.
Globally, Squishmallows — made by Jazwares, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway — are popular across age groups, while Hasbro’s Dungeons & Dragons remains a hit among adult gamers.
The numbers are compelling. Consultancy Verified Market Research forecasts that the global toys market will reach $148bn by 2032 (from $106bn in 2024). Toy collectables alone are projected to surge from $19.2bn in 2023 to $45.2bn by 2031. This category spans action figures, die-cast cars, plush toys and building sets, with leading players including Hasbro, Mattel and Lego leveraging nostalgia, pop culture and limited-edition releases to attract adult fans.
The kidulting wave is also evident in consumer behaviour. According to market research firm Circana, sales to children have dropped by $200m since 2018 in Europe, while kidult spending rose by $1bn. In the US, kidults make up 14% of sales, spending $9bn annually.
Data analytics company Euromonitor International projects that South Africa’s toy market will hit R19.7bn in 2025, up 8.4% from last year. Spending in this category was R16.8bn in 2023.
Greg Aubin, spokesperson for Euromonitor International, says the kidulting trend is strong in the construction toys category, with Lego being the standout brand. The group has launched Lego Icons and Creator Expert, which feature more complex builds. Its licensed sets are tied to adult favourites such as Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings.
There are “mindfulness-oriented sets” such as modular buildings and botanical collections, designed to offer stress relief and encourage creativity.
Kidulting is also strong in the model vehicles category, with the Hot Wheels and Matchbox brands, both owned by Mattel, leading in this segment. “There is some sense of collectability with these toys, and parents are enjoying creating shared experiences with their children,” says Aubin.
Much of the momentum comes from Lego’s 18-plus lines, including high-ticket sets including the Star Wars Millennium Falcon, a Nintendo NES console replica, floral bouquets, Japanese gardens, and landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower.
Partnerships between toy companies and global franchises are fuelling demand. Mattel’s licensing deal with F1 has spawned F1-themed Hot Wheels, while Lego has collaborated with Red Bull Racing to produce a Technic version of its F1 car.
The rise of collectables has also given momentum to Comic Con Africa, the continent’s biggest celebration of pop culture and gaming. Tens of thousands of comic book fans and gamers flocked to Nasrec in Joburg over the past weekend for the sixth edition.
Collectables are now a £510m category in the UK, while Mintel’s latest report highlights stuffed toys as a growing segment among young adults. Though merchandise from big entertainment franchises isn’t new — think Star Wars figurines — and was very profitable in the 1970s, this new wave of collectables has found a wider audience.
What was once a niche has now clicked neatly into the mainstream — proof that kidulting isn’t child’s play, but a serious growth engine.
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