At this year’s Spielwarenmesse, media attention exploded around toys for “kidults,” or adults who enjoy purchasing toys for themselves. Since 1949, the Spielwarenmesse has been held in Nuremberg, Germany, and is one of the largest international trade events for the toy industry. Well-established companies and startups alike attend the fair to share new products and observe what toys are currently trending globally.
This year, the event hosted a trend area called “Life’s a Playground — Toys for Kidults,” which became a popular attraction for the press and attendees and received worldwide media promotion. Due to the attention paid to this topic, the Spielwarenmesse plans to keep a permanent section near Entrance Mitte for Toys for Kidults, highlighting products that appeal to the demographic, starting next year. The “Toys for Kidults” interactive experience aims to include activations like a photo spot and various live activities to allow attendees to test out exhibitors’ games and toys geared towards kidults.
Market research institutes like the BrandTrends Group and Circana are observing an increase in interest in products like tabletop games, collectible toys, and creative fantasy products. The former has done an international study that showed 67% of people from the ages of 18-65 have expressed interest in buying toys and collectibles for themselves at least once or twice a year. Post-Spielwarenmesse, it’s becoming more apparent that the kidult target group has massive sales opportunities and merchandising potential.
