What does the grownup who has every little thing need for Christmas? This yr, it is in all probability a youngsters’s toy.
For one in 5 toys bought this Christmas will likely be purchased for adults, new information exhibits.
Gross sales to ‘kidults’ – adults who play with or gather toys – are up 15 per cent year-on-year within the UK, in response to market information specialists Circana.
Toy sellers have reported a growth in demand for building units and collectible toys for grown-ups. Many have relaunched new ranges of nostalgic 80s and 90s toys to draw older patrons this festive season, together with Tamagotchi, Pokémon and Scorching Wheels.
Britain’s toy market has seen its quickest development in a decade to date this yr, with gross sales up by 13 per cent total within the first 9 months of 2026. However this has largely been pushed by rising demand from adults, with round 20 per cent of all toys now bought for over-18s. A 3rd of complete gross sales are for toys for over-12s, in response to Circana information.
Toy producer Paladone, which creates ‘licensed’ toys that includes characters from movie, tv and video games, informed the ToyWorld business journal that kidults now outnumbered pre-schoolers as its single greatest group for toy gross sales.
Folks of their 20s and 30s with out youngsters are the fastest-growing group of adults shopping for toys, in response to separate evaluation by Wordpanel Plus by Numerator. It mentioned gross sales to this group had grown 20 per cent year-on-year and had been value £940 million within the UK within the yr to October 2026.
New information has revealed one in 5 toys bought this Christmas will likely be purchased for adults (Pictured: Traditional Scorching Wheels tracks)
Lego’s Botanicals vary for over-18s is predicted to be a bestseller this festive season
Consultants mentioned social media was driving traits for youthful adults to gather toys and ‘unbox’ them – filming themselves opening up a toy’s packaging for a social media video. However older adults had been additionally shopping for nostalgic toys to relive their youth.
Bia Bezamat, of market researcher firm Kantar, mentioned ‘kidults’ of all ages noticed toys as a deal with for themselves and an escape from on-line pressures.
She added: ‘[It’s] a part of the broader treatonomics development we’re seeing the place individuals are searching for out small, attainable moments of pleasure when lots of life’s greater milestones really feel laborious to succeed in. It is much less about desirous to be a toddler once more and extra about adults giving themselves permission to modify off and discover consolation in issues which may as soon as have been thought of as for only for children.’
Many British toy retailers have launched separate ‘kidult’ sections to enchantment to adults.
The Entertainer chain mentioned it was anticipating a number of of its Christmas top-sellers to be kidult toys, saying: ‘Christmas toys aren’t only for youngsters anymore.’
Its Christmas kidult specials characteristic toys and building units aimed toward adults who need to mix a aware constructing exercise with one thing to show on their cabinets.
It’s tipping its kidult bestsellers to incorporate Meccano units like its £180 Meccano Aston Martin Aramco Components One and £40 Ducati Monster motorcycle, each aimed toward over 16s.
Different kidult toys anticipated to be bestsellers embrace Lego’s Botanicals vary for over-18s, the place individuals can construct synthetic Lego flowers to show as ornaments, and the brand new £120 E.T. The Additional Terrestrial Lego mannequin set. It’s aimed toward individuals who grew up watching the 1982 movie.
Crayola, the pen producer, has additionally launched an ‘All Grown Up’ vary for over-18s this yr, focused at adults who’re fed up with screens, AI and the world of labor. It mentioned: ‘In a world obsessive about outcomes… it is an opportunity to reconnect with the enjoyment of creating, to discover with out concern or judgement, and to do not forget that creativity is a lifelong journey.’
