Toys Making a Comeback… with Adults
Toys over the years
Throughout the years many items have been in the loop of popularity, and items are always being shuffled around. This is most commonly seen when a new baby is delivered, when gift-givers are shopping for them see the toys they once had as children. The nostalgia takes over and the urge to buy it grows. Because of a growing market of millennial parents (and just people who are still calling adulting “adulting”), retro toys from the 1980s and 1990s are making a dramatic comeback. Marketers have put them back onto the shelves because they know that the parents will not be able to resist this part of their childhood. Maybe when they were little this was their favorite toy or just the popular one at the time. Nevertheless the possibility of a family member getting a toy from their own time rather than a modern day toy is growing.
Many of the toys nowadays are simply old ones with a modern day twist. This trend can be seen in many of the toys kids now use and ask for due to the fact that the 90s – early 2000’s is the new rave. An alternative reason toys come back is due to the fact toys that are similar toys releasing and people are reminded of the original. This trend is not only seen in toys and just seen overall in stores, music, clothes trends, and many more. These trends are not followed by everyone of course but has definitely seen a spike in popularity.
International response
Internationally this trend is loved by most people considering the amount of sales on Cabbage Patch Kids, Legos, and many more. According to an article on “Scary Mommy,” “For one thing, judging by the current Cabbage Patch Kids Instagram, many of today’s fans are babies themselves.”(Hartshorn).
Legos have been popular since the 60s. What started out as simple building blocks to foster creativity has become a toy giant, with themed sets and movies allowing the brand to continue expanding its target audience to encompass many different interests and ages. As one Werds article points out, “ Few cars are as iconic as the Chevy Camaro Z28, one of the finest muscle cars ever to race American streets. Now, you can enjoy playing with and displaying this work of art in LEGO form.” This car can very easily target the “dad” market and bring the knowledge of elite American muscle cars to a new generation.
Recent developments
The pattern of these toys continuing to be bought ever since they were popular just shows how these toys are not going anywhere soon. The Cabbage Patch Kid dolls have been in the popularity loop ever according to Scary Mommy’s article as well, “There have been Cabbage Patch Kids during every Christmas season since that fateful 1983 rush.” (Hartshorn). Another toy that will not be going anywhere soon is the Nintendo. The Nintendo Switch has been around for over 5 years. It is such an iconic console. According to VGchartz’ article, “Shipment figures for the Nintendo Switch reached 114.33 million units as of September 30, 2022.” Considering how many were sold from the last Nintendo drop, it will be safe to say that they are not dying out any time soon. Let’s take another look at Legos. According to a National Geographic Kids’ article, “During the Christmas season almost 28 LEGO sets are sold each second.” All of these toys have been sold for Christmas for many years, and many more to come.
Future
In 2023 and late 2022 we have see an increase in the sales of Polly Pocket and My Little Pony once again! As the holidays came, under those trees there was definitely a lot of unboxing of these two. The recent outburst is related to the fact that old toys are wanted once again. According to Exploding Topics’ article, “ the toy industry looks to be investing in the comfort that nostalgic toys bring to parents.” Care bears are also making their way up to the top again. According to CareBear Fandoms’ article, “For 2023, a relaunch of the main plush range, titled “Eco Plushies”, will be released to coincide with the success of I Care Bear.” As 2023 progresses there will be more of an increase of old toys coming back.
Work cited page
https://www.scarymommy.com/parenting/cabbage-patch-kids-origin-history
https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/kids-club/entertainment/general-entertainment/ten-top-lego-facts/
https://explodingtopics.com/blog/toy-industry-trends