Kidults driving toy sales?

[RNSrobot]

Originally Posted by Grayfox

100%

One the one hand, we're supposedly responsible for the growth in toy sales and on the other, an idiotic and demeaning name is made up to designate us.

I can only hope this article will blow over and the internet will forever forget it.

There's a story I tell that gets to the social root of all of this:

Years ago in Edmonton, there was an overlap between an Eskimos CFL game and the pop culture convention. As people got on the LRT, various sports fans (identified by their jerseys, colors, etc) were mocking those dressed in cosplay and costumes. "look at these LOSERS."

Yet at every sports game, everybody dresses in uniform. Or the face paint. Or cheese hats. Or all kinds of things. Look up Raiders fans images... wow.

It's the same shit. You're spending money on playing dress-up, on "belonging." You buy merch and shit. SPorts fans displays are massive.

How is it any different from having a display of LEGO, or Transformers, or whatever?

It's not. It's simply society, and like the radio host above, reinforcing notions of what is or isn't "good."

Baseball fans are statistic MANIACS. Fantasy Football people are as nerdy as any D&D player.

People collect stamps with insane attention. Or... why is it acceptable and encouraged or even lauded to "deck out" your truck? Jesus, look at the truck toys you can buy these days. Or guys who spend all their money on their outdoor shit. Or beer league guys who spend a fortune on their hockey gear as if they're playing in any league that matters. Gas-powered RC racers go ham at hobby stores.

PICK YOUR POISON. That's all it is. If you're not skipping bills, meals, or family responsiblities, your money is yours.

Should I ever do my PHD, I may well write my thesis on this subject.

Grown ass adults can buy whatever they want. We all are nerds about something or other.

[MapleMegatron]

Originally Posted by Grayfox

100%

One the one hand, we're supposedly responsible for the growth in toy sales and on the other, an idiotic and demeaning name is made up to designate us.

I can only hope this article will blow over and the internet will forever forget it.

That's the best scenario, the worst scenario is toy companies and retailers use this article as a reason to increase prices since "a quarter" of sales are going towards people with more disposable income.

[xueyue2]

so what's the difference between kidults and manchild? I saw a lot manchild usage on TFW2005 forum, 1st time see this kidults.

[JLvatron]

Originally Posted by timcrook

Ok boomer

Hank Hill: I think you meant "Boomhower".

Originally Posted by xueyue2

so what's the difference between kidults and manchild? I saw a lot manchild usage on TFW2005 forum, 1st time see this kidults.

Oh, I hear you.
Just look at the amount of fans who use the terms Geek and Nerd freely.
They use it on themselves, and on others; even though these are still derogatory terms.

[RNSrobot]

Originally Posted by JLvatron

Hank Hill: I think you meant "Boomhower".



Oh, I hear you.
Just look at the amount of fans who use the terms Geek and Nerd freely.
They use it on themselves, and on others; even though these are still derogatory terms.

to ME, and this may not be exclusive, manchild signifies a person who behaves with immaturity. It's not about them buying toys or whatever "kids" things.

It's a person who is the prototypical "MICHAEL BAY R4PED MY CHILDHOOD HASBLOW" rager who responds to the hobby, and others involved, with a constant sense of selfishness, foolishness, rage, "ruined my childhood," and especially as we see in other fandoms, notably star wars, "thre is a SINGLE RIGHT WAY" to do the thing. The religious sense.

Manchild is a person who in relation to other people behaves like a selfish, spoiled, entitled eight year old. We all take chirps and act like dumbasses sometimes, but a lot of these fans... live like this.

It's like @echotransformer said above (dear cybertron, please upgrade to what TFW has?).

I am a working professional, happily married with 2 kids.
I cross-country ski regularly
I do performance driving and training
I am an experienced windsurfer and sailor

It just so happens I love to collect Transformers, Die cast cars, Lego etc.

I bet just about everyone on this boards have multiple and interesting dimensions to their lives as well!

Many of us do. I'm a teacher, a father. I write and play music. I have multiple other interests. Transformers are a thing I like; not a thing that I *am*.

Some folks, however, have absolutely based their identities around the things that they like. Therefore, a Star Wars or Transformers or Whatever that Isn't Exactly What You Wnated becomes a personal attack. THAT is immaturity. Playing with toys isn't immature. Being unable to handle other opinions and other ideas of the thing is.

anyway.

[Skorpulator]

Originally Posted by RNSrobot

Years ago in Edmonton, there was an overlap between an Eskimos CFL game and the pop culture convention. As people got on the LRT, various sports fans (identified by their jerseys, colors, etc) were mocking those dressed in cosplay and costumes. "look at these LOSERS."

Yet at every sports game, everybody dresses in uniform. Or the face paint. Or cheese hats. Or all kinds of things. Look up Raiders fans images... wow.

To compare wearing a team jersey to cosplaying? Really?

[RNSrobot]

Originally Posted by Skorpulator

To compare wearing a team jersey to cosplaying? Really?

At the basic level, both groups of people are "wearing their colours."

A sports stadium is full of people dressed fundamentally alike.

So let's compare a jersey to just wearing a marvel t-shirt or some basic stuff.

Then let's talk about people who go to games with their:

* faces painted in team colours
* wearing flags or customized gear
* wearing ridiculous headgear


You have thousands of people all wearing the same colors, singing team songs, etc.

As a simple example, and there so many, google LA Raiders fans. Wowwwww. And I think it's AWESOME. The passion, the time, the effort, the elaborate costumes and outfits.

There is fundamentally no difference between somebody in a costume and somebody in... well, a costume.

So when you have a group of face-painted, highly costumed people insult and ridicult another group of same, just because the *source* of the fandom is different, that's a double-standard at play.

It's acceptable to be obsessive and wild in your sports fandom.

It is unacceptable to be obsessive and wild in your fantasy fandom.

Fantasy football is just D&D for sports fans. All the groups have die-hard fans absolutely obsessed with the most miniscule of stats.

It's all the same shit.

[Sun Swipe Prime]

Originally Posted by RNSrobot

PICK YOUR POISON. That's all it is. If you're not skipping bills, meals, or family responsiblities, your money is yours.

Should I ever do my PHD, I may well write my thesis on this subject.

Grown ass adults can buy whatever they want. We all are nerds about something or other.

Originally Posted by RNSrobot

Fantasy football is just D&D for sports fans. All the groups have die-hard fans absolutely obsessed with the most miniscule of stats.

It's all the same shit.

Couldn't agree with you more. I think most collectors are just regular people with unique hobbies that don't define who they are.

What's the difference between a obsessive hockey fan that can tell you how many goals/points certain players have had every year of their careers and some DnD nerd who can tell you all the stats for monsters and spells? Not much.

Ever go to a hockey pool and have that guy who brings print out after print out, breaking down player's points into a dozen different categories?

Go to any sports fan forum and you'll see the same shit behaviour/attitudes that goes on in TF forums.

I think a lot of it has to do with just finding people to other and punch down on. As someone who grew up collecting comics, I remember when comic books and superheroes were for nerds. You have a few thousand comics? That's weird. Now, after all the superhero movies, all my comics are now "Graphic Novels" and now it's cool that I know the histories of all these characters. And no one blinks if a wear an Avengers T-shirt.

[joshimus]

These are all reasons why I dont shy away from telling people I collect toys. It's just what I enjoy. If people think I'm a child for it, that sounds like a them problem.
I'm an adult with a home and mortgage free, work 50hr weeks, pay my taxes etc.
I know people that go to concerts all the time, or musicals.
I know people that go to sporting events, collect sports related stuff, have a fantasy game club
I know people that buy tons of shoes that get almost no rotation throughout the year, essentially making them no different than my display cases.

You can apply this to pretty much anything but the stigma that toy collectors are children has nothing to do with how we function as adults. I've never not liked toys. I used to like some sports as a kid but by the time I was maybe 15, I couldnt care less. Meanwhile there are people who memorized stats of players from 50 years ago. I dont mock them. Good for them. They enjoy it.

Then you have these purists that treat other people like shit, you're not fan enough.
Yes, I loved G1 as a kid but it's HARD to watch now. I'll take the 2000X series MOTU over the original, Revelations and the new cartoon (not that I hate the newer stuff, but I LOVED the 2000X series)
I like the Michael Bay movies, arguably TLK is imo the worst one, but I can still watch moments from it.
I like the new sequel SW trilogy. Could it have been better? Absolutely. Lots of missed opportunities, but then you have these screaming "OG ONLY", which is fine if those are the ones they love, but name calling and general being a dick about it makes NO sense to me.

All these things can be applied to almost any situation even outside of "geek" fandoms. Physical fights and rioting from games should be called out as unacceptable behaviour.

The world is full of double standards and Kidult is just one more added to the list.

[CyberDragon10K]

Originally Posted by xueyue2

so what's the difference between kidults and manchild? I saw a lot manchild usage on TFW2005 forum, 1st time see this kidults.

Like I said on TFW, "Kidult" feels like them trying to sand the edges off of "Manchild" to me.

It's stilted, and reminds me of the video game genre Metroidvania, when in the early 2000s there were some people trying to pose the reverse portmanteau of Castleroid. I can't see Kidult taking over in the popular lexicon but maybe I lack vision, because I certainly could care less.