Kidults driving toy sales?

[The7thParallel]

This appeared in an NBC article. Seems about right. Nice to see despite Hasbro largely denying it for years.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/bus...stry-rcna62354

[MapleMegatron]

What that article says and what Hasbro says are not incompatible. Hasbro spending so much time and resources on collectors with special collector toys and media events from Pulse shows that we are a significant part to their growth and sales, like 30%, which is big. But kids are still 70% of the business, so we still remain a minority. I don't see anywhere in the article that goes against that. Instead, they mainly speak of growth (which is 1.8%). In terms of market share, they say the kidult market is only 25%, which is even less than what Hasbro had previously told us. I don't see how this article contradicts anything Hasbro's been saying or tells us anything new. If I have missed anything or misread it, please let me know.

[Grayfox]

The "kidult" word must die right now.

[Skorpulator]

But it describes perfectly what we are, whether we like it or not.

[RNSrobot]

No kidding. Yes, product for kids or bought for kids.but patently insane when Hasbro or fans continue claiming the adults are tiny fraction. Nah dawg.

[MapleMegatron]

Just an FYI, the article considers anyone above 11 to be a "kidult". So they lump in 12 year old lego fans with 30-40 year old transformers fans.

[Echotransformer]

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!

I agree with Greyfox! Kidult is a HORRIBLE term. It needs to go.

[The 12th Prime]

When I read kidult it made me feel sick and cringe. I agree the word has to go and the person who came up with it too. It feels toxic and outdated, the part of nostalgia we did not want to come with us yet did.

[Robimus]

Originally Posted by MapleMegatron

What that article says and what Hasbro says are not incompatible. Hasbro spending so much time and resources on collectors with special collector toys and media events from Pulse shows that we are a significant part to their growth and sales, like 30%, which is big. But kids are still 70% of the business, so we still remain a minority. I don't see anywhere in the article that goes against that. Instead, they mainly speak of growth (which is 1.8%). In terms of market share, they say the kidult market is only 25%, which is even less than what Hasbro had previously told us. I don't see how this article contradicts anything Hasbro's been saying or tells us anything new. If I have missed anything or misread it, please let me know.

The minimalization of adult collectors has long been a talking point for the industry, one that made me raise an eyebrow a few times.

I'm going back to say the 2008 era on this, back when Hasbro used to do the fan q&as with fan forums, including this one and AFN.

Here is the transcript of a Bloomberg news article from 2010 where it claims adult toy sales are only responsible for 1.2% of toy sales at that point.



I think these new numbers are a far more realistic split - so that is a sizable change(or admittance to the change) than existed just over a decade ago.

I guess what I'm saying is kind of the reverse. I don't believe the
Adult collectors market was 1% of Hasbro's(granted the article says worldwide sales, which likely includes McDonalds +) business in 2010 - so to me this article does represent a change in tone from the industry towards us.

[joshimus]

Originally Posted by Grayfox

The "kidult" word must die right now.

I find the word, in its essence, to be demeaning because the same standard isn't applied to other things, like kids play sports, adults play sports. No one calls it kidulting when adults continue to play sports.
for me it has nothing to do with being a kid at heart, which I am but it still has nothing to do with why I am a toy collector. I can afford to buy things I have always liked.
The reason I have no issues telling people I collect toys is because I put toy collecting on the same equal footing as everything else people like doing. Some people buy sports memorabilia, some people buy collectors cards, stamps, shoes, purses, maybe vacations, concerts, whatever the case may be, kidulting is NEVER applied to those nor should it be to anything people enjoy spending their money on.