Grown Adults, Tiny Toys: America’s Newest Comfort Blanket
You thought the Barbie movie was peak regression? Think again. There’s a new trend sweeping through millennial and Gen Z circles—collectible toys for adults, now rebranded as “kidult” accessories. Labubu. Jellycat. Crybaby plushies. If you think those names are made up, congratulations—you’ve dodged the emotional hijacking of TikTok trends.
Infantilism, But Make It Fashion
There’s something eerily dystopian about a culture where adults in their 30s carry stuffed animals to brunch while yelling at baristas over oat milk. But let’s not pretend this is brand new. I see it all the time—grown men, fully employed, showing up to office jobs with backpacks that wouldn’t look out of place on a third grader. Bright colors. Cartoon characters. Dangling plushies clipped to the zippers. Pins with God-knows-what on them—maybe a slogan, maybe a sad little frog meme.
And it’s not like they’re hauling gear. Their jobs don’t require fieldwork, gadgets, or trauma kits. They’re just carting around a MacBook and some emotionally curated flair, like they need a little cheer squad to get through the day. Let’s be grateful they have a job.
We used to call this a midlife crisis. Now it’s just Tuesday.
Comfort in dark times
“With everything going on in the world right now and so much uncertainty, people are seeking out experiences and items that bring comfort, happiness and a sense of playfulness,” says Shipman. “Labubu and the whole Pop Mart range offers a little pocket of escapism, something charming and reassuring to carry with you.” – Vogue Business
Oh, please. A “pocket of escapism”? These aren’t war-torn refugees clutching rosaries—they’re fully grown adults who need a plastic gremlin named Labubu to face the horror of a Tuesday meeting. “So much uncertainty,” they say, as if clutching a $30 toy will ward off inflation, global unrest, or their own lack of coping skills. We’re not talking about enduring dark times with grit—we’re talking about adults who need a pocket-sized dopamine hit because Starbucks ran out of oat milk. If this is what passes for resilience now, God help us when the Wi-Fi goes out.
It is literally like the Hunger Games out here trying to get a Labubu. pic.twitter.com/TXkxS2yysU
— Darian Elder (@dariankailee) May 1, 2025
Blind Boxes and Blinder Hypocrisy
Liberals are up in arms over tariffs on Chinese goods, decrying them as economic oppression. Yet, these same individuals are willing to wait in line for hours, offer up their firstborn, or donate a quart of blood for a chance to purchase a Labubu doll—a collectible toy produced by China’s Pop Mart. Designed by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung and manufactured in China, Labubu has become a symbol of the very consumer culture they claim to oppose.
The dolls are sold in blind boxes, adding an element of surprise that fuels repeated purchases.
This phenomenon highlights a disconnect between their political stance and consumer behavior, revealing a willingness to overlook ideological concerns for the sake of trendy collectibles.
These aren’t your child’s toys. Well, technically they are—but now they come with $90 price tags and waitlists longer than a Taylor Swift ticket queue. Once symbols of childhood, these soft-bodied, glass-eyed creatures have been given a second life in the adult world. They ride shotgun in Teslas, star in fashion shoots, and are posed next to $7 matcha lattes like emotional support animals for the chronically online.
Escapism in a Box
So what’s behind the plushie obsession? Sure, there’s some nostalgia. But mostly, it’s the predictable result of a generation raised without discipline—no spankings, no consequences, just endless affirmations and shelves full of participation trophies. These aren’t trauma survivors. Meanwhile, Gen X kids were left alone for hours, told to figure it out, and got swatted if they threw a heavy sigh in their parents’ direction. We grew up dodging stray dogs and surviving lawn darts. This crowd breaks down over delayed shipping. It’s not resilience they’re after—it’s recess with adult money.
And let’s not kid ourselves: this isn’t innocent whimsy. It’s monetized escapism. Every TikTok unboxing, every #PlushieHaul, every curated shelf of emotional comfort toys is part of a billion-dollar industry that banks on adults being too stressed out to say no to anything that promises a serotonin hit.
Labubu dolls feel oddly familiar because they’re basically Gizmo from Gremlins dressed up for a Tim Burton casting call. Think Nightmare Before Christmas meets 90s troll doll with a dash of Sanrio sweetness and just enough dead-eyed Funko Pop energy to make them slightly unsettling.
Whether it’s a wide-eyed Labubu that looks like Gizmo took a wrong turn into Hot Topic, or a floppy-limbed Jellycat bunny tucked lovingly beside a 30-year-old’s $80 “healing crystal” haul, the message is the same: adulthood is just too hard. These plush toys aren’t for kids—they’re for grown-ups who need emotional support in the form of imported fuzz and curated melancholy.
Time to Grow Up
Sure, adulthood’s messy. You were promised success if you checked all the boxes—degree, job, bills paid—and instead you got inflation, student loans, and a world that won’t cater to your feelings. Welcome to the club. But dragging a stuffed animal around like it’s a coping strategy? That’s not healing—that’s hiding.
You can keep your Jellycat, but don’t pretend it’s a protest. The world isn’t broken just because it didn’t bend to your vibe. The truth is, things are working—just not the way you like. That’s not oppression. That’s adulthood. You don’t like the policies? Don’t melt down—show up. Vote. Speak. Get uncomfortable. But do it like an adult, not a kid with a cartoon keychain and a superiority complex.
America’s obsession with kidulting is a mirror—and it’s showing us a culture desperate to hit pause. But eventually, the pause button breaks. And when it does, the question is: who’s going to be left holding the stuffed animal… and who’s going to be holding the line?
Feature Image: Created in Canva Pro
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