🔗 Share this article

A woman named Stella bought her initial Jellycat brand cuddly companion amid a time of unemployment during the global health crisis. Prompted by a friend's enthusiasm for the British-designed creatures, her interest was truly sparked upon seeing a distinctive gingerbread house plushie featured on a popular social networking app.

While The Christmas holiday isn't widely celebrated across China, being more of a commercial event than a cultural tradition, the sight of festive cottages appealed with her. "The festival doesn't hold a lot for me... But I always like the look of those sweet houses," she explains. This prompted her to request an old friend in Guangzhou to purchase it for her.

That purchase was made back in 2021, just as the brand was about of achieving enormous success across China and internationally. "People were anxious, and nobody knew what exactly would happen," says Stella, who developed a habit of stroking and hugging her soft toys for comfort throughout a difficult period. Living in Beijing, a city with some of the strictest lockdowns in the world, she spent a great deal of time indoors.

Now 32 with a new job in sales manager in the tourism industry, Stella continues to expand her collection. Her collection has grown to approximately 120 items, representing an investment of roughly 36,000 yuan. "As an adult, you have numerous matters that you cannot share with others... and the troubles we face are far more complex than before," she says with a sigh. "The plushies assist me in regulate my emotions."

Initially designed with kids in mind, these soft creatures have transformed into an international sensation, especially in China where an somewhat disillusioned younger generation is seeking solace in them as a source of emotional support.

Understanding the Adult Toy Enthusiasts

Stella's Gingerbread house plushie belongs to their "Amuseable" collection, a set of characters with tiny faces inspired by everyday inanimate objects, ranging from bathroom tissue and boiled eggs. These items have become a key "breakout products" which "attract a wide Gen-Z and millennial demographic" globally, according to industry analysts.

Their growing appeal "may have something to do with a desire for companionship," suggest experts. While it's hard to say for sure if the introduction of the now-iconic Amuseable line back in 2018 was a deliberate move to engage the young adult market, toy manufacturers increasingly need to find new markets due to declining fertility rates across numerous parts of the world.

The brand made its foray into China as early as 2015. Having laid the necessary "foundation", the toy maker was able to capture "the mood during Covid"—when people sought solace during heightened uncertainty—capitalizing on its early momentum there, according to industry experts.

Its fame was also propelled through creative pop-up experiences. These in-store events often featured a menu of exclusive "food" products. Many enthusiasts would film themselves interacting and share the clips on social platforms.

Adaptation to local tastes proved to be a core strategy. For instance, customers could purchase plush interpretations of traditional British fare like fish and chips during a pop-up overseas. Conversely, items like teapot and teacup toys were featured at special outlets in Chinese metropolises the previous year.

In 2024, the UK-based company's revenue is said to have increased significantly to reach an impressive sum. In the same timeframe, sales of roughly $117 million worth of toys in China via major online marketplaces, according to research data.

This expansion parallels a broader boom in China's collectible toy market among adult consumers seeking emotional comfort and community. Total revenue of collectable toys in China are projected to exceed 110 billion yuan this year, according to a 2024 industry report.

The runaway success of other toys such as Labubu, elf-inspired figures from Chinese toy maker Pop Mart, highlights the country's growing appetite for designer collectibles. This "adult-child" trend is not exclusive to China; young adults globally are increasingly re-evaluate "outdated notions of adulthood," observe academics.

Particularly, items like the aubergine plushie—affectionately dubbed "the boss" in China—have inspired a wave of online jokes, with many sharing grievances regarding adult life. On social media, the "eggplant boss" hashtag serves as a platform where people draw different expressions on the plushie, showing it in different states enjoying a drink to forcing a smile.

For example, a marketing professional from Hong Kong, Wendy Hui, modified her eggplant Amuseable adding dark circles under its eyes and putting a pair of glasses on it. She then posted a picture online captioning it: "The mental state of workers on Monday." "I was working from home even during time off," the 30-something says. "I just wanted to express how exhausted I felt."

Thus, the brand has emerged as an unexpected, whimsical outlet for China's youth to air their grievances over a slowing economy, in which hard work no longer ensure commensurate returns. Amid heavy online censorship, the internet remains a crucial, if not the only, space for such conversations.

The brand's frequent releases of limited-edition designs and the retirement of older designs—a strategy often called "hunger marketing" in China—has further fueled {