Kidulting Is Reshaping the $46 Billion Toy Industry, and Honestly, I Get It

I have a confession. There's a half-built Lego set on my shelf, and I'm not building it for anyone's kid.

Apparently, I'm not alone. Not even close.

Kidulting, adults buying toys and doing things that are "meant" for children, has quietly become one of the biggest forces in the toy business. And the numbers are honestly a bit wild.

The data

Let's start with the size of the thing. The US toy industry was worth $45.6 billion in 2025, according to market research firm Circana.

Now the twist. In the first half of 2026, adult-only households accounted for 55% of US toy sales, slightly outpacing households with children, according to Circana data. That segment grew 16% over the period. Read that again. Grown-ups without kids are now buying more toys than families with kids.

And the spending is real money:

• 65% of American adults said they spent $100 or more on playful products or activities for themselves between June 2025 and June 2026, according to a Harris Poll survey of 2,158 adults

• 13% spent $500 or more

• 57% of Gen Z and millennials bought a blind box or mystery box for themselves, compared with 16% of Gen X and boomers

• Wizards of the Coast, the Hasbro business behind Magic: The Gathering, saw revenue rise 31% in the third quarter, with Magic topping $600 million in quarterly revenue for the first time

As Ali Furman, a US consumer markets industry leader at PwC, told CNBC: "Adults are now the single largest contributor to toy industry growth." And my favourite line from her: "Play doesn't really have an age limit anymore."

Grown-ups without kids are now buying more toys than families with kids.

Why is this happening?

I don't think this is about toys at all. It's about everything else.

It's self-care. Survey data reported this month found that 52% of Americans, and 66% of Gen Z and millennials, call kidulting one of their main forms of self-care. Half of Americans said they'd rather buy blind boxes, build models or collect toys than talk to a therapist. That's funny for about two seconds, and then it isn't.

It's nostalgia, as comfort. When the world feels heavy, we reach for the things that made us feel safe. 83% of Americans agreed that "in uncertain times, small moments of joy feel more important than ever".

It's a reaction to screens. In a separate survey, 84% said owning physical items feels more satisfying than owning digital ones. After years of everything living inside a phone, holding something real feels like a luxury.

It's also about money. This one hit me. The things that used to mark adulthood, a house, a big milestone purchase, feel further away than ever for a lot of young people. A ₹2,000 collectible is a joy you can actually afford today. 51% of millennials told Harris they'd rather spend on kidult things than save the money.

And a very interesting stat for brands

53% of Gen Z and millennials said they'd rather do kidult things than go out for drinks. Hold that thought next to Heineken literally building a Netflix for pubs to get people off the sofa. Brands that sell "going out" are competing with a Lego set now. That's a sentence I never thought I'd write.

It's happening in India too

We don't have the same depth of Indian data yet, but you can see it everywhere. The Labubu craze that swept through Indian social media. Hot Wheels collectors trading on Instagram. Lego displays in Mumbai and Bengaluru homes that have nothing to do with children. Anime figures, Funko Pops, F1 die-cast models, Pokémon cards. The kidult is very much here.

And honestly, Indian culture has always been better at this than we admit. We fly kites as adults. We play Holi like children. We've just never had a fancy word for it.

My take

Kidulting gets mocked as immaturity. I think it's the opposite. It's adults choosing small, harmless joys in a world that keeps asking them to be serious about everything. If a blind box or a Lego set makes someone's week a little lighter, that's not childish. That's just smart.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Lego set to finish.

Frequently asked questions

What is kidulting?

Kidulting is when adults buy toys or do activities usually associated with children, like building Lego, collecting figures or opening blind boxes, for their own enjoyment.

How big is the toy industry?

The US toy industry had a market size of $45.6 billion in 2025, according to Circana.

How much of toy spending comes from adults?

Adult-only households accounted for 55% of US toy sales in the first half of 2026, slightly outpacing households with children, according to Circana data.

Why are adults buying toys?

Surveys point to nostalgia, stress relief and self-care. Survey data reported in October 2026 found 52% of Americans, and 66% of Gen Z and millennials, call kidulting one of their main forms of self-care.