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A woman named Stella purchased her initial Jellycat brand plush toy in the midst of a time of unemployment in the pandemic. Inspired by a friend's enthusiasm for these British-designed toys, her interest was truly ignited upon seeing an adorable gingerbread cottage design on a major Chinese social media platform.

Although Christmas isn't traditionally observed across China, serving more as a retail occasion than a cultural tradition, the imagery of gingerbread houses appealed with her. "The festival doesn't mean much to me... But I always like the look of gingerbread houses," she states. This prompted her to ask an old friend from her hometown to buy it for her.

That acquisition occurred back in 2021, right as the brand was about of achieving significant success across China and internationally. "Everyone felt jittery, and nobody knew what would happen," says Stella, who developed a routine of petting and hugging her plushies for comfort during a difficult period. Residing in Beijing, a city with among the most stringent restrictions globally, she spent extended periods at home.

Now aged 32 with a new job in sales manager in the tourism industry, Stella continues to expand her assortment. It has swelled to around 120 toys, representing a cost of about 36,000 yuan. "At my age, you have many things you can't share with others... and the problems we face are a lot more complex than in the past," she says reflectively. "The plushies help me regulate my emotions."

Originally designed for children, these soft toys have become an international phenomenon, particularly within China where an increasingly disenchanted younger generation is turning to them for emotional support.

Understanding the Kidults

Her gingerbread cottage plushie belongs to their "Amuseables" collection, a range of toys featuring small faces based on everyday inanimate objects, from bathroom tissue to hard-boiled eggs. These items are considered the "standout products" that "resonate with a broad Gen-Z and millennial demographic" globally, as noted by market observers.

Their growing appeal "may have something to do with a desire to feel companionship," suggest experts. It is difficult to ascertain whether the launch of the iconic Amuseable line in 2018 was an intentional strategy to target the young adult market, toy manufacturers increasingly must cultivate new markets due to falling fertility rates in many parts of the world.

Jellycat made its foray into China as early as 2015. Having laid significant "foundation", the company was able to tap into "the tone during Covid"—a time when people sought comfort amid widespread anxiety—capitalizing on this momentum there, as explained by business consultants.

Jellycat's popularity was also boosted through engaging temporary events. These in-store activations often featured a selection of limited-edition "culinary" themed items. Many fans would film their experience being served and share the clips on social platforms.

Adaptation to local tastes proved to be an essential strategy. As an example, customers could purchase stuffed toy interpretations of classic UK dishes such as fish and chips during a pop-up overseas. Meanwhile, items like teacup and teapot toys were featured at special stores in Beijing and Shanghai the previous year.

In 2024, the British company's revenue is said to have increased by two-thirds to an impressive figure. During that timeframe, it sold roughly $117 million worth of toys to Chinese consumers on major online marketplaces, per research data.

This growth mirrors a wider boom in China's collectible toy market driven by young adults seeking emotional support and connection. Overall sales from collectible items nationally are projected to exceed 110 billion yuan annually, according to a recent industry report.

The runaway success of brands like Labubu, elf-inspired dolls by domestic company Pop Mart, highlights the market's growing appetite towards designer collectibles. This "kidult" trend is not exclusive to China; adults worldwide are increasingly re-evaluate "outdated notions of adulthood," note academics.

Particularly, especially the eggplant plushie—nicknamed "the boss" in China—have spawned numerous online jokes, where users expressing grievances about the pressures of adulthood. The "eggplant boss" tag serves as a platform where people sketch different expressions on their toy, showing it in different states from drinking to fake-smiling.

As an illustration, a marketing professional from Hong Kong, Wendy Hui, modified her eggplant toy by drawing dark circles around its eyes and placing spectacles on it. She then shared an image on a social platform captioning it: "The mental state of employees at the start of the week." "I was working from home even during my days off," she explains. "I merely intended to convey how exhausted I felt."

Thus, Jellycat has become an unexpected, whimsical channel for young Chinese to air their frustrations over a slowing economy, where dedicated effort no longer guarantee commensurate returns. Amid strict online censorship, the internet have become an important, if not the only, arena for such discussions.

The brand's regular launches of exclusive designs and the retirement of older designs—an approach sometimes referred to as "hunger marketing" in China—has further driven {