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A woman named Stella bought her first Jellycat brand plush toy during a time of job loss during the global health crisis. Prompted by an acquaintance's passion for these British-designed creatures, her interest was fully sparked upon seeing an adorable gingerbread house plushie circulating on a major Chinese social media app.

While The Christmas holiday is not widely celebrated in China, acting more as a commercial event rather than a cultural tradition, the sight of gingerbread houses resonated to Stella. "The festival doesn't hold much to me... However, I have always loved the appearance of gingerbread houses," she explains. This prompted her to ask a friend from her hometown to buy the item on her behalf.

That purchase was made back in 2021, right as Jellycat was about to achieve massive popularity in China and internationally. "People were anxious, and nobody knew what exactly was going to happen," recalls Stella, who developed a habit of stroking and squeezing her soft toys for comfort throughout that stressful time. Living in Beijing, a city with some of the most stringent restrictions in the world, she passed a great deal of time indoors.

Now 32 and working as a tourism sector in the tourism industry, Stella continues to grow her collection. It has grown to approximately 120 toys, representing an investment of about 36,000 yuan. "As an adult, there are numerous matters you can't discuss with others... and the troubles we encounter are far more complex than in the past," she notes reflectively. "These soft toys assist me in managing my feelings."

Originally created with kids in mind, these squishy toys have transformed into a global sensation, especially in China where an increasingly disenchanted youth demographic is seeking solace in them as a source of emotional support.

Understanding the Adult Toy Enthusiasts

Stella's Gingerbread house toy is part of the "Amuseable" line, a range of characters featuring small expressions modelled after commonplace items, ranging from bathroom tissue to boiled eggs. These items have become the "breakout success" that "resonate with a wide Gen-Z and millennial demographic" globally, according to industry analysts.

The surge in appeal "may have a connection to wanting to feel a sense of connection," propose experts. It is difficult to say for sure if the introduction of the now-iconic Amuseable line in 2018 was an intentional strategy to engage the young adult consumer, toy manufacturers are under pressure to must find new markets amid declining fertility rates in many countries.

The brand made its foray into China as early as 2015. By laying significant "groundwork", the toy maker was able to tap into "the tone of the pandemic"—when people sought solace amid heightened anxiety—and built on this success there, as explained by industry experts.

Its popularity was further boosted by creative temporary events. These retail events often featured a selection of exclusive "food" products. Many fans record their experience being served and share the clips online.

Adaptation to local tastes has also been a core strategy. For instance, customers could purchase plush interpretations of traditional British fare such as fish, chips and mushy peas during a temporary shop in London. Meanwhile, items like teacup and teapot toys were featured at exclusive outlets in Beijing and Shanghai last year.

In 2024, the British company's sales reportedly increased by two-thirds to reach an impressive sum. During that timeframe, it sold an estimated $117 million in value of its products to Chinese consumers via major e-commerce platforms, per market intelligence data.

This expansion reflects a broader boom in China's collectable-toy sector among adult consumers in search of emotional comfort and community. Overall sales of collectable toys in China are expected to top 110 billion yuan annually, according to a 2024 industry report.

The remarkable success of other toys such as Labubu, elf-inspired figures from Chinese toy maker Pop Mart, underscores the country's growing appetite towards designer collectibles. The so-called "kidult" phenomenon isn't exclusive to China; young adults globally are starting to question "outdated understandings of what it means to be an adult," note academics.

Amuseables, items like the aubergine character—nicknamed "the big boss" in China—have also inspired a wave of memes, where users sharing grievances about the pressures of adulthood. On social media, the "aubergine boss" tag is a space where people draw different expressions on their toy, depicting it in various moods from drinking to fake-smiling.

For example, one Hong Kong-based, Wendy Hui, personalized her eggplant Amuseable by drawing dark circles under 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 kept working from home even during my days off," the 30-something says. "I merely intended to express how exhausted I felt."

In this way, the brand has emerged as a surprising, whimsical outlet for young Chinese to voice their frustrations over a slowing economy, in which dedicated effort doesn't always ensure comparable rewards. Amid heavy content regulation, the internet have become an important, if not the only, arena for these types of discussions.

Its frequent releases of exclusive products and the retirement of certain lines—an approach often called "scarcity marketing" locally—has further driven {