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Stella Huang bought her first Jellycat brand cuddly companion in the midst of a time of unemployment in the pandemic. Inspired by a friend's fondness for these UK-created creatures, her curiosity was truly ignited when she saw an adorable gingerbread house design circulating on a major Chinese social media app.

Although The Christmas holiday is not traditionally observed in China, serving more as a commercial event than a cultural tradition, the imagery of gingerbread houses resonated with her. "It doesn't hold a lot to me... But I have always loved the sight of those sweet houses," she explains. This led her to eventually ask an old friend from her hometown to purchase it for her.

That purchase occurred in 2021, just as Jellycat was about of achieving massive popularity across China and internationally. "Everyone felt uneasy, and nobody knew what would happen," says Stella, who picked up a habit of petting and hugging her soft toys for comfort throughout a difficult period. Living in Beijing, a city with among the strictest lockdowns in the world, she spent extended periods indoors.

Now 32 and working as a tourism sector in the tourism industry, Stella continues to expand her collection. It has swelled to approximately 120 toys, representing an investment of about 36,000 yuan. "As an adult, you have numerous matters you can't share with others... and the troubles we face are a lot more complicated than in the past," she notes with a sigh. "These soft toys assist me in managing my emotions."

Initially designed for children, these squishy toys have transformed into a global phenomenon, especially within China where an somewhat disillusioned youth demographic is turning to them for comfort and solace.

The Rise of Kidults

Stella's Gingerbread house plushie belongs to the "Amuseables" collection, a range of toys with tiny faces based on everyday inanimate objects, from bathroom tissue to boiled eggs. These toys are considered the "standout success" that "resonate with a wide younger adult audience" around the world, according to industry analysts.

Their growing appeal "could have a connection to wanting to feel a sense of connection," propose cultural commentators. It is hard to say for sure if the introduction of the now-iconic series in 2018 was a deliberate strategy to target the adult consumer, companies in the sector increasingly must cultivate new markets amid declining birth rates in many countries.

Jellycat entered China as early as 2015. Having laid the necessary "groundwork", the company was able to capture "the tone during Covid"—when individuals looked for comfort during widespread uncertainty—capitalizing on this success there, as explained by industry experts.

Its fame was further propelled through creative temporary events. These retail activations sometimes offered a menu of limited-edition "food" products. Many fans record themselves interacting and post the videos online.

Localisation has also been an essential strategy. As an example, customers were able to buy stuffed toy versions of classic UK dishes such as fish and chips at a pop-up in London. Conversely, items like teacup and teapot plushies were sold at special outlets in Chinese metropolises last year.

Last year, the British company's sales is said to have rose by two-thirds to a substantial sum. In that timeframe, it sold an estimated $117 million worth of toys to Chinese consumers on leading e-commerce platforms, per market intelligence data.

This growth reflects a broader surge within China's collectible toy market driven by young adults seeking emotional comfort and connection. Overall sales of collectable items in China are expected to exceed 110 billion yuan this year, as per a recent analysis.

The runaway popularity of brands like Labubu, elf-inspired figures by Chinese toy maker Pop Mart, highlights the market's growing appetite towards collectable toys. The so-called "kidult" trend is not unique to China; adults worldwide are starting to question "outdated notions of adulthood," observe cultural experts.

Amuseables, especially the aubergine character—affectionately dubbed "the big boss" by Chinese fans—have also inspired a wave of memes, with many sharing grievances about the pressures of adulthood. On social media, the "aubergine boss" tag serves as a platform where fans draw various emotive faces on their toy, showing it in various moods from drinking to forcing a smile.

For example, a marketing professional from Hong Kong, Wendy Hui, modified her aubergine toy by drawing dark circles around its eyes and putting a pair of glasses on the toy. She posted an image online captioning it: "The mental state of employees at the start of the week." "I was working at home even on time off," the 30-something says. "I just wanted to express how exhausted I felt."

Thus, Jellycat has become a surprising, light-hearted outlet for China's youth to air their grievances about economic challenges, where dedicated effort no longer guarantee comparable returns. Despite strict content regulation, digital spaces have become a crucial, perhaps the primary, space for these types of conversations.

Its frequent releases of exclusive designs and the retirement of older designs—an approach often called "hunger marketing" in China—has also fueled {