A woman named Stella acquired her initial Jellycat plush toy during a time of unemployment in the pandemic. Inspired by an acquaintance's fondness for the UK-created creatures, her interest was truly captured upon seeing a distinctive gingerbread house design circulating on a widely-used Chinese social media platform.
While The Christmas holiday is not widely celebrated across China, being more of a commercial event than a religious festival, the sight of gingerbread houses resonated with her. "It doesn't hold much to me... But I always like the appearance of gingerbread houses," she remarks. This prompted her to eventually request an old friend in Guangzhou to purchase the item on her behalf.
That acquisition occurred back in 2021, right as the brand was on the cusp to achieve enormous success in China and internationally. "People were anxious, and nobody knew what was going to happen," says Stella, who developed a routine of petting and hugging her plushies for comfort during a difficult period. Residing in Beijing, which experienced some of the strictest lockdowns in the world, she passed a great deal of time indoors.
Now 32 and working as a sales manager in the tourism industry, Stella continues to grow her collection. It has reached around 120 items, with a total a cost of roughly 36,000 yuan. "At my age, there are many things you can't discuss with others... and the troubles we face are far more complex than in the past," she says with a sigh. "These soft toys help me regulate my feelings."
Initially designed with kids in mind, these soft creatures have become a global phenomenon, especially in China where an increasingly disenchanted younger generation has been seeking solace in them as a source of emotional support.
Understanding the Adult Toy Enthusiasts
Her gingerbread cottage plushie belongs to their "Amuseables" collection, a range of toys with tiny faces based on commonplace items, from toilet rolls and boiled eggs. These plushies are considered a key "standout success" which "appeal to a wide Gen-Z and millennial audience" globally, according to industry analysts.
The surge in popularity "may have something to do with a desire for companionship," suggest cultural commentators. It is difficult to say for sure if the introduction of the iconic series back in 2018 was an intentional move to target the young adult market, companies in the sector increasingly need to find new markets amid declining birth rates across numerous countries.
The brand entered China as early as 2015. Having laid the necessary "groundwork", the toy maker was well-positioned to capture "the tone during Covid"—when individuals looked for solace during widespread anxiety—capitalizing on this momentum in the country, as explained by business consultants.
Its popularity was also boosted by engaging temporary events. These retail activations often featured a menu of limited-edition "culinary" themed items. Many enthusiasts would film themselves interacting and share the videos online.
Adaptation to local tastes has also been a core approach. As an example, customers could purchase plush interpretations of traditional UK dishes such as fish, chips and mushy peas at a temporary shop overseas. Meanwhile, items like teacup and teapot toys were featured at exclusive outlets in Beijing and Shanghai last year.
Last year, the UK-based company's sales reportedly rose significantly to reach an impressive figure. In the same timeframe, sales of roughly $117 million in value of toys in China via major e-commerce platforms, according to market intelligence data.
This growth reflects a broader boom in China's collectible toy market driven by young adults in search of emotional comfort and community. Overall sales of collectable items in China are expected to top 110 billion yuan annually, according to a 2024 industry report.
The remarkable popularity of brands like Labubu, elf-inspired dolls by Chinese toy maker Pop Mart, highlights the market's growing demand for collectable toys. The so-called "kidult" phenomenon is not exclusive to China; young adults globally are increasingly re-evaluate "traditional notions of what it means to be an adult," note academics.
Particularly, especially the eggplant plushie—nicknamed "the boss" by Chinese fans—have also inspired numerous memes, where users sharing frustrations about the pressures of adulthood. The "eggplant boss" hashtag is a space where fans draw different expressions on their toy, depicting it in different states enjoying a drink to forcing a smile.
As an illustration, a marketing professional from Hong Kong, Wendy Hui, personalized her aubergine toy by drawing dark circles around its eyes and putting spectacles on the toy. She posted a picture on a social platform with the caption: "The mood of employees at the start of the week." "I was working from home even on my days off," she explains. "I merely intended to express how exhausted I was."
In this way, the brand has emerged as an unexpected, light-hearted outlet for China's youth to voice their grievances over economic challenges, where hard work no longer ensure comparable rewards. Despite heavy online censorship, digital spaces remains an important, if not the only, space for such conversations.
The brand's frequent releases of exclusive designs coupled with the discontinuation of certain lines—a strategy sometimes referred to as "scarcity marketing" locally—has also driven {
