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Stella Huang acquired her first Jellycat soft toy during a time of unemployment during the global health crisis. Encouraged by an acquaintance's fondness for the UK-created creatures, her curiosity was truly sparked when she saw a unique gingerbread house plushie featured on a major Chinese social media app.

Although Christmas is not traditionally observed in China, acting more as a retail occasion rather than a cultural tradition, the concept of festive cottages resonated with her. "It doesn't hold a lot for me... But I have always loved the look of those sweet houses," she explains. This led her to request a friend in Guangzhou to purchase it for her.

That purchase was made back in 2021, right as the brand 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 routine of stroking and squeezing her plushies for comfort throughout that stressful time. Living in Beijing, a city with some of the strictest lockdowns globally, she passed extended periods indoors.

Now aged 32 with a new job in tourism sector in the tourism industry, Stella continues to expand her collection. Her collection has reached around 120 items, representing a cost of about 36,000 yuan. "As an adult, you have many things that you cannot share with others... and the problems we encounter are far more complex than in the past," she notes with a sigh. "The plushies help me regulate my emotions."

Originally marketed with kids in mind, these squishy creatures have become an international phenomenon, especially in China where an increasingly disenchanted younger generation is seeking solace in them for comfort and solace.

Understanding the Kidults

Her Gingerbread house toy is part of the "Amuseable" series, a set of toys featuring small expressions modelled after commonplace inanimate objects, ranging from toilet rolls to hard-boiled eggs. These toys are considered the "standout success" that "attract a broad Gen-Z and millennial demographic" globally, as noted by industry analysts.

Their growing popularity "may have something to do with wanting for companionship," suggest experts. While it's difficult to say for sure if the introduction of the iconic Amuseable line in 2018 was an intentional move to target the adult market, companies in the sector increasingly need to find new markets due to declining fertility rates in many parts of the world.

Jellycat made its foray into the Chinese market as early as 2015. By laying significant "foundation", the company was well-positioned to tap into "the tone during Covid"—when people sought solace amid widespread uncertainty—capitalizing on this momentum there, as explained by industry experts.

Jellycat's fame was further boosted by engaging temporary events. These retail activations often featured a selection of limited-edition "culinary" products. Many enthusiasts record their experience being served and post the videos online.

Localisation has also been an essential approach. As an example, customers were able to buy plush versions of traditional UK dishes such as fish and chips during a temporary shop in London. Meanwhile, products including teacup and teapot toys were featured at special outlets in Chinese metropolises the previous year.

Last year, the British firm's revenue is said to have increased significantly to an impressive sum. During that timeframe, sales of an estimated $117 million in value of its products to Chinese consumers via leading e-commerce platforms, according to market intelligence data.

This growth mirrors a broader surge in China's collectable-toy market driven by adult consumers in search of emotional support and connection. Total revenue from collectible toys nationally are expected to exceed 110 billion yuan annually, as per a 2024 industry report.

The remarkable popularity of other toys such as 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 globally are starting to re-evaluate "traditional notions of adulthood," note cultural experts.

Amuseables, especially the eggplant plushie—affectionately dubbed "the boss" in China—have also inspired numerous online jokes, where users sharing grievances about adult life. On social media, the "aubergine boss" tag is a space where people sketch different expressions on the plushie, depicting it in various moods from drinking to forcing a smile.

For example, a marketing professional from Hong Kong, Wendy Hui, modified her eggplant toy by drawing dark circles around its eyes and placing spectacles on the toy. She shared an image on a social platform with the caption: "The mood of employees at the start of the week." "I was working from home even on time off," she explains. "I merely intended to express how exhausted I felt."

Thus, Jellycat has become an unexpected, whimsical outlet for China's youth to air their frustrations over economic challenges, in which hard work no longer ensure comparable rewards. Despite strict content regulation, digital spaces have become an important, perhaps the primary, space for such conversations.

Its regular launches of exclusive products coupled with the discontinuation of older designs—a strategy sometimes referred to as "scarcity marketing" in China—has further driven {