🔗 Share this article

A woman named Stella purchased her first Jellycat soft toy amid a period of job loss in the pandemic. Encouraged by an acquaintance's enthusiasm for these UK-created creatures, her curiosity was truly captured when she saw an adorable gingerbread house plushie on a major social networking app.

While Christmas is not traditionally observed across China, serving more as a retail occasion than a religious festival, the concept of gingerbread houses resonated to Stella. "The festival doesn't hold a lot to me... But I always like the look of those sweet houses," she explains. This led her to ask an old friend from her hometown to buy the item on her behalf.

That acquisition occurred back in 2021, just as the brand was on the cusp of achieving enormous popularity in China and internationally. "People were uneasy, and nobody knew what exactly was going to happen," says Stella, who developed a routine of stroking and squeezing her soft toys for comfort during that stressful time. Residing in Beijing, a city with among the strictest lockdowns globally, she spent extended periods indoors.

Now aged 32 with a new job as a tourism sector in the tourism industry, Stella continues to expand her assortment. It has grown to approximately 120 items, representing an investment of about 36,000 yuan. "At my age, you have numerous matters you can't share with others... and the troubles we face are far more complex than before," she says reflectively. "The plushies assist me in managing my emotions."

Initially created with kids in mind, these soft creatures have evolved into a global phenomenon, especially in China where a somewhat disillusioned younger generation is seeking solace in them as a source of emotional support.

Understanding the Adult Toy Enthusiasts

Her Gingerbread house toy belongs to the "Amuseable" line, a set of toys featuring small expressions based on commonplace inanimate objects, ranging from bathroom tissue to hard-boiled eggs. These plushies are considered the "standout success" that "attract a wide younger adult audience" globally, according to market observers.

The surge in popularity "may have something to do with wanting for companionship," propose cultural commentators. While it's difficult to say for sure if the introduction of the now-iconic Amuseable line in 2018 was an intentional move to engage the adult consumer, toy manufacturers increasingly need to find new markets amid falling fertility rates in many parts of the world.

The brand entered China as early as 2015. Having laid significant "groundwork", the company was well-positioned to tap into "the tone during Covid"—a time when individuals looked for solace during widespread anxiety—and built on its early momentum in the country, as explained by business consultants.

Its fame was also propelled by engaging pop-up experiences. These in-store activations often featured a menu of limited-edition "culinary" products. Many enthusiasts record their experience interacting and post the videos on social platforms.

Adaptation to local tastes proved to be an essential approach. As an example, customers could purchase stuffed toy versions of classic British fare like fish, chips and mushy peas during a pop-up in London. Meanwhile, items like teapot and teacup toys were featured at special stores in Beijing and Shanghai last year.

In 2024, the British firm's sales is said to have increased by two-thirds to a substantial sum. In that timeframe, sales of an estimated $117 million worth of its products to Chinese consumers on major online marketplaces, per market intelligence data.

This growth mirrors a broader surge within China's collectible toy sector driven by young adults seeking emotional support and community. Overall sales of collectable items in China are expected to exceed 110 billion yuan annually, according to a recent industry report.

The remarkable success of other toys such as Labubu, elf-like dolls from domestic company Pop Mart, highlights the country's growing demand towards designer collectibles. This "adult-child" phenomenon isn't unique to China; young adults worldwide are increasingly question "outdated understandings of adulthood," note academics.

Amuseables, especially the eggplant plushie—nicknamed "the big boss" by Chinese fans—have also inspired numerous memes, where users expressing frustrations about the pressures of adulthood. On social media, the "aubergine boss" tag is a space where fans sketch various emotive faces on the plushie, depicting it in different states from drinking to forcing a smile.

As an illustration, one Hong Kong-based, Wendy Hui, modified her aubergine toy by drawing bags around its eyes and placing spectacles on it. She then shared a picture online with the caption: "The mood of workers on Monday." "I was working from home even on my days off," she explains. "I merely intended to convey how exhausted I felt."

In this way, Jellycat has become an unexpected, light-hearted outlet for China's youth to voice their grievances over economic challenges, where hard work no longer guarantee commensurate returns. Amid strict online censorship, the internet remains an important, perhaps the primary, arena for such conversations.

The brand's frequent launches of limited-edition products coupled with the discontinuation of older designs—a strategy often called "scarcity marketing" locally—has further fueled {