Adult Toy Sales Surge as 'Kid-ulting' Reshapes the $50 Billion U.S. Toy Industry

In summer 2025, adult-only households became the majority of U.S. toy buyers, marking a shift toward grown-up consumers of action figures, trading cards, and plushies. Sharon Price John, former Build-A-Bear CEO and Toy Association board chair from 2024 to early 2026, popularized the term 'kid-ulting.' Build-A-Bear's stock rose over 2,000% between 2020 and 2025, with adults and teens reaching 40% of customers. The U.S. toy industry now exceeds $50 billion, aided by pandemic-era growth (16% in 2020) and marketing like Lego's 'Adults Welcome' (2020) and McDonald's 'Adult Happy Meal' (2022). At Toy Fair in New York, 'Kidult Toy of the Year' awards and retro gaming booths highlighted the trend. YouTuber Tristan Wigglesworth (Top Pops), with 3 million subscribers and 5,000 Funko Pops, noted most viewers are 25-44. Funko CEO Josh Simon, hired in 2025, targets adults to revive sales. Social theorist Keith Hayward attributes the shift to delayed adulthood milestones and corporate strategies. Limited editions function as 'passion assets,' with some Lego sets yielding 11% annual returns. The trend reflects collapsing life stages and the nostalgia economy.