Stella Huang purchased her first Jellycat brand cuddly companion during a time of job loss during the global health crisis. Prompted by an acquaintance's fondness for the British-designed toys, her curiosity was truly sparked when she saw a unique gingerbread cottage design circulating on a widely-used Chinese social media app.
While Christmas is not traditionally observed across China, being more of a commercial event than a religious festival, the imagery of gingerbread houses appealed to Stella. "It doesn't hold a lot to me... But I always like the look of gingerbread houses," she states. This prompted her to request an old friend from her hometown to purchase the item on her behalf.
That acquisition occurred back in 2021, just as the brand was on the cusp to achieve enormous popularity across China and internationally. "People were jittery, and no-one knew what exactly would happen," recalls Stella, who picked up a habit of stroking and hugging her plushies for comfort throughout that stressful time. Living in Beijing, which experienced among the most stringent restrictions globally, she passed extended periods at home.
Now 32 and working as a sales manager in the tourism industry, Stella still expand her assortment. Her collection has grown to approximately 120 items, with a total a cost of roughly 36,000 yuan. "As an adult, there are numerous matters you can't discuss with other people... and the troubles we face are far more complicated than in the past," she notes reflectively. "The plushies help me managing my feelings."
Initially designed with kids in mind, these soft creatures have evolved into a global sensation, especially within China where a somewhat disillusioned youth demographic is turning to them for emotional support.
Understanding the Kidults
Her Gingerbread house toy belongs to their "Amuseable" line, a set of toys with tiny faces based on commonplace inanimate objects, ranging from bathroom tissue to boiled eggs. These items have become the "breakout products" that "attract a wide Gen-Z and millennial demographic" around the world, as noted by market observers.
The surge in appeal "may have a connection to wanting for companionship," propose experts. It is hard to say for sure if the introduction of the iconic series in 2018 was an intentional move to target the young adult consumer, companies in the sector increasingly need to find alternative audiences due to falling birth rates in many parts of the world.
The brand made its foray into China back in 2015. Having laid the necessary "groundwork", the toy maker was well-positioned to tap into "the mood during Covid"—when people sought solace during widespread uncertainty—capitalizing on this success there, according to business consultants.
Jellycat's fame was also boosted through creative temporary events. These in-store events sometimes offered a menu of limited-edition "culinary" themed items. Numerous fans record themselves interacting and post the videos on social platforms.
Localisation has also been an essential strategy. As an example, customers could purchase plush versions of traditional UK dishes like fish, chips and mushy peas at a temporary shop overseas. Meanwhile, products including teacup and teapot plushies were featured at special outlets in Chinese metropolises the previous year.
In 2024, the British firm's sales reportedly increased by two-thirds to an impressive sum. In that timeframe, sales of an estimated $117 million in value of toys to Chinese consumers via leading e-commerce platforms, according to research estimates.
This expansion parallels a wider boom within China's collectible toy sector driven by adult consumers seeking emotional comfort and community. Total revenue from collectible items nationally are expected to top 110 billion yuan this year, according to a recent industry report.
The remarkable success of other toys such as Labubu, elf-inspired figures by Chinese toy maker Pop Mart, underscores the country's growing demand for designer collectibles. The so-called "adult-child" phenomenon isn't unique to China; young adults globally are increasingly re-evaluate "outdated notions of adulthood," observe academics.
Amuseables, especially the eggplant plushie—affectionately dubbed "the boss" by Chinese fans—have also spawned numerous memes, with many expressing frustrations regarding adult life. On social media, the "eggplant boss" tag serves as a platform where people draw various emotive faces on their toy, depicting it in various moods enjoying a drink to fake-smiling.
As an illustration, a marketing professional from Hong Kong, Wendy Hui, modified her eggplant Amuseable adding dark circles around its eyes and placing a pair of glasses on it. She then posted an image online captioning it: "The mental state of workers on Monday." "I kept working from home even on time off," the 30-something says. "I just wanted to convey the level of exhaustion I was."
Thus, the brand has emerged as an unexpected, whimsical outlet for young Chinese to air their grievances about economic challenges, in which hard work no longer guarantee comparable returns. Despite strict content regulation, digital spaces have become a crucial, perhaps the primary, space for such discussions.
The brand's regular launches of exclusive designs and the retirement of older designs—an approach sometimes referred to as "scarcity marketing" locally—has also fueled {
