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Stella Huang bought her first Jellycat soft toy during a time of unemployment in the pandemic. Encouraged by an acquaintance's fondness for these UK-created creatures, her curiosity was fully sparked when she saw a distinctive gingerbread house plushie circulating on a popular Chinese social media platform.

Although The Christmas holiday isn't widely celebrated in China, being more of a commercial event rather than a cultural tradition, the sight of gingerbread houses appealed with her. "It doesn't hold a lot to me... However, I have always loved the sight of gingerbread houses," she explains. This led her to eventually request a friend from her hometown to buy the item on her behalf.

That purchase was made back in 2021, coinciding with Jellycat was about to achieve massive success in China and internationally. "Everyone felt anxious, and nobody knew what was going to happen," recalls Stella, who developed a habit of stroking and squeezing her soft toys for comfort during a difficult period. Residing in Beijing, which experienced among the most stringent restrictions in the world, she spent extended periods at home.

Now 32 and working in tourism sector professional, Stella still grow her collection. Her collection has grown to approximately 120 items, with a total an investment of about 36,000 yuan. "As an adult, you have many things that you cannot share with other people... and the troubles we face are a lot more complicated than before," she notes with a sigh. "These soft toys help me regulate my feelings."

Originally designed with kids in mind, these soft toys have become an international sensation, particularly within China where a somewhat disillusioned youth demographic is seeking solace in them as a source of comfort and solace.

The Rise of Kidults

Her gingerbread cottage toy belongs to the "Amuseables" collection, a set of characters featuring small faces modelled after commonplace items, from bathroom tissue and boiled eggs. These plushies have become the "breakout products" that "attract a broad Gen-Z and millennial audience" globally, according to industry analysts.

The surge in popularity "may have a connection to a desire to feel companionship," suggest experts. It is hard to say for sure whether the introduction of the now-iconic series in 2018 was a deliberate strategy to target the young adult market, companies in the sector increasingly must find new markets amid falling birth rates across numerous countries.

Jellycat made its foray into China as early as 2015. Having laid significant "foundation", the company was able to capture "the tone during Covid"—when individuals looked for solace during heightened uncertainty—and built on this momentum in the country, as explained by industry experts.

Jellycat's fame was also boosted by engaging pop-up experiences. These in-store activations sometimes offered a selection of limited-edition "culinary" products. Numerous fans record themselves being served and post the videos on social platforms.

Adaptation to local tastes proved to be an essential strategy. For instance, customers were able to buy plush versions of classic British fare like fish and chips during a temporary shop overseas. Meanwhile, products including teacup and teapot toys were featured at special outlets in Chinese metropolises last year.

Last year, the British firm's sales is said to have increased by two-thirds to a substantial figure. In that timeframe, sales of an estimated $117 million in value of toys to Chinese consumers via leading e-commerce platforms, per market intelligence data.

This growth mirrors a broader surge in China's collectible toy market driven by adult consumers seeking emotional support and connection. Total revenue of collectable toys in China are projected to exceed 110 billion yuan annually, according to a recent industry report.

The runaway popularity of other toys such as Labubu, elf-like dolls from Chinese toy maker Pop Mart, highlights the country's growing appetite for designer collectibles. The so-called "kidult" phenomenon is not unique to China; adults globally are starting to question "traditional understandings of what it means to be an adult," observe academics.

Amuseables, especially the eggplant plushie—nicknamed "the big boss" in China—have also inspired numerous memes, where users sharing grievances regarding the pressures of adulthood. The "aubergine boss" tag is a space where fans sketch different expressions on the plushie, showing it in various moods enjoying a drink to fake-smiling.

As an illustration, a marketing professional from Hong Kong, Wendy Hui, modified her eggplant toy adding dark circles under its eyes and putting a pair of glasses on the toy. She posted an image on a social platform with the caption: "The mental state of employees on Monday." "I was working at home even on time off," she explains. "I just wanted to convey how exhausted I felt."

In this way, Jellycat has become an unexpected, whimsical channel for China's youth to air their grievances about economic challenges, in which hard work no longer ensure commensurate rewards. Despite strict online censorship, the internet have become an important, perhaps the primary, space for such discussions.

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