"Kidult" Trend Drives One-Quarter of US Toy Sales
The "kidult" trend — adults buying toys for themselves — is picking up steam and now accounts for about a quarter of all U.S. toy sales. A Toy Association survey last summer found that 81% of parents in 2025 were likely to add a toy or game for themselves to their own shopping list, up from 72% in 2024 .
Top Toy Trends for 2026:
Sensory and Fidget Toys: Nee-Doh Nice Cubes and similar squeezable toys have exploded with triple-digit sales increases, driven by TikTok virality .
Trading Cards: Driven by Pokémon's 30th anniversary and new licensed cards for hits like KPop Demon Hunters .
Nostalgic and Collectible Items: Tickle Me Elmo's 30th anniversary "Giggle Max" version is predicted to be a top seller .
Cross-Generational Brands: Transformers (40th anniversary of the original movie) with a new Bumblebee toy .
James Zahn, senior editor of The Toy Insider, noted: "You've got four decades of brand recognition where you have parents, grandparents, their kids and in some cases the grandkids all playing together" .
