Skip NavigationSlime, puzzles and coloring books for adults? That’s “kidulting.”Christina Locopo | CNBC Make It; Lanna Apisukh | 4×6, Yevgen Romanenko, Ana Maria Serrano | Getty Images
Search “Lego collection” on TikTok and you’ll see shelves brimming with ornate Lego structures — sometimes hundreds of them lining a single wall, with varying levels of size and intricacy — and no kids in sight.
Rather, it’s the “kidults” who are elbowing their way into the U.S. toy industry.
In a Harris Poll survey published Wednesday, 65% of American adults reported spending $100 or more on playful activities or products — such as craft kits or action figures — for personal enjoyment between June 2025 and June 2026. Thirteen percent of adults reported spending $500 or more within the same time period, according to the survey, which polled 2,158 people ages 18 and up.
“Adults are now the single largest contributor to toy industry growth,” says Ali Furman, a U.S. consumer markets industry leader at professional services firm PwC. “Play doesn’t really have an age limit anymore,” she says, adding that nostalgia and tactile play are increasingly “real spending categories with real dollars behind them.”
Adults who buy items or perform activities typically intended for children are known as kidults in the U.S. toy industry, which had a market size of $45.6 billion in 2025, according to a spokesperson from market research firm Circana. Some analysts define kidults as any consumer over the age of 12, and though kidulting isn’t a brand-new consumer trend, it’s growing, says Furman. Adult-only households represented 55% of toy sales for the first half of 2026, “slightly outpacing households with children” over that time frame, according to additional Circana data published on Aug. 12.
Retailers are even including kidults in their seasonal inventory plans. Screen-free gifts like puzzles, board games, and arts and crafts are likely to be popular this holiday season, according to a PwC survey published on Sept. 8. Many of them are intended for adults, Furman says.
At its core, the trend is powered by taking comfort in a stressful world.
‘While consumers are watching their dollars, they do not eliminate joy’
For some Americans, kidulting isn’t a childish luxury, says Cas Holman, a New York City-based toy inventor who’s worked with Google, Nike and Disney executives on how to incorporate play at work for greater success. It’s a necessity.
Play is “really how we reflect and connect with who we are,” says Holman, author of the October 2025 book, “Playful: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity.” Some emerging research backs her up: Being more playful can boost your creativity levels and your productivity at work, according to a March 2023 research article that analyzed how workplace fun affected the behaviors of Chinese employees. And playing more outside of work led to an increased sense of overall well-being for working-aged adults in a small 2021 study of Australians.
Plus, the pull of nostalgia grows for consumers when stress rises, retail analyst Marni Shapiro told CNBC Make It in March. As Americans get buffeted between varying sources of anxiety, from a tough job market to climbing inflation, it’s no surprise that they might gravitate toward playful experiences connected to their childhood in their off time, said Shapiro, co-founder and managing partner of research and consulting firm The Retail Tracker.
The surprise, perhaps, is that even after paying high prices for essential expenses like groceries and gas, people are still willing to spend on leisure. In the Harris poll, about a quarter of respondents said kidulting helps them stay emotionally resilient when things feel heavy, and half of respondents cited kidulting as one of their main forms of self-care.
“While consumers are watching their dollars, they do not eliminate joy,” says Furman. “They do get more selective about where they find it and buy it.”
Puzzles, collectibles and plenty of slime
Sometimes, adults find their joy in fandoms. People tend to buy licensed toys like puzzles or collectibles for themselves from franchises like Star Wars or Barbie because “it’s an identity or community that they already care about,” says Furman. It’s also a “very accessible way to buy yourself an experience.”
Other Americans want in-person opportunities for tactile play, especially when they feel inundated by technology and digital communication, says Furman. The Sloomoo Institute was built as such an outlet, according to its founders Sara Schiller and Karen Robinovitz. Their experience as adults playing with slime inspired them to open Sloomoo’s first location in New York City in October 2019, and although most families enter expecting a kid-centric experience, parents are often “elbows deep” in slime by the end, says Robinovitz.
One woman had a surprise 40th birthday party at Sloomoo’s Chicago location, Robinovitz says. She’s seen family gatherings at Sloomoo where “the youngest kids are 35, and it is amazing to see them running through the lake of slime together,” she says.
Embracing play doesn’t always have to cost money, Holman notes. If you notice that you’re feeling stressed, take a moment to reconnect with your “silly side,” she suggests. Listen to your favorite songs while doing housework, or take an occasional dance break, for example.
“I think we are taught that to play is childish, and being playful is not a good use of time,” says Holman. “And that is not true.”
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