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There is a doughnut with a face looking at me, and quite frankly, it is doing more for the atmosphere than another beige cushion ever could. It has no opinion on my life choices, requires no elaborate explanation of my feelings and appears delighted simply to exist. In an adulthood full of bills, disappointing news and people who mistake replying to a message for an Olympic endurance event, I find that rather refreshing.
I spend my working life talking about toys, reviewing toys and introducing people to things they did not realise they needed until they saw me enthusiastically squishing them on the internet. But my love of toys goes far beyond my job. At 52, with grown-up children and a home I get to make my own, I have given myself permission to be surrounded by cheerful things. Paddington Bear, Labubu, NeeDoh and small, inexplicably adorable objects have all found their way into my world. Joy, it turns out, does not have an upper age limit.
Why are more adults buying toys?
Adult toy collecting seems to have moved from something people sheepishly admitted to something we happily discuss, display and share. A collectible on a handbag, a plush on the sofa or a fidget toy beside the laptop barely raises an eyebrow now. Somewhere along the way, we appear to have stopped pretending that becoming a grown-up means losing every interest that cannot be filed under sensible home improvements.
There is evidence behind that shift. Circana reported that 43% of UK adults had bought a toy for themselves or another adult in 2025, based on data to July that year. That does not mean nearly half the country has a dedicated plush room, although I would support the architectural ambition. It does show that buying toys for adults is a substantial part of everyday shopping, rather than a tiny eccentric corner of it. Circana
The toy industry often calls us “kidults”, a word that sounds as though somebody in a marketing meeting needed a biscuit. I understand what it means, but I also think we can simply be adults who enjoy toys. We manage households, earn money, raise families and navigate complicated lives. We can do all of that while owning a bear in a duffle coat.
Finding pockets of joy in a grey world
My theory is that the toy renaissance has something to do with how relentlessly grey adulthood can feel. There is always something to organise, renew, pay for or worry about. Even our leisure time can become another self-improvement project, as though sitting down is only acceptable if we emerge with better posture and conversational Italian.
A cheerful toy asks very little of you. You can enjoy its colour, its expression, the way it feels in your hand or the ridiculousness of its existence. A smiling doughnut is not going to improve the economy, but it can improve the view from your chair. Some days, that is a perfectly respectable achievement.
Anyone who knows me knows that, even when I am at my saddest, I usually manage to find pockets of joy. I do not think being surrounded by toys is incidental to that. They give me small things to notice and enjoy when everything else feels heavy. Sadness and delight can occupy the same room, and sometimes delight is a very small creature with an exceptionally silly face.
You do not need children to enjoy toys
So many of us are single, child-free or living in a different chapter now that our children have grown up. There is no reason the cheerful things should leave the house just because the children have. My daughters are adults; my enthusiasm for Paddington has declined by precisely zero per cent.
There is a particular pleasure in choosing things entirely for yourself. You do not need to invent a niece, borrow a child or tell the cashier that the plush is a present. It can be yours. Your home can reflect the person who actually lives in it, including the part of you that still gets excited by a beautiful little toy.
I am increasingly fond of that freedom. If I want something colourful on a shelf because it makes me smile, that is enough of a reason. I have spent enough of adulthood being responsible. I would also like to be delighted.
NeeDoh and sensory toys for adults
NeeDoh has become a huge part of my working life, but it also belongs firmly in my personal collection. There is something deeply satisfying about picking up a squishy toy and giving your hands something to do. For me, that tactile experience can be a useful part of settling myself when I feel overwhelmed.
As an autistic person with ADHD, I notice how much the right sensory experience matters to me. Texture, resistance and the feel of a toy can all change whether I want to keep reaching for it. People have different preferences, which is why I would always choose a sensory toy for how it feels to you, rather than assuming the most viral one will automatically be your favourite.
Some days I want a satisfying squish; other days I simply enjoy looking at the colours. Neither experience needs to become a productivity strategy. Sometimes your hands want something pleasant to do while your brain has a moment.
Browse my NeeDoh and sensory toy picks on Amazon
Paddington Bear and the comfort of childhood favourites
There are childhood characters who seem to carry a whole emotional world with them. For me, Paddington is one of those characters. That small bear, with his earnest face and enduring belief that people ought to be kind, feels like particularly good company in a world that occasionally needs reminding.
Revisiting a childhood favourite can bring a familiar pleasure into your current life. You might have a different home, a different family set-up and a considerably more intimate relationship with your electricity bill, but you can still recognise that little flicker of affection when you see a character you have loved for years.
Nostalgic toys make thoughtful gifts for adults because the connection can be so personal. The best choice is often the character someone already loves, rather than whatever happens to be at the top of a trending list. If their face lights up when they see it, you have probably understood the assignment.
Find Blind Box gifts and nostalgic favourites on Amazon
Labubu and the pleasure of collecting
Labubu has a place in my collection because I enjoy it. That sounds almost suspiciously straightforward in a world where we are expected to justify every hobby, but I like the characters and the pleasure of having something I am excited to collect.
Collecting can create lovely little points of connection, too. You spot someone else’s favourite, compare collections or discover that another perfectly competent adult has strong feelings about a tiny face. There is something rather wonderful about finding people who understand your enthusiasm without asking you to make it more sensible first.
Of course, enjoying a collection does not mean you need every release. I want my toys to be pockets of joy, not another source of pressure. A small collection you love can be every bit as satisfying as an enormous one, and liking something is not an obligation to keep buying it.
Fugglers and Momiji: my Christmas 2026 toy predictions
If you are looking for Christmas gifts for adults who love toys, two names I am watching particularly closely are Fugglers and Momiji. These are my predictions from a life spent enthusiastically immersed in toys, rather than a guarantee that every Christmas stocking in Britain will contain one. Although I would enjoy seeing the photographs.
Fugglers have the sort of gloriously odd appeal that makes people stop scrolling. They are funny-looking plush monsters with human-like teeth, which sounds mildly alarming until you discover that mildly alarming might be exactly what you want on your sofa. I think they have plenty of potential for another wave of viral attention and a place on Christmas lists this year. fuggler.com
They also make sense as gifts for people whose taste runs towards the peculiar. Not everyone wants sweetness with a bow on it. Some of us would quite like a creature that looks as though it has opinions about the neighbours.
Momiji offers a different kind of charm. These collectible message dolls have space for a tiny handwritten message hidden in the base, which makes them feel wonderfully personal. A cheerful little figure is lovely enough; a cheerful little figure carrying a secret note from someone you love is a rather beautiful gift. Collectable Message Dolls
I think Momiji could have a big Christmas because that combination of collectibility and sentiment has so much appeal. You can choose a doll, write something that matters and give someone a small object with a much bigger feeling attached to it. I am very susceptible to that sort of thing. Put a tiny meaningful note inside something adorable and apparently I am yours.
NeeDoh is also firmly on my Christmas radar. Given the enthusiasm I see around it, I expect it to feature on plenty of wish lists. Whether your chosen version will be easy to find is another question, so I would keep an eye on reputable sellers and choose the toy you actually want, rather than paying a ridiculous price simply because everybody else is excited.
Shopping for adult toy gifts during Prime Big Deal Days
Amazon’s UK Prime Big Deal Days takes place on 6 and 7 October 2026, which makes this a useful moment to look through your Christmas gift ideas. If you are shopping for an adult collector, a sensory toy fan or someone who could use a cheerful little addition to their day, I have included places to browse my Amazon picks throughout this post. About Amazon UK
I would start with the person rather than the offer. Think about the characters they love, whether they enjoy soft toys or display pieces, and whether a squishy texture would be their idea of heaven or something they would hand straight back. A thoughtful toy gift does not have to be expensive to feel personal.
I cannot promise that the toys mentioned here will be discounted during the event, and prices and availability can change. My approach is to check the current listing, the seller and the price, then decide whether it is something I actually wanted in the first place. A sale is much more satisfying when it helps you buy something you love.
Browse my Amazon toy picks and adult gift ideas
Giving yourself permission to enjoy cheerful things
What I love most about this growing enthusiasm for toys is the permission people seem to be giving themselves. The permission to collect, to play, to revisit something familiar or to put a ridiculous little face on the shelf because seeing it makes the day feel better.
My life contains work, responsibilities and difficult feelings, just like everybody else’s. It also contains Paddington, Labubu, NeeDoh and the occasional doughnut with an expression of implausible optimism. I am glad there is room for all of them. When life feels heavy, I appreciate having small reminders that I am still capable of delight.
Perhaps that is why more adults are buying toys. We have realised that joy does not become less valuable because the thing bringing it happens to be small, colourful and available in several collectible varieties. I intend to keep finding those pockets of joy, and if one of them has a cuddly face and is currently staring at me from across the room, so much the better.
