Lotte Department Store hosted an event this month to sell a variety of goods ahead of the release of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” next year. (image: Lotte Shopping)
SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Christmas is just around the corner, a season when children are looking forward to receiving gifts or toys, but so too are ‘kidults’ (a compound word of kid and adult), adults who seek a child’s sensibility.
According to major online shopping malls, the sales growth rate of items favored by kidults has increased sharply this year.
According to Gmarket’s analysis of sales data from January 1 to November 19, sales of game figures were up 171 percent over last year.
On shopping portal G9, sales of plastic models and model assembly increased by 98 percent, game figures by 77 percent, and the wireless model/RC toys by 15 percent on-year.
From the perspective of the retail industry, kidults who make purchases with their own economic power are “big hands.”
For this reason, companies have been planning and advertising toys aimed at adults.
Toys ‘R’ Us Mall, operated by Lotte Mart, has released a figure that recreates the images of Elsa, Anna and Olaf, which appear in Walt Disney’s sensational film “Frozen 2.”
Lotte Department Store also hosted an event this month to sell a variety of goods, including related clothing and bags, shoes and figures, ahead of the release of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” next year.
In the past, only a handful of people enjoyed kidult culture, but there has been a steady increase in the number of people interested in toys and retro gaming consoles they liked as children.
Parents who want to play games with their children as a recollection of their childhood also buy gaming consoles.
“Members of the kidult generation are doing well financially, but they are also spending money on mortgages and tuition fees for children,” said an industry source.
“There is a phenomenon in which people spend money on kidult contents rather than big shopping at once, and get satisfaction,” an industry source added.
D. M. Park (dmpark@koreabizwire.com)
