How British Soft Toy Jellycat Won Over the Chinese Market

A woman named Stella acquired her first Jellycat brand cuddly companion during a period of unemployment during the global health crisis. Encouraged by an acquaintance's enthusiasm for these British-designed toys, her curiosity was truly captured upon seeing an adorable gingerbread house plushie featured on a popular social networking platform.

Although Christmas isn't traditionally observed in China, serving more as a commercial event than a cultural tradition, the sight of festive cottages resonated with her. "The festival doesn't mean a lot for me... But I have always loved the look of gingerbread houses," she explains. This led her to ask an old friend from her hometown to purchase the item on her behalf.

That acquisition took place in 2021, just as Jellycat was on the cusp of achieving significant success in China and beyond. "Everyone felt anxious, and no-one knew what would happen," says Stella, who picked up a habit of petting and hugging her plushies to cope throughout that stressful time. Residing in Beijing, which experienced among the strictest lockdowns globally, she spent extended periods indoors.

Now aged 32 with a new job in sales manager professional, Stella still expand her collection. It has swelled to around 120 items, representing a cost of roughly 36,000 yuan. "At my age, there are numerous matters that you cannot discuss with others... and the problems we face are a lot more complicated than before," she notes with a sigh. "The plushies assist me in managing my emotions."

Initially designed for children, these soft toys have evolved into an international phenomenon, especially within China where an increasingly disenchanted youth demographic has been seeking solace in them for comfort and solace.

Understanding the Adult Toy Enthusiasts

Stella's gingerbread cottage plushie is part of the "Amuseables" collection, a range of characters with tiny expressions based on commonplace inanimate objects, from bathroom tissue to hard-boiled eggs. These toys are considered a key "breakout success" which "appeal to a wide Gen-Z and millennial demographic" around the world, according to industry analysts.

The surge in appeal "may have a connection to wanting to feel a sense of connection," propose cultural commentators. It is difficult to say for sure if the introduction of the now-iconic Amuseable line in 2018 was a deliberate strategy to target the adult market, toy manufacturers increasingly need to find new markets amid falling birth rates across numerous parts of the world.

The brand made its foray into the Chinese market back in 2015. By laying the necessary "groundwork", the company was able to capture "the tone of the pandemic"—a time when people sought solace amid widespread uncertainty—and built on this momentum there, according to industry experts.

Its fame was also propelled by creative temporary events. These retail activations often featured a menu of limited-edition "food" products. Many enthusiasts would film their experience being served and share the clips on social platforms.

Localisation has also been a core approach. For instance, customers were able to buy plush versions of traditional UK dishes like fish, chips and mushy peas during a temporary shop overseas. Conversely, items like teacup and teapot plushies were sold at special stores in Beijing and Shanghai last year.

Last year, the British firm's sales is said to have rose significantly to reach an impressive figure. In that period, sales of roughly $117 million worth of toys to Chinese consumers on major e-commerce platforms, according to market intelligence data.

This growth reflects a broader surge in China's collectable-toy market driven by adult consumers seeking emotional comfort and connection. Overall sales from collectible items nationally are expected to exceed 110 billion yuan this year, according to a recent analysis.

The runaway success of other toys such as Labubu, elf-inspired dolls by Chinese toy maker Pop Mart, underscores the country's increasing appetite towards designer collectibles. The so-called "kidult" phenomenon isn't unique to China; young adults globally are increasingly question "outdated notions of adulthood," note academics.

Amuseables, items like the aubergine plushie—affectionately dubbed "the boss" in China—have spawned a wave of online jokes, with many expressing grievances about adult life. The "eggplant boss" hashtag is a space where people draw various emotive faces on the plushie, depicting it in various moods enjoying a drink to forcing a smile.

For example, one Hong Kong-based, Wendy Hui, modified her aubergine Amuseable by drawing dark circles around its eyes and putting a pair of glasses on it. She then posted an image on a social platform with the caption: "The mood of employees at the start of the week." "I kept working at home even during my days off," she explains. "I just wanted to express how exhausted I felt."

In this way, Jellycat has become a surprising, light-hearted outlet for China's youth to voice their grievances over a slowing economy, in which hard work doesn't always guarantee comparable returns. Amid strict content regulation, the internet have become an important, if not the only, space for such discussions.

Its regular launches of exclusive designs and the discontinuation of older designs—an approach sometimes referred to as "hunger marketing" in China—has further driven {