Adults are currently the world’s fastest-growing group of toy buyers, with the US alone spending over $7 billion a year on toys for themselves. From classic favorites like Lego and plush toys, to iconic brands like Hot Wheels and Barbie dolls, the market for adult toys is booming. Major toy producers like Mattel have taken notice of this trend and have released entire product lines catered to adult fans.
To get an insider look at how these adult toys are made, Business Insider visited Mattel’s design center in California. There, they saw firsthand how prototypes for Barbies and Hot Wheels are created, highlighting the intricate design process that goes into each toy. Additionally, the video features interviews with adult toy collectors from around America, including a Maryland man with the world’s most valuable Hot Wheels collection and a New York entrepreneur who specializes in buying and selling Sonny Angel figurines.
The video delves into the history and evolution of some of the most beloved toy brands, such as Hot Wheels and Barbie. Viewers get a glimpse into how Hot Wheels are designed, as well as the story behind the creation of the iconic Barbie doll. The video also showcases the passion and dedication of adult toy collectors, from Barbie enthusiasts to Lego aficionados, highlighting the influence of toys from Asia and the growing popularity of collectible items like Sonny Angel figurines.
Overall, “How Toys For Adults Became A $7+ Billion US Industry” sheds light on the thriving market for adult toys and the impact of nostalgia and collectibility on the industry. With adults driving the demand for toys like never before, it’s clear that the market for adult toys is here to stay and will continue to grow in the years to come.
Watch the video by Business Insider
Video “How Toys For Adults Became A $7+ Billion US Industry | Big Business | Business Insider” was uploaded on 03/30/2025 to Youtube Channel Business Insider
Trust me when I say this. Collecting is NOT a passion, its an obsession that can take over a chunk of your life and all your money.
What toy show has THAT many redlines? Its not Minnesota.
they put subtitles on the Asian owner🙄
I understood the title another way for a few minutes before I realised what this is about.
that man with the fresh barbie head though
As in an adult, I do collect a lot of Dicast. But I draw the line when a toy car cost more than a real car. And I consider clickers mentally ill when they pay more for toy car than they would for a home. It’s like art. Just because somebody says it’s worththat much, doesn’t mean it really is.
When I was growing up, I loved RC cars, boats, and planes. My parents didn't have a lot of money but still managed to buy me a hobby grade rc car. It was a grasshopper and was constantly broken but I LOVED it. Fast forward 35 years. I now have some extra cash and love collecting rc cars. Also, collect various fpv drones. The technology is now incredible. Easy to fix, fun to drive, and can be reasonably bought between $300 and $1,500. One of the biggest differences is the battery life of lipos now a days. What used to last a couple min if you were lucky now can last 15 to 20 min on one battery pack. It's a fun hobby and always takes me back to my childhood driving my grasshopper.
Oh yeah autism never existed back then…
And how can you say nothing about collector's statues and 1/6 scale figures ?!!!!
Even Sylvester Stallone has a company that produces such figures.
Honestly, I'm disappointed 👎
As long as those dolls don’t drop in popularity then that could be that lady’s 401k, but if they fall in popularity she will be screwed
I got a problem buying LEGO technic cars.
"collectors" shows ebay scalpers selling toy cars for 50+ dollars lol
I stopped buying toys after the Beanie Baby fiasco of 90s. My sibling got me hooked on them and I lost tons of money collecting those worthless useless junk. Never again!
What a trash wife.
I'm worried that rising inflation will cause my 550k in my retirement funds to lose value, But with the help of Mr David Bryan I hit 220k this week from my investment of 45k, I am truly grateful for all the knowledge and nuggets you have given me over the past few months.
yup collect horror a figures and also funkos
Watching this makes me wanna puke. Here I am stuggling to make a few bucks doing skillful jobs and these dumber people are doing shits. Toys for so much price. World is shit with full crap people.
Pop mart and jellycat are HUGE
I have a huge Transformer collection. All in package and untouched. I will sell many years from now
Practically every evaluation of price on toys i call BS too. No one wants your stuffed animal for $300. Like, his red Ferrari hot wheels “investment” 😂😂😂. Stashing away hot wheels as an investment is laughable
Its because we see how valuable furbee's, troll dolls, and tickle me Elmo, etc.. have become. Nostalgia / potential investment
Claw machines are rigged
Shouldn’t expose plastic toys to too much direct sunlight
The plushy guys working way too hard to make a lousy five or $10 profit on each of those plushy‘s!
Figuring time with packing shipping buying the supplies I don’t think you can make a living doing that
This hot wheels guy loves it so cool.. this guy loves talking numbers knowing he will never ever sell even if someone offered him a billion lol troll king 2025
how? sex toys
Mid-30s here, and I still buy Lego sets. It’s something I plan on continuing especially as my kids get old enough to play and build sets on their own.
Collecting toys to just leave them in their boxes and not actually play with them is just stupid. Same goes for pretty much any style of collection.
We have money now, so that we could buy the toys our parents do not buy for us. 😂 But well, it's very addictive tbh. Some People don't understand but Most will
I love the passion 😊
Bullsh**!
It‘s only worth that, what someone is gonna pay, if you sell it on the spot😂🎉
What’s the point in being grown-up if you can’t be childish sometimes?
I can't afford stuff from my childhood, almost all the toys I had are now collectors items that are worth more than my life. I did manage to buy a Hess police car I always wanted, got it broken and fixed it.
Bionicle anyone?
I'm 36 and just got in to figures in the last year or so. For me, I'm a horror fan and we're seeing a lot of toys/figures coming out for things that never got that type of merch in years past. Fine example is a lot of the NECA ultimate figures that have come out, like the recent Horror of Dracula figures of Van Helsing and the title character. It helps that I'm also in to photography, so it gives me a more adult way to "play with" and enjoy what I buy.
9:21 This is how the rich ruin everything for everybody. It's never about the toys, it's always about the money. All this video actually talks about is money, money, money. This hobby has been ruined and all you ever hear are toy collectors complaining about it. I've been collecting since I was 5 when Star Wars hit theaters in 77 and I am totally disgusted with these people. They hijacked my hobby & now all they do is jack up the prices constantly. They screw over all of us with their insatiable greed and their BS artificial "aftermarket value", they just pull numbers out of a hat. The hobby is nothing but a giant load of crap now. And the toy companies are just as bad making everything "LIMITED". And the stores, especially Walmart, don't put the product out evenly so everybody can enjoy the hobby. The bigger cities get the lion's share while the rest of us can never find anything in stock.