Business · Economy · 3 hrs ago
Adults are expected to buy one in five UK toys this Christmas
About one in five UK toys sold this Christmas will be bought for adults, according to market data.
These buyers, often called “kidults,” play with or collect toys, and sales to them have risen 15% in the past year.
Adults in their 20s and 30s without children are the fastest-growing group, with their UK toy spending reaching £940 million in the year to October 2026.
Some collect and film themselves opening toys, while others seek out familiar toys from their childhood or a break from screens and everyday pressures.
Retailers are promoting adult-focused products, including Lego flower-building sets, nostalgic collectibles and construction kits.
Toy sales in Britain have grown 13% so far this year, their fastest growth in a decade, with adult buyers driving much of the rise.
Adults are expected to buy one in five toys sold in the UK this Christmas, according to market data from Circana.
Sales to adults who play with or collect toys rose 15 per cent year-on-year in the UK.
The UK toy market grew 13 per cent in the first nine months of 2026, its fastest growth in a decade.
Toy retailers are promoting construction sets, collectibles and nostalgic toys to attract adult buyers.
People in their 20s and 30s without children are the fastest-growing group of adult toy buyers.
- Who
- Adults, including people who play with or collect toys. People in their 20s and 30s without children are the fastest-growing group of adult buyers.
- What
- Adults are expected to buy one in five toys sold in the UK this Christmas.
- When
- This Christmas, in 2026.
- Where
- The UK.
- Why
- Some adults seek toys for enjoyment, comfort or nostalgia. Social media is also driving toy collecting and unboxing among younger adults.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
UK toy sales rose 13 per cent, the fastest growth in a decade.
Toy sales to people in their 20s and 30s without children were worth £940 million in the UK.
The Daily Mail published its report on adults buying toys for Christmas.
- Adult share of Christmas toy sales
- One in five
- UK toy market growth
- 13 per cent in the first nine months of 2026
- Year-on-year growth in sales to kidults
- 15 per cent
- Sales to child-free adults in their 20s and 30s
- £940 million in the year to October 2026
- Share of total toy sales for over-12s
- One third
What people are saying
It's less about wanting to be a child again and more about adults giving themselves permission to switch off and find comfort in things that might once have been considered as for just for kids.
Christmas toys aren't just for children anymore.