How Hasbro and Mattel Monetize Adults: Toy Brand Strategy

Hasbro launched Blooms by Play-Doh in January 2025 — a flower arrangement creation set priced at $39.97 and targeted at adult consumers. This is part of a broader trend: Mattel launched Barbie × Dunkin' and UNO × Vrbo collaborations for consumers 30+, Crayola introduced the All Grown Up marker line with Merlot and Arctic Breeze shades, Lego expanded its botanical collection with magnolias and sunflowers. The common thread — toy manufacturers are repositioning classic children's brands toward affluent adult audiences experiencing digital fatigue and seeking tactile ways to manage stress.

Why toy brands are shifting their target audience

Sara Meade, Hasbro's Vice President of Global Marketing, explains the shift simply: adults enjoy playing just as much as children do, they just don't call it play. The company's research showed that one in seven adults engages in creative and craft activities, seeking a "digital detox." Blooms by Play-Doh features pastel-colored dough with floral fragrance, sculpting tools, and a fixing spray that preserves moisture and color of finished bouquets for display as home décor.

Crayola is following the same logic: the All Grown Up line offers spirit-based markers and acrylic paints with brushes for coloring books or independent creative pursuits. Ben Thomas, Crayola's Chief Creative Officer and Executive Vice President, emphasizes that creativity doesn't end with childhood — it's a way to restore emotional calm. Eric Tsitsylin, a partner at Lippincott consulting, articulates the audience's request more precisely: years of screens that entertain and think for people have created hunger for slow, tactile, analog activities without algorithms.

Young adults are drawn to eras and objects they didn't experience, because the present is overwhelming: AI, climate, unaffordable housing, a job market that doesn't reward the metrics their generation was raised on — it all makes tomorrow unimaginable.

Daniel Binns, Global CEO of Elmwood consulting, views toy brands' strategy as a response to existential fatigue among Gen Z and millennials. A Harris Poll survey found that 47% of respondents aged 18–27 wish TikTok had never existed, 21% regret smartphones, and 17% regret the internet itself. In this light, a flower-sculpting kit from children's modeling clay becomes not nostalgic indulgence, but a rational tool for managing mental state.

How nostalgic marketing works for Generation X

At the same time, manufacturers are retaining their first wave of consumers — Generation X (1965–1980). Care Bears, turning 47 in 2026, appeared on The Masked Singer in May 2025 and licensed product lines with Scentsy home fragrance and Londontown cosmetics. This isn't an attempt to rejuvenate the brand — it's direct outreach to the 46–61-year-old audience that grew up with these characters.

Chuck E. Cheese launched Chuck's Arcade seven years ago — a network of arcades styled after 1980s shopping malls for parents who grew up with the brand themselves. Mark Kuperman, Director of Marketing at CEC Entertainment, notes that parents aged out of Chuck E. Cheese, but the format brought them back. Today there are 20 locations with three in development, some featuring animatronic characters in displays like museum exhibits of a bygone era.

Mattel's lifetime loyalty strategy: from 8 to 38 years old

Mattel doesn't view adult engagement as a trend — the company is building "lifetime fan bases," adjusting communication approaches by age while maintaining a consistent mission. Makhta Egbali, Vice President of Brand Partnerships, explains: the approach to eight-year-olds and thirty-eight-year-olds differs, but the goal is the same — maintaining contact.

In May 2025, the UNO × Vrbo collaboration offered six family rental homes themed around the card game for ages 7+. All slots sold out in 90 seconds. In June, Barbie × Dunkin' launched pink strawberry-flavored beverages and a branded coffee shop in Manhattan featuring a photo booth and pink donuts. The 2023 Barbie film's $1.46 billion box office proved the scale of the adult audience, but Mattel doesn't rely on momentum alone: Egbali insists the brand must create new touchpoints while staying true to itself.

Application for the Russian market and local brands

Russian manufacturers and retailers can adapt this strategy under several conditions. First, demand for tactile, analog activities is equally relevant in Russia: according to VTsIOM, the share of social media users experiencing content fatigue grew from 34% in 2022 to 48% in 2024. Second, Generation X (1965–1980) in Russia has purchasing power and nostalgia for Soviet and early post-Soviet toys — "Elektronika," "Malysh" construction sets, "Ogonek" factory dolls.

The key difference: Western brands rely on years of kidult segment research, while the Russian market is just beginning to gather data. Local players should start with low-budget tests — limited editions of classic toys in updated designs, collaborations with wellness brands (candles, fragrances, textiles), influencer partnerships in self-care and mindfulness segments.

Step-by-step algorithm for marketers

• Audience audit: segment your customer base by age, isolate the 25–45 share, analyze repeat purchase frequency and average order value for adults buying for personal use (not as gifts for children).
• Qualitative research: conduct 10–15 in-depth interviews with 30+ customers who purchased children's products for personal use. Identify motivation: nostalgia, stress relief, hobby, collecting.
• Pilot product: develop a limited edition (500–1,000 units) of a classic item upgraded for adults — premium packaging, expanded contents, instructions with art therapy elements.
• Test campaign: launch blogger advertising with 3–5 influencers in lifestyle and wellness segments (50–200k followers) using promo codes. Track conversion, average order value, and feedback.
• Media plan for scaling: if conversion exceeds 2% and feedback is positive, add targeted ads (retargeting site visitors aged 25+ in children's product sections), email campaigns to the segment, and collaborations with niche media.
• Performance measurement: track the share of adult purchases for personal use in total volume, customer LTV in this segment, and brand mention frequency in self-care and creativity contexts.

Hasbro has already announced follow-up adult product lines after Blooms — Sara Meade calls the flower set "a first step." This signals that companies view the adult audience not as a one-off promotion, but as a long-term growth channel with a separate product roadmap.

Metrics and strategy limitations

The 28% of toy sales from adults is an aggregated figure across the U.S. market, including collectible figures, board games, and construction sets. The specific share of repackaged children's products for adults within this segment isn't publicly disclosed, making it difficult to forecast potential for any given category.

Hasbro's finding that 80% of adults experience digital fatigue comes from research of 10,000 respondents, though methodology and sample geography aren't detailed. Nevertheless, the figure correlates with Harris Poll data showing 47% of young people wish to abandon TikTok, confirming the trend at a sentiment level, not just behavioral.

The Barbie film's $1.46 billion box office proves adult audience interest in the brand, but doesn't directly translate to physical product sales. Mattel doesn't publish Barbie doll sales broken down by buyer age, but growth in licensing partnerships with adult brands (Dunkin', cosmetics, apparel) indicates commercial viability of the strategy.

Frequently asked questions

Which toy brands are releasing adult products in 2025?

Hasbro launched Blooms by Play-Doh — a flower arrangement creation set for $39.97. Crayola introduced the All Grown Up line with Merlot and Wisteria markers. Mattel is executing Barbie × Dunkin' and UNO × Vrbo collaborations for 30+ audiences. Lego expanded its botanical collection for adult builders.

Why are toy brands targeting adult consumers?

80% of adults experience digital fatigue and seek tactile analog activities without algorithms. 28% of toy sales already come from adult audiences. Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X have purchasing power and motivation — from nostalgia to stress management through creative expression.

How to measure the effectiveness of reaching adult audiences for a children's brand?

Key metrics: share of purchases by adults for personal use in total sales volume, conversion rate of pilot campaigns with wellness-segment bloggers (target value 2%+), LTV of customers aged 25–45, frequency of brand mentions in the context of self-care. Start with a pilot batch of 500–1000 units and conduct qualitative interviews with 10–15 customers.

In a nutshell

• Hasbro, Mattel, Crayola, and Lego launched toy lines for adults amid digital fatigue: 80% of consumers seek tactile activities, 47% of young people regret the emergence of TikTok.
• 28% of toy sales come from adult audiences (kidults), making the segment commercially significant for manufacturers.
• The strategy includes repackaging classic products (Play-Doh with scents and fixing spray, Crayola markers in Merlot colors), collaborations with adult brands (UNO × Vrbo, Barbie × Dunkin'), and appeals to Generation X nostalgia (Care Bears, Chuck E. Cheese).
• For the Russian market, low-budget testing is relevant: limited editions of Soviet toys in updated design, integrations with self-care bloggers, collaborations with wellness brands.
• Effectiveness should be measured through the share of adult buyers, conversion rate of pilot campaigns (target value 2%+), LTV of the 25–45 age segment, and brand mentions in the context of creativity and stress relief.
• Hasbro announced additional product lines following Blooms — manufacturers view the adult audience as a long-term growth channel with a separate product roadmap.