The Way UK Plush Toy Jellycat Captured the Chinese Market

A woman named Stella acquired her initial Jellycat brand soft toy in the midst of a time of unemployment in the pandemic. Encouraged by an acquaintance's fondness for the British-designed creatures, her curiosity was truly captured when she saw a unique gingerbread house design on a major social networking platform.

While The Christmas holiday is not widely celebrated in China, being more of a retail occasion than a cultural tradition, the concept of festive cottages appealed with her. "The festival doesn't mean a lot for me... But I always like the sight of those sweet houses," she explains. This led her to request a friend from her hometown to purchase it for her.

That acquisition took place in 2021, just as the brand was about of achieving massive success across China and beyond. "People were anxious, and no-one knew what exactly was going to happen," says Stella, who developed a routine of stroking and hugging her plushies for comfort throughout that stressful time. Residing in Beijing, a city with among the strictest lockdowns in the world, she spent a great deal of time indoors.

Now aged 32 and working as a tourism sector in the tourism industry, Stella still expand her assortment. Her collection has swelled to approximately 120 items, representing an investment of about 36,000 yuan. "At my age, you have numerous matters that you cannot share with other people... and the problems we encounter are a lot more complex than in the past," she says reflectively. "These soft toys help me managing my feelings."

Initially designed with kids in mind, these soft creatures have become an international sensation, especially in China where a increasingly disenchanted younger generation has been seeking solace in them for comfort and solace.

The Rise of Adult Toy Enthusiasts

Her gingerbread cottage plushie belongs to the "Amuseable" collection, a range of toys featuring small faces based on commonplace items, ranging from bathroom tissue to boiled eggs. These items are considered the "breakout products" which "resonate with a wide Gen-Z and millennial demographic" globally, as noted by market observers.

Their growing popularity "could have a connection to a desire to feel a sense of connection," suggest experts. It is difficult to ascertain if the introduction of the iconic Amuseable line in 2018 was a deliberate move to target the adult market, toy manufacturers are under pressure to must cultivate alternative audiences due to declining fertility rates in many parts of the world.

The brand made its foray into the Chinese market back in 2015. Having laid the necessary "foundation", the toy maker was able to tap into "the tone of the pandemic"—when people sought comfort during heightened anxiety—and built on its early momentum in the country, according to industry experts.

Its fame was further propelled by engaging pop-up experiences. These in-store activations sometimes offered a menu of limited-edition "culinary" themed items. Numerous fans would film their experience being served and share the videos online.

Adaptation to local tastes has also been a core approach. As an example, fans could purchase stuffed toy versions of classic British fare like fish and chips at a temporary shop in London. Conversely, items like teacup and teapot plushies were sold at exclusive outlets in Beijing and Shanghai the previous year.

In 2024, the UK-based firm's revenue reportedly increased by two-thirds to a substantial figure. During the same timeframe, sales of roughly $117 million worth of its products to Chinese consumers via major online marketplaces, according to research data.

This expansion reflects a broader surge within China's collectible toy sector among young adults seeking emotional support and connection. Total revenue from collectible toys nationally are projected to top 110 billion yuan annually, as per a 2024 analysis.

The runaway popularity of other toys such as Labubu, elf-inspired figures by Chinese toy maker Pop Mart, highlights the country's growing demand towards collectable toys. This "adult-child" trend isn't unique to China; adults worldwide are increasingly question "traditional notions of adulthood," observe academics.

Particularly, especially the eggplant plushie—affectionately dubbed "the boss" by Chinese fans—have also spawned a wave of memes, where users sharing frustrations regarding adult life. The "eggplant boss" tag is a space where people draw various emotive faces on the plushie, showing it in different states enjoying a drink to forcing a smile.

For example, a marketing professional from Hong Kong, Wendy Hui, modified her aubergine Amuseable adding dark circles around its eyes and putting spectacles on it. She shared a picture on a social platform captioning it: "The mental state of workers on Monday." "I kept working at home even on my days off," the 30-something says. "I just wanted to express how exhausted I was."

Thus, the brand has emerged as an unexpected, whimsical channel for China's youth to voice their frustrations about economic challenges, in which hard work doesn't always guarantee commensurate rewards. Despite heavy content regulation, the internet remains a crucial, if not the only, arena for these types of conversations.

The brand's frequent releases of exclusive products coupled with the retirement of certain lines—an approach sometimes referred to as "hunger marketing" locally—has also fueled {