kidults
Adults embracing childhood
Kidults are adults who maintain interests, hobbies, or consumption patterns typically associated with children or teenagers—collecting toys, watching cartoons, playing video games, or frequenting theme parks.
The term blends "kid" and "adult," sometimes used neutrally to describe consumer demographics, sometimes dismissively to suggest immaturity: The toy industry increasingly markets to kidults.
He's a kidult who still sleeps with stuffed animals.
Those born 1981-1996
- Peter Pan syndromeRefusal to accept adulthood
- young at heartMaintaining childlike enthusiasm despite age
- man-childImmature adult male
- adultingDoing mundane grownup tasks
quarter-life · arrested development · late bloomers · hybrid identity
Evoking recent past
- vintageQuality from past eras
- childhoodLife's earliest phase
- throwbackReturn to ancestral type
- collectiblesItems people amass
action figures · Lego · Nintendo · cartoons · reboots · memorabilia · keepsakes · arcade games
Objects for amusement
- gamesOrganized competitive activities
- funAmusement or pleasure
- whimsyPlayful, capricious quality
- recreationRefreshment through leisure
amusement · playtime · escapism · fantasy · board games · video games · theme parks · cosplay
Commercial products offered
- collectiblesItems people amass
- brandingCreating distinctive identity
- marketingPromoting goods to consumers
- fandomEnthusiast community collectively
limited editions · sneakers · streetwear · pop culture · anime · manga · k-pop · figurines
millennials
Those born 1981-1996
- Peter Pan syndromeRefusal to accept adulthood
- young at heartMaintaining childlike enthusiasm despite age
- man-childImmature adult male
adulting · quarter-life · arrested development · late bloomers · hybrid identity
retro
Evoking recent past
collectibles · action figures · Lego · Nintendo · cartoons · reboots · memorabilia · keepsakes · arcade games · plushies
toys
Objects for amusement
recreation · amusement · playtime · escapism · fantasy · board games · video games · theme parks · cosplay · comic conventions
merchandise
Commercial products offered
- collectiblesItems people amass
- brandingCreating distinctive identity
- marketingPromoting goods to consumers
fandom · limited editions · sneakers · streetwear · pop culture · anime · manga · k-pop · figurines · subscription boxes
kidultsgrown-ups
Mature, responsible people
old souls · squares · stuffed shirts · fogeys · stiffs
kidultssophisticates
Worldly, cultured individuals
traditionalists · purists · connoisseurs · aesthetes · minimalists
kidultsempty nesters
Parents alone after children leave
family men · homemakers · breadwinners · pillars of the community · retirees