Why Millennials and Gen Z keep buying plushies

Some adults buy plushies for nostalgia, but others are slow to grow up.

Kieran Ryan

January 18, 2025

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Plushies are “kind of hot right now.”

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Grand View Research found the global market for stuffed animals and plush toys is expected to grow at an 8.2% CAGR from 2024 to 2030.

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Gen Z and millennials' love of plushies is driving most of the recent growth and reflects broader trends in the toy market. According to Mintel, adults shopping for themselves now make up 55% of toy and game buyers.

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Some adults buy plushies for nostalgia, but I think others are slow to grow up, partly because they are facing delays in reaching pivotal moments – getting a job (we are seeing the widest gap between the unemployment rate for new college grads and the overall rate for Americans with a college degree), moving out of their parent’s homes (19.2% of adults are living in parental homes), and buying a house (only 24% of 2024 home buyers were first time home buyers).