Gifts / Sports & Toys

"Can I still play with toys when I grow up?" For many Gen Z who are "in the pit", the answer is yes.

Compared with the classic animation and artistic images originating from the United States, Japan and other countries, in recent years, Guochao IP has also continued to exert its strength, and the major tide play exhibitions have continued to bring vitality to the market. How attractive is the trendy play that many young people are passionate about? What is the market potential of Chaowan? What kind of consumerism does Chaowan photograph young people?

"Surprise Economy" and "Collection Economy"

Angel of Beijing opened the door of her glass cabinet, and the lattice that reached the ceiling was filled with dolls of all sizes: Molly, a puff-mouthed girl with big blue eyes, with "X"-shaped eyes and pod-shaped ears. KAWS, there are a lot of building blocks. The dolls are made of solid wood, vinyl, resin, marble, and flocking. The price ranges from 59 yuan to tens of thousands of yuan.

These dolls are called trendy toys, because they are injected with design, trend, painting, sculpture, IP and other elements, they have certain collection attributes. As large as figurines, as small as blind box dolls and BJD toys, they all belong to the category of trendy play.

"Post-90s" Zhu Meng, who is already a mother, buys a few toys to go home every month. "Every time a new series is launched, I can't help but "chop hands". Trendy play is a fairy tale for adults in a sense. In line with the'post 00', I am also much younger."

An Qi said that she had queued for 7 hours in the early morning of April 23 and finally bought her favorite SP hidden toy. In August, she brought back a "big baby" that was nearly one meter long. "1312 sets were sold and 980,000 people participated in the draw. , I am this lucky 0.1%." An Qi introduced that this MEGA collection series, with an astronaut-shaped "big baby", has been "appreciated" as soon as it was in the bag.

In second-hand markets such as Xianyu, young people can carry out the re-sale transactions of tide play. Chaowan-related information and unboxing videos have traffic pools on social platforms such as Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, etc. Some UP users can gain tens of thousands of fans by publishing the overseas shopping guides and unboxing videos of the building block bear.

Market demand has given birth to many trendy play brands taking root in China and "running" opening stores. Although the trend of trendy play did not originate in China, it has become a new consumer field that has emerged in recent years. According to the data from Tianyan Check, there are currently more than 1,200 companies in my country whose names or business scopes contain "chaos play, blind box". In Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and other places, you can find several trendy shops within a few kilometers of business districts, and offline stores and vending machines are becoming more and more dense.

The top trendy play brand not only settled in theme parks, but also cooperated with major Internet companies, and has also been favored by many investment institutions. According to the "Development Status and Market Research and Analysis Report of China's Fashion Play Industry in the First Quarter of 2021" released by iiMedia Consulting, the proportion of China's fashion play market in the global fashion market has increased from 11.18% in 2017 to 19.17% in 2020. In 2020, the scale of my country's tide play market is 29.48 billion yuan, and it is expected to reach 38.43 billion yuan in 2021.

IiMedia Consulting analysts believe that if blind boxes drive the "surprise economy", hand-made and boutique models drive the "collection economy". With a market value of tens of billions and a trend of tens of millions of traffic, it is constantly refreshing young people's new gameplay and market imagination.

How do you understand young people about this trend?

From the perspective of industry insiders, as a trendy play for Generation Z’s new consumption, to a certain extent, it has hit the needs of young people and has become a medium for them to express themselves, identity and emotional projection.

——Spiritual consumption

Sun Jiashan, an associate researcher at the Chinese Academy of Art, believes that Gen Z has a different emotional structure, cultural experience, and self-identity from previous generations. Many people find their own subcultural circle through specific topics, and have their own language logic and social interaction. Way.

With the continuous improvement of the economic level and the per capita disposable income of consumers, the new generation of young people is transforming to high-quality, personalized and experiential consumer demand. In order to meet the psychological needs of healing, companionship, decompression, and individuality, they are willing to please themselves within the scope of their spending power and pay for happiness.

Chen Shaofeng, deputy dean of the Institute of Cultural Industry of Peking University, said: “Many of the image IPs of the trendy play are not born out of a classic film or cartoon. Mental needs are projected onto the toy to find emotional resonance."

——Social "currency"

The artist’s unique design adds unique value to Chaowan, and the brand’s business strategy of issuing "limited editions" has increased the rarity of Chaowan. In addition to the IP value, Chaowan also has the value of collection, entertainment, and emotional transmission. .

Many trendy enthusiasts say that the joy of "gathering dragon balls to summon dragons" often becomes particularly strong after sharing with friends. An Qi said that the Chaowan panic buying strategy she posted on Xiaohongshu made her get to know two netizens in the same city, and they met to visit the Chaowan Fair next spring.

——Aesthetic needs

For many "post-00s" and "post-95s", Chaowan is their first "collectible". Chen Shaofeng said that, as a cultural product centered on artistic creativity, Chaowan has captured the needs of young consumers for artistic aesthetics. It is the link between popular culture and artistic expression, and a new form of artistic expression.

Si De, the co-founder of Bubble Mart, observes that young people are increasingly pursuing design and beauty, but their economic strength is limited. For them, trendy toys may be a lower threshold and more popular entry choice.

The “national tide IP” that broke the circle is still on the way

China’s trendy play market is getting bigger and bigger, and there are more and more brands, but classic animation and art images from the United States and Japan still have many fans. These trendy games, designed with the classic IP that accompanies the growth of Generation Z as the core, are still the most popular and popular categories.

The cultural connotation of the trend of IP condensation is the basis for players to purchase, and it is also the key to creating consumer stickiness. Currently, there are two sources of IP for domestic Chaowan brands: one is original incubation IP, and the other is cooperation with internationally renowned IP.

"The traditional Chinese culture is extensive and profound, but the image IP and Chaowan based on this are not mature enough and diversified. There is still a lot of room for digging in the national tide IP." Chen Shaofeng believes that injecting Chinese elements into the tide can not only enhance the brand. Bringing opportunities, but also creating opportunities for activating cultural resources, telling Chinese stories, and promoting cultural identity and emotional connection.

The emergence of more beautiful ideas at the intersection of tradition and trend is becoming the consensus of Chinese fashion brands. Some companies are exploring the dialogue between the ancient cultural relics and the new national tide through the tide play. For example, the recently launched "Cultural Relics Super Revitalization" series with images such as Bronze Squad, Terracotta Warriors and Horses and Flying Swallows have received widespread attention and praise.

Chen Wei, founder and CEO of 52TOYS, introduced that hyper-activation means to let the long-awaited cultural relics in the museum "live" through the hands of the designer. For example, the "Tang Dynasty Ladies Yoga" series especially adds modern yoga movements to the "Tang Dynasty Ladies", which is closer to the real life of young people.

"Putting IP into the consumer's life scene will help consumers to reach a consensus and empathy with the brand while remembering IP, and release greater brand potential." Chen Shaofeng suggested that the connotation of Chinese traditional culture should be explored and transformed into The high-quality content of Guochao IP should become the future direction of the tide play industry's efforts.