What Happened To – The New York Times

“Millennial parents care about how things look in their homes,” Ms. Wainer said. The nursery should be Instagrammable with wooden toys in neutral colors or a whimsical play tent in an innocuous gray hue. Gen Z, meanwhile, seem more interested in toys that will go viral on TikTok, such as Squishmallows, round pillow-like stuffed animals that come in an assortment of characters.

I asked if it was the yellow hard plastic frame that held my favorite toy. Ms Waller said plastics were still popular despite consumers’ expressed desire for sustainable materials, such as wood and fabric. “I’ll tell you, the plastic toy industry isn’t going anywhere,” Ms Waller said. “That’s not how they buy.”

(Ms. Golinkoff, the professor who studies children’s play, confirmed that American parents “love anything with a battery.”)

Kids 2 holds surveys and panels to help decide which new toys it should design, and subscribes to trend forecasting agencies such as WGSN and Trend Bible to determine which colors, patterns and themes will appeal. Plant models are important right now, Waller said. “Aloe plants and cacti,” she said. “There’s just something warm and cozy about houseplants.”

As a parent, I noticed this: all of a sudden, a surprising animal will suddenly be everywhere in the children’s section. In recent years, he’s been the longtime flamingo, sloth, llama and, of course, unicorn.

“There was a narwhal moment,” Ms. Waller said, and my mind was reminded of the many stuffed narwhals around my house, many of them in rainbow hues, the desires of my fashioned children. , ultimately, by what toy companies choose to sell.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get Ms. Waller to explain specifically why Kids 2 squashed the bug. Reading between the lines of our conversation, however, it was clear that my many purchases for newborns had not been enough to increase its sales figures to the point where retailers insisted that the company continue to do so. provide.

Seven-month-old Mira contributed reporting.