'Little trinkets' are the latest trend in adults buying children's toys

When 21-year-old London, Ont., resident Olivia Christensen goes out for the day, she doesn't just fill her bag with her wallet and keys. She also carries a fuzzy toy otter wearing a pair of purple overalls, small enough to fit in the palm of her hand.

Christensen is one of the many Generation Z adults calling toys like this "little trinkets" — and collecting them in hoards. 

Little trinkets are the latest trend in adults buying and collecting toys, generally marketed toward children. These include small animal toys, like Christensen's, called Calico Critters and baby figurines called Sonny Angels.

"I thought I was just weird, but a lot of people actually collect the same things that I do," said Christensen, whose collections range from tiny dolls to animal teeth.

Christensen is drawn to toys she had as a kid but threw out when she got older, and some which she always wanted but her parents didn't let her have. She said buying trinkets helps "heal" her inner child.

"I think it's cool that a lot of people are more in tune with their inner child and revisiting things that used to make them happy," she said.

Trinket trends come and go

Adults collecting toys and trinkets isn't anything new, said Matt Trovato, who works at Hobby and Toy Central in London. 

He has worked at the store for eight years and is a collector himself, with an interest in toy model kits and Transformers figurines. He said he remembers growing up during the rise of Beanie Babies in the 1990s and worked at the store during the rise of fidget toys in the late 2010s. 

"There's collectors of all kinds, whether you want to have it for sentimental reasons or for selling down the road," Trovato said, noting most of the adults buying toys are often millennials or younger.

Both Trovato and Christensen said they don't play with their collections, but rather keep them on display. 

In fact, Christensen has also made a business out of her love for little trinkets, turning them into keychains and pieces of jewlery.

She purchases a lot of her trinkets second-hand at thrift stores or online to help reduce the environmental impact. Her shop's best-sellers are keychains using miniature Lalaloopsy dolls, which she purchases on eBay since the dolls are no longer manufactured.

"I like making key chains out of them because at least you can have them with you all the time, so it doesn't feel like as much of a waste," she said.

Why people buy

People buy items for one of two reasons, said Jamie Hyodo, who is an assistant professor of consumer behaviour at Western University: function or desire.

Adults buying trinkets falls under the latter, Hyodo said, adding that it's a way for them to connect with their own identity.

"Maybe it's because it's nostalgic for them, or maybe it's because they see it as reflective of who they are or who they want to be," he said. 

"It makes sense to be purchasing goods that we will see frequently and that will prompt those positive memories and make us feel good at the end of the day." 

Hyodo said younger generations are often more accepting of niche or uncommon interests, including toys, due to an increased focus on mental health and less of a desire to conform to "cool" behaviour.

Christensen said she's noticed the same among Generation Z: "Most people grow up and they think, 'Now that I'm a grown up, I can't have those things,' but I think people now are like, 'You can have whatever you want," Christensen said.

She said she is glad that more people are showing interest in collecting trinkets and being open about their interests. 

"People will tell you to grow up, but you can grow up and still have that inner child happiness and like the things that you like," she said. "I feel like that doesn't have to change."