No matter what timeframe one may look at, there will always be a handful of adults who take part in media that is directed towards a child’s demographic. Whether it is “Pokémon,” “My Little Pony,” or “Bluey,” there is a growing part of the fandom that is older. Despite what judgmental people may think, this is a good thing! The biggest difference now is that it is becoming more acceptable to enjoy these pieces of media.
What caused these hobbies to become more acceptable? While I do not have a definitive answer, I have a few ideas. In the past decade, these hobbies were slowly becoming more acceptable but there was a sudden boom, which happened during the lockdown in 2020. Everyone was locked inside their homes, and that forced us to find new hobbies and things to do in their house.
A good example of this would be the rise of people collecting stuffed animals, such as “Squishmallows.” Back in 2020, it would be quite difficult to not find someone talking about the round and squishy plush. While they are not as popular as they used to be, there is still a large community revolving around them on many different forms of social media.
Personally speaking, I have always had an enjoyment for media that is more “immature.” For instance, my main hobby is collecting and customizing dolls. While parts of this hobby are more adult focused, such as the price of materials, it is still viewed as “childish” by outsiders. However, there is a very large community of different adult collectors. In fact, many of these adult collectors found appreciation of dolls and other toys well into adulthood, rather than growing up with them. In some of these instances, collecting toys can be seen as getting back the part of their childhood they missed out on. That is not always the case though, some people just enjoy dolls and toys into their adult years.
The conversation of what makes a hobby for childish versus mature brings a good point. What is the difference? Is it the vast number of different colors, or using your imagination? Well, there are plenty of artists and writers to prove it is not that. What would an adult hobby be, jogging and going to work? Many people end up repeating the same day over and over, waking up, going to work, coming home, and not finding enjoyment in their life. Perhaps more adults should partake in childish hobbies, it may make them happier.
