The doll of 400 yuan per person is becoming the "spiritual ibuprofen" for adults

In the past few days, a special coffee shop has appeared in Shanghai. The store has "cakes", "macarons", "latte coffee", etc., as well as "oven" and "freshly baked pastries" selected on site. But these "foods" cannot be eaten, and you still need to make an appointment and queue for about half an hour to enter the coffee shop.

It turns out that this is Jellycat, a toy brand store from the UK. Public information shows that one type of plush toys of the brand is a common animal and plant image, such as puppies, rabbits, eggplant, tomatoes, etc.; the other type is common items and foods in daily life, such as clouds, sports equipment, birthday cakes, etc., which are divided into different series according to their shape.

Jellycat's uniqueness lies in its sense of ritual. For example, the above-mentioned Jellycat coffee shop, the author saw on the spot that the store is actually filled with plush toys, but because it is a coffee shop theme, all the toys in the store are food shapes, including various pastries, coffee and tea drinks, etc., and even "oven" and other equipment are made, and some pastry-shaped toys are placed in the "oven" to create an atmosphere of "freshly roasted food". The most outstanding thing is the purchase order. When a customer buys a coffee shop limited-purpose teapot, tea cup, cake, latte and other plush toys, the clerk will start performing at the packaging position of the food checkout counter of the coffee shop, "light candles" the plush cake toys, ask customers to make wishes, then put them in a pastry box, then take out the tea toys, "making tea" for the customers, and "whipping cream" the latte toys on the spot... This series of performances is actually to complete a sense of ritual, giving customers a "playing house".

The author saw in the store that the price of Jellycat items is mostly more than 300 yuan to more than 400 yuan, and the price of a set of cakes, tea sets and other dolls in a limited edition of the coffee shop is more than 2,000 yuan. The price is not cheap, but there are many buyers.

Why are plush toys with a "playing house" ritual feel so popular, and some products will even be sold out?

Some people may say, why don't you have a baby yourself? In fact, this is the function of Jellycat dolls. If they are real children, in addition to eating, drinking, defecating and urinating in life, they are also responsible for education issues. The children also have a rebellious period and are often disobedient. These are the pain of raising children. But Jellycat dolls are different. Dolls are absolutely obedient and have no educational problems. The so-called "eating, drinking, defecating, and urinating" are all the players' own plays, meeting their own spiritual needs, and "raising children without pain."

The sense of ritual in "playing house" reflects too many demands that adults do not want to grow up. In the adult world, there are some pressures, whether it is study, work or family life. As competition becomes more and more intense, in an extremely complicated environment, many adults hope to obtain more emotional value and psychological comfort through consumption, thereby alleviating the stress and discomfort in life.

Many people actually live in their hearts, representing purity and retaining a platonic yearning. It is true that adults cannot always escape reality. They always have to face difficulties and solve problems encountered in work and life. However, when facing Jellycat dolls, people can temporarily forget their worries, especially Jellycat creates an atmosphere of a fairy tale world by creating an immersive "playing house" environment, which makes people feel happy and enters a childlike fairy tale world. To satisfy their spiritual needs to not want to grow up is actually to reduce worries.

But this idea of ​​not wanting to grow up is not entirely an escape. While interacting with the doll, it is actually a healing and regeneration of one's psychological emotions. Let adults slowly adjust and heal themselves through spiritual connections and interactions with the dolls. Make up for the part of the experience that I lack in real life by playing house with the doll.

According to data from the China Toys and Baby Products Association, during the "Double 11" in 2023, Jellycat's sales exceeded Disney, becoming the leader in the plush fabric category, with an average transaction price of 465 yuan. In March 2024, data from Tmall platform showed that the sales of products with a price range of more than 400 yuan accounted for 14.1%, with the largest increase. Among them, Jellycat's "Pirate Dog" plush toy ranked first in the best-selling single products with an average transaction price of 2,759 yuan.

Source: First Financial