{"id":1075,"date":"2026-01-20T16:41:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T06:41:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/colonyagency.co\/au\/?p=1075"},"modified":"2026-08-10T16:52:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T06:52:35","slug":"buy-the-doll-not-the-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/colonyagency.co\/au\/company-news\/buy-the-doll-not-the-house\/","title":{"rendered":"Buy the doll, not the house."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As the <em>Australian Financial Review<\/em> observed, Gen Z is reshaping how value is defined-moving from home deposits to collectible dolls. Why live on two\u2011minute noodles to save for a mortgage when you could be hunting Labubus, Sonny Angels or rare Pok\u00e9mon cards? This is the rise of the\u00a0kidult economy: a world where adults lean into nostalgia, self\u2011expression and playful consumption as an antidote to financial and social pressure.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-496\" style=\"max-width: 200px !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/colonygroup.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/10\/people_4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"192\" height=\"193\" srcset=\"https:\/\/colonyagency.co\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/people_4.png 192w, https:\/\/colonyagency.co\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/people_4-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 192px) 100vw, 192px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Dominic Walsh &#8211; Managing Partner at The Colony Group<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dominicwalshau\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Linkedin<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Pop Mart the global leader of the blind\u2011box phenomenon-has accelerated this cultural shift with the opening of its new\u00a0two\u2011level, 600\u202fsqm flagship on Pitt Street Mall, backed by an estimated\u00a0A$45\u202fmillion investment. It\u2019s a bold show of confidence in Australian collectors and the strength of the Sydney CBD retail precinct.<\/p>\n<p>The Australian angle is clear:\u00a0in 2024, collectibles helped stabilise toy sales across 12 major global markets, including Australia. Licensed toys grew\u00a08%\u00a0to reach\u00a034%\u00a0of the total market, while collectibles rose\u00a0~5%\u00a0to account for\u00a015% of market value, a signal of strong adult fandom and the deep pull of nostalgia.<\/p>\n<p>And the momentum isn\u2019t slowing. Kidults now represent the\u00a0fastest\u2011growing demographic in a global toy market worth around US$100\u202fbillion, driving demand for everything from blind\u2011box figurines to adult\u2011oriented plush, designer toys and premium IP\u2011driven merchandise.<\/p>\n<p>Globally, Pop Mart surpassed\u00a0~US$1.8\u202fbillion in revenue in 2024, powered by hit IPs like Labubu and surging international demand, growth that continues into 2025. For Australians, the Pitt Street flagship isn\u2019t just another store opening; it\u2019s a\u00a0kidult playground, a physical manifestation of a consumer movement where blind\u2011box rituals, character devotion and social collecting converge.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What Does This Mean for Marketers?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A recent\u00a0Ipsos meta\u2011analysis of more than 2,000 ads\u00a0found that\u00a0brand characters (Think the Duracell Bunny and the M&amp;M\u2019s) are among the most effective brand assets, second only to sound cues in driving branded attention and memory encoding, yet they remain one of the most under\u2011utilised tools in modern marketing. Characters and sonic cues outperform celebrities, music and even distinctive visuals when it comes to building strong, consistent brand linkage.<\/p>\n<p>Put simply: <strong>marketers are leaving equity on the table<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>If you need proof, look no further than\u00a0Duolingo. Duo the iconic green owl has evolved from a simple app mascot into a cultural force-fuelled by TikTok antics, push\u2011notification humour, real\u2011time social commentary and viral brand stunts. It\u2019s a masterclass in how character\u2011driven branding can cut through noise, build emotional connection and embed itself into popular culture.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Takeaway<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In a world where kidults are reshaping spending,\u00a0playfulness is no longer frivolous-it\u2019s strategic. Brands that embrace distinctive characters, mascots and personality\u2011driven storytelling stand to capture not only attention but enduring emotional resonance.<\/p>\n<p>If Pop Mart\u2019s Pitt Street opening shows us anything, it\u2019s that Australia is more than ready for the next wave of character\u2011powered, nostalgia\u2011fuelled consumer culture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the Australian Financial Review observed, Gen Z is reshaping how value is defined-moving from home deposits to collectible dolls. Why live on two\u2011minute noodles to save for a mortgage when you could be hunting Labubus, Sonny Angels or rare Pok\u00e9mon cards? This is the rise of the\u00a0kidult economy: a world where adults lean into [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1076,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-company-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Buy the doll, not the house. - Colony Group Australia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Buy the doll, not the house. - Colony Group Australia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As the Australian Financial Review observed, Gen Z is reshaping how value is defined-moving from home deposits to collectible dolls. 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