anime Demon Slayer
When you think of toys, the first thought coming to mind is children playing with them. However, there is a different side to toys that is brought up less: The collecting of toys and other objects by adults. Collecting is something people of all ages do, research has shown that both a good amount of kids and adults have owned at least one collection (McAlister et al., 2011). Besides, collecting can be defined as the process of actively, selectively, and passionately acquiring and possessing things removed from ordinary use and perceived as part of a set of non-identical objects or experiences (McAlister et al., 2011). When discussing toy collections, adults are often brought up more than kids partially due to the rise in adults who play with or collect toys. A frontrunner in this category is Japan, which is a country where the population aged younger than 15 is dropping rapidly and half of what it was in the 1970s. The change in demographic here has led toy manufacturers to rethink their strategy, these companies have been targeting adults with more detailed figures and collectible action figures, due to an adults bigger income the prices of these toys can go up more than when targeting kids.
How does this rise in collectable toys for adults relate to Schleich? While Schleich still sells many toys to kids, be it fantasy creatures, safari animals or horses. There is also an ongoing scene of adults who collect these toys. The biggest example of this can be seen surrounding horses, many forums exist where people discuss the collection and designs of realistic horse figures, with Schleich being an important player. These forums do not only have people discussing their own collections and thoughts but also include a DIY aspect. Some popular content on this forum and the horse figurine YouTube scene is the repainting of Schleich horses, which allows people to create their own unique designs and colour schemes. While obviously intended for kids, adults find their own ways of engaging with these toys through the fun activity of not only collecting but customising these figurines. The aforementioned forum named Modellpferde Forum is still very active everyday and the new releases of the Schleich brand and other toys are being discussed on a daily basis.