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During the pandemic, Stella Huang found solace in purchasing her first Jellycat plush toy after losing her job. Introduced to the British-designed brand by a school friend, her affection truly blossomed when she spotted a gingerbread house plush on the Chinese social media platform RedNote. Though Christmas is primarily commercial and less traditionally celebrated in China, Stella was drawn to the festive imagery of gingerbread houses. She requested her friend in Guangzhou to buy that plush for her, marking the start of her growing collection just as Jellycat’s popularity was about to surge both in China and globally.
Stella, now 32 and working as a sales manager in tourism, has accumulated around 120 Jellycat toys, spending nearly 36,000 yuan ($5,145; £3,815) on them. “At my age, there are many things you can’t share with others… and the troubles we face are a lot more complicated than before,” she reflects. “The plushies help me regulate my emotions.” Originally created for children, these soft, squeezable toys have resonated strongly with young adults in China, many of whom seek comfort amid complex pressures and uncertainty. The brand’s appeal among disenchanted youth speaks to a broader trend of adults embracing playful collectibles as emotional outlets.
Among Jellycat’s best-known products are the “Amuseables,” plush toys designed with tiny faces on everyday objects — from toilet rolls to boiled eggs. Stella’s gingerbread house is part of this line, which Kasia Davies of Statista describes as “breakout products” popular with both Gen Z and millennials worldwide. The rise in Jellycat’s popularity can be partly attributed to people’s desire for companionship, explains Isabel Galleymore from the University of Birmingham. Although Jellycat entered China as early as 2015, it truly captured the pandemic zeitgeist, delivering comfort during a time of global uncertainty, according to business consultant Kathryn Read. The company’s success was further boosted by pop-up stores featuring themed plushies such as fish and chips in London, and teapots and teacups in Beijing and Shanghai.
The plushies have become more than toys; they have evolved into cultural icons and even internet memes. The aubergine Amuseable, affectionately nicknamed “the boss” by Chinese fans, has inspired a wave of social media creativity. Users on RedNote often decorate their aubergines to express various adult frustrations, from exhaustion to fake smiles. Wendy Hui, a marketing professional from Hong Kong, even customized hers with glasses and dark circles to depict “the mental state of workers on Monday.” For many young Chinese, Jellycat serves as a lighthearted, indirect way to voice wider concerns about life’s challenges in an economy where hard work does not always translate into rewards. Despite strict censorship, online platforms remain vital spaces for sharing such sentiments.
Jellycat’s marketing strategy relies heavily on “hunger marketing” — releasing limited-edition designs and retiring old ones — which fuels demand and social media buzz. Collectors often hunt for rare pieces overseas or use shopping agents (“daigou”) to acquire coveted items, some fetching over $1,400. Yet for many, the toys are affordable distractions amid economic difficulties, including a sluggish market, a property crisis, and youth unemployment exceeding 17%. Jessie Chen, a medical sales rep, points out that while luxury items require more deliberation to purchase, “you don’t need to do that for a Jellycat.” She adds that even Jellycat’s bags, priced moderately, offer functional luxury, perhaps reshaping local perceptions of value.
However, the Jellycat craze may be waning in China. Social media talk about the toys has decreased, and some, like Wendy Hui, have shifted their interest to “blind box” collectibles such as Teletubbies. Hui has even contemplated “quitting the pit,” a local phrase meaning to retire from a hobby. Stella acknowledges the challenges of continuing to collect: “It is so difficult to buy them. Our daily life is not easy already and why should we make things harder for ourselves?” This sentiment suggests that even beloved comfort objects face limits in a changing and often stressful social landscape
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