With popular kids’ TV shows come toy lines that many of our generation have collected. In the early 2000s, shows like Ben 10, My Little Pony, and Littlest Pet Shop came out with toy lines. Although these shows peaked in popularity in those years, teenagers collecting these older toys are gaining popularity.
With the popularity of streaming services, like Netflix and Disney+, more and more people have access to movies and live action shows. Fewer people are paying for cable, resulting in kids’ networks like Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney Channel having a sharp decline in viewership.
The generation that grew up with early 2000s shows, Gen-Z for example, still remembers waking up early in the morning to watch their favorite cartoon shows. NHS Academy junior Joel Sandoval fondly recalls the daily habit of watching cable TV. “I remember waking up hella early just to watch Sanjay and Craig, it was the highlight of my morning.”
Sandoval’s comment shows a nostalgic remembrance of old cartoon shows. But what does this fondness have to do with Gen-Z collecting old cartoon merchandise?
Sofia Tepper, SAS junior, collects My Little Pony (MLP) and Littlest Pet Shop (LPS). Both of these toys have TV shows that aired from 2000-2019 on “The Hub” which contained Hasbro toy brands.
Tepper notes that her age has never played a part in whether or not she collects kids’ toys. “I love my collection of LPS, I treat them like my babies.” Adding onto that “I literally don’t care that they’re considered childish to have at my age.” showing her immense interest in what’s considered “kid” toys.
Although these toys are generally targeted towards a younger audience, the younger generation that grew up with cable still found a recent fascination with collecting these toys.
With Gen-Z having grown up with internet spaces such as Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter, online communities have emerged that resonate with the nostalgia these teens feel. Quarantine was hard for many kids on their social development, and an outlet for these frustrations came in the form of social media such as Discord or Tumblr, or even Reddit.
These online communities cultivated a “safe space” for these growing teen/tweens to express their interests with others online. “I would have to say that during the peak of quarantine I got to talk to a lot of people, and join online communities with similar interests of mine.” States ninth grader Erica Reiter. Reiter remembers this as a way to connect with others, even with a global pandemic going on.
Each generation has always had its own community regarding “kids” entertainment. Gen-X had Marvel/DC comics, and millennials had Pokemon Go and other animated kids TV shows. This is very apparent in conventions (like Comic Con) held for different communities that bring people of all backgrounds and ages together.
TikTok, an app commonly associated with quarantine and popular trends and dances, has gained notoriety for its hashtags and communities founded on them. The hashtag “MLP” has over 2.1 million posts. Along with “LPS” having the same amount of posts. Showing that there are huge communities online where teenagers are allowed to express their interests.
While the collection of “kids” toys has always been around, with the access to social media and other online platforms, these kinds of toy collections seem to be paid more attention. Tiktok is a perfect example, it’s a space where people of all ages are allowed to express their interest to others online and create accounts dedicated to their interests/hobbies.
