玩具不再专属儿童 “童心未泯的一代”崛起

For Rob Willner, when work finishes, playtime begins. He likes nothing more when he gets home of an evening, than to kick off his shoes and upturn a crate of sleek Scandinavian Lego.

对于罗布?维尔纳来说，工作结束以后，游戏时间就开始了。傍晚下班回到家，踢掉鞋子，搬出酷炫的丹麦乐高积木箱，这就是他最幸福的时刻。

“It’s not like I’m obsessed with it, but there’s a simplicity to Lego models that’s quite nice – to clear your mind and help it focus a bit,” he says, only a touch sheepishly.

“我并没有沉迷于此，不过，乐高玩具的确有一种简单质朴的美好，它可以让我保持头脑清醒，帮我集中注意力，”他有点害羞地说。

Willner is 25 years old, and combines studying for a PhD in anthropology and religion at the University of Kent with youth work in north London, where he lives with his wife, Adele, a teacher. And he is not alone in his childish after-work habits.

维尔纳今年25岁，他在肯特大学攻读人类学与宗教的博士学位，同时还在北伦敦从事青少年工作，他的妻子阿黛尔是一名老师，两人一起住在北伦敦。说到他下班后孩子气的兴趣爱好，其实很多人都和他一样。

According to new research conducted by NPD Group, a retail analyst, sales of toys to adults have increased by almost two thirds over the past five years, and by more than 20 percent in just the last year. As a result, the ‘toys for adults’ market (which, by the way, is a careful Google search, best done at home) is now worth ￡300m – and said to be growing three times faster than the children’s toy market itself.

市场调研机构NPD的一项新研究表明，过去五年中，卖给成人的玩具数量几乎增长了三分之二，光是去年就超过20%。所以“成人玩具”的市场（顺便说一句，如果你要用谷歌搜索这个关键词，一定要小心，最好在家搜索）如今已价值3亿英镑（26亿元人民币），并且据说比儿童玩具市场的增长还快三倍。

As with most things, millennials are largely to blame. More than half of the ‘kidult’ spend comes from 18 to 34-year-olds, snapping up everything from ￡500 Scalextric sets to drones, Nerf guns and ￡2,00 Star Wars Lego models.

与很多其他事情一样，千禧一代是主要的责任人。超过半数的“购买儿童玩具的成年人”年龄在18到34岁之间，从500英镑的Scalextric赛车系列到无人机，从Nerf手枪到200英镑的星球大战乐高模型，无一不是他们抢购的对象。

For some it’s a chance to recapture the careless raptures of childhood, while for others it’s a chance to escape the hassle and hardships of adult life – akin to other ‘mindfulness aids’ like adult colouring books and dot-to-dot. For Willner, it’s both.

对一些人来说，这些玩具可以重温童年时代无忧无虑的幸福，而对于另一些人来说，它们可以使人逃离成人世界的困扰和艰辛——就像其他帮助“正念”的成人填色本和点对点智力游戏一样。对于维尔纳来说，这两种原因都有。

“It reminds me of the playful side of life, but also helps me to keep perspective. Lego isn’t transcendent, but it’s fun, and gives you a chance to think about what’s really important.”

“它总能让我想到生活有意思的一面，但同时也引导我客观地看世界。乐高并不是什么超然的东西，但是它十分有趣，它可以让你思考什么是真正重要的事物。”

At home in Enfield, he has two technicolour crates of loose childhood Lego tucked away under a bed, but also various large “sentimental” models ornamenting the house. For instance, there’s a Lego VW campervan (worth ￡85) he and Adele received as a wedding present last summer, reminding them of the full-size version they drove across New Zealand. Or the Star Wars’ ‘X-Wing Fighter’ his youth group recently clubbed together to get him as a thank-you present. Privately, he adds to his collection with a new model every two months or so, normally from the infrastructure-for-fun Lego City range – which isn’t as babyish as some.

在恩菲尔德的家中，他在床底下存放着两只彩色箱子，里面是童年时代已经松动的乐高玩具，他还用各式各样怀旧的大件模型来装饰房子。比如有一只大众牌露营车的乐高玩具（价值85英镑），这是去年夏天他与阿黛尔收到的结婚礼物，这件乐高总是让他们想起在新西兰时开的那辆大众车。还有一只星球大战的“X-Wing战斗机”，这是他所在的青年组织一起买给他的谢礼。而私下里，他每两个月左右就添一件新的收藏品，通常都是乐高城市系列的趣玩基础款，这些东西不像有些玩具那么幼稚。

“In a way, this comes around with each generation,” says Lou Ellerton, a brand consultant with considerable experience tracking consumer trends. “A decade ago, people might remember board game cafés being all over the news. That was Generation X experiencing the same nostalgia and backlash against work; we called them ‘greenagers’ – grown-up teenagers. What we’re seeing now is Generation Y having the same feelings, and they’re less ashamed about it.”

“某种程度上说，每代人都会这样，”善于捕捉消费趋势的品牌顾问卢?伊勒顿说，“十年之前，人们或许还记得，新闻中全是桌游咖啡厅的报道。那是有着相同的怀旧情绪并且同样厌恶工作的X一代（出生于1970年代的美国人），我们称他们是“成年的孩子们”。而我们现在所看到的是Y一代（出生于1980年后的美国人）相同的情感，只不过他们不那么感到羞愧了。”

Indeed, as millennials have sought to return to the toys of their own childhoods, clever brands have pandered to their every needs, often charging very adult prices for essentially souped-up versions of 90s toys. Could it be that Gen Y, unable to afford to move on with their lives in the traditional sense – getting a mortgage, for one – are seeking more immediate pleasures?

的确，当千禧一代回归各种儿时的玩具时，精明商家便努力迎合他们的各种需求，经常把改装过的90年代的玩具高价卖给成年人。Y一代会不会因为承担不起传统意义上长大的代价——比如支付不起抵押贷款——而去寻求更加直接的乐趣呢？

“Probably true,” says Ellerton. “If they put every spare pound they get into savings now, it could [still] take 10 or 15 years to get a deposit. This generation is characterised by not putting off today for tomorrow – they spend on experiences, so ￡500 for a toy is worth it to them.”

伊勒顿说：“很有可能是这样。如果他们把多余的每一分钱都存进银行，也得花10到15年才能有一笔像样的存款。这一代人的特点就是及时行乐，他们喜欢花钱体验生活，所以一个价值500英镑的玩具对他们来说是物有所值。”

And it’s not just millennials. The ‘middle aged’ bracket of 34-50 may be least likely to buy their own toys – as they’re most likely to have young children themselves – but baby boomers account for a fifth of the ‘kidult’ market spend.

不仅仅千禧一代是如此。34到50岁的中年一代应该是最不可能给自己买玩具的人群，毕竟他们基本都有自己的孩子了，而事实却是，战后婴儿潮一代（1946年-1964年出生人群）的消费竟占据了五分之一的“成人玩具”市场。

“I have a lot of toys around the house, but it’s more of a way of connecting with the kids,” says Andrew Birkin, a 71-year-old screenwriter with young children from his second marriage. “[The toys] went away when my older ones grew up, but now I get them out to spend time with them and fiddle about myself. I’m fortunate – my five-year-old loves World War One and rockets and planes, so that’s interesting for me as well. I even bought a drone, to take photos and show him.”

“我家里有很多玩具，但这些大多都是与孩子们一起玩耍用的，”71岁的编剧安德鲁?伯金这样说，他与继子女住在一起。“年纪大一些的孩子们长大后，他们的玩具就都收起来了，但是现在我把它们找了出来，陪孩子们玩，自己同时也以此打发时间。我很庆幸我五岁的小儿子喜欢一战玩具，还喜欢火箭和飞机，我对这些也很感兴趣。我甚至还买了一架无人机，用来拍照并给我的小儿子展示。”

Willner’s motivations are slightly more profound. When he became a man, it was important he didn’t put away childish things.

而维尔纳想得更深刻一些。当他长大成人时，还能葆有一颗简单的童心是多么的重要。

“I don’t want to be one of these people surrounded by models or spending all my money [on toys], but it’s more like a symbol of what really matters – fun.”

“我不想成为那些整天围着玩具模型团团转的人，也不想把所有钱都花在玩具上，但是这些玩具却能够代表生活中真正重要的东西，那就是乐趣。”