I am supremely confident that everyone in radio reading this post will be able to complete this advertising jingle. You won’t even need a second to think about it. It’ll be a reflex reaction. Ready?
I don’t want to grow up…
If you didn’t instantly say or think, “I’m a Toys’R’Us kid,” I’m worried about you. That means you don’t know that there are, “a million toys at Toys’R’Us” that you can play with.
While Toys’R’Us as a brand has struggled, it appears drilling the idea of not growing up and wanting to play with toys into the heads of so many kids with tons of advertising may have had more impact than expected. According to a Sherwood News article, the trend of “kidulting” where adults yearn for time to play like kids is booming.
This isn’t just some fringe movement that makes for a good headline. It’s having real impact on company’s fortunes. For example, Build-A-Bear Workshop’s stock is through the roof. The stores where a person can stuff, name and dress a toy has seen their stock rise 2000% over the last five years. It’s in the top twenty biggest gainers over that period. The stock bottomed out during Covid when stores were closed. But since the end of lockdown the company has been on fire. Grown adults make up 40% of the business. They are the demographic driving the success.
Likewise, Lego is reporting record sales for the first half of 2025. Driving it are the success of Botanical and Formula One themed sets. Do you know who wants to build flower-themed sets of Legos? I’ll give you a hint, it’s not kids. Then there’s Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Squishmallows. They’re just a few of the toy brands that are seeing huge growth with adults.
This shouldn’t be a huge surprise. The world is tough to navigate right now. Prices are up, jobs are hard to find, and politics is a blood sport with sharp divisions. Why wouldn’t people, like your listeners, want to go back to a simpler time when they were building bears, racing Hot Wheels, or building Legos?
The real question is can you help them?
Our format is built around the idea of contemporizing nostalgia. We take music that is between thirty and fifty years old and find ways to talk about it that is relevant to today’s world. Our industry features hosts who, in many cases, are barely grown-ups themselves and probably have the same yearning to escape.
Your station is ready-made for this trend. Here are a few ideas to help get you started:
Giveaways: Lego sets are expensive. This new Death Star set that will cost you $1000 but it could make a great grand prize for a contest. Hot Wheels only cost about a dollar and Barbie’s aren’t that expensive.
On-Site: It would cost next to nothing to outfit your on-site presence with a bunch of toys for kids of all ages to play with. A Hot Wheels racing set, a Barbie dream home, even a few Squishmallows for stress relief. Give people a reason to stop by and hang with you.
Adult Play Time: Sponsor recreational sports leagues, bowling, or game nights. Better yet, create your own. Try to be a part of any place your listeners are leaving their cares behind and acting like kids again.
On-Air: Think beyond the music when you are designing on-air content and contests. Talk about things that take them back or at least away from their troubles. Help listeners tap into that urge to escape even when they’re stuck at their desk or in traffic.
Social media: There is plenty of content to share that will tap into the power of nostalgia and play. Make it a regular part of what listeners can find on your social channels. If you do, they’ll keep coming back for more.
Escapism and any of the Classic formats go well together. There is an opportunity here to tie your brand to things that bring happiness and fun into your listener’s lives. That type of association is exactly what a streaming service cannot do.
Mike Stern is a Classic Rock columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. He has been with Jacobs Media consulting stations in the Classic Rock, Rock, Alternative and AAA world for more than a decade. Prior to that he programmed stations in Chicago, Detroit, Denver Las Vegas and other markets. He also worked as News/Talk Editor for Radio and Records, wrote about Top 40 Radio for Billboard Magazine and had his own radio talent coaching business called Talent Mechanic.
