Guojiajia craze: Why China’s youth are spending big on playing house
Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk explores the phenomenon of guojiajia (过家家), in which adults get to relive their childhood through buying toys and playing house. Why are young people, who complain about low salaries and long working hours, willing to spend lavishly and invest significant time and effort in guojiajia?
“Mushroom skewer, crab stick, rice cake… your mala tang (麻辣烫) is cooking! Mildly spicy? A sprinkle of chilli and it’s ready! Enjoy!”
Instead of a steaming bowl, however, the customer receives a “mala tang bouquet” of plush toys. This playful, childlike exchange — a collaborative performance between buyer and seller reminiscent of playing house (or guojiajia (过家家) in Chinese) — exemplifies a popular new trend in Chinese cultural and creative product sales.
A northwestern museum started the local trend
In early June, the Gansu Provincial Museum launched a series of mala tang-themed plush toys, featuring six ingredients like broccoli, mushrooms and rice cakes. Customers choose their ingredients and even the “spiciness level” of the soup. The staff then theatrically “stir-fries” the plush items in a plush pot before bundling them into a “mala tang bouquet”.
The topic “Gansu Provincial Museum is selling mala tang” made it to Weibo’s list of top searches in July. After the mala tang bouquet became available for sale online, it attracted nearly 200,000 buyers within a week, driving a 343% year-on-year increase in the store’s sales.
During the recent Golden Week holiday, local delicacies from various regions were transformed into plush toys.
Around the same time, a hit cultural and creative product dubbed “rong momo” (绒馍馍), inspired by the traditional meat sandwich known as roujiamo (肉夹馍), also emerged in Xi’an, Shaanxi.
A customer captured a video of the seller using a plastic knife to “cut open” a plush bun and “stuffed” it with plush meat. The seller even added to the fun by asking, “Would you like some sauce?” and “Dine in or to go?” These playful interactions added emotional value to the experience.
After the “mala tang bouquet” and “rong momo” became viral hits, various cultural and creative brands across the country began launching their own food-themed guojiajia products.
During the recent Golden Week holiday, local delicacies from various regions were transformed into plush toys. From Fuzhou’s Buddha Jumps Over the Wall to Suzhou’s hairy crab, Tianjin’s jianbing guozi (煎饼果子), and Wuhan’s hot dry noodles, these iconic dishes were playfully “cooked” and packaged for customers to bring home.
Jellycat, the ‘ancestor’ of guojiajia
The originator of this guojiajia wave is British soft toy company Jellycat. Founded in 1999, the brand was originally positioned as a maker of comfort toys for babies. But following declining birth rates in Europe, sales of baby toys dropped, and the brand shifted its focus in 2014 to create “toys for all ages”.
Jellycat offers a vibrant array of plush toys, transforming everything from fruits and vegetables to pots and pans into cuddly companions. Two black dots for eyes and a smile complete their signature “ugly-cute” aesthetic, which has quickly gained online popularity and driven sales. During China’s 2023 Singles’ Day sales, Jellycat surpassed Disney to become the top seller in the plush and fabric product category.
The guojiajia model is a new concept that Jellycat introduced last September. Back then, the brand opened a diner pop-up in New York that only sold plush toys, not food. Staff would use spatulas to “cook” plush burgers, and then hand them to customers in takeout boxes. This unique packaging process quickly became popular, leading to long lines at the store. This year, Jellycat also launched pop-up stores in Paris and London, selling local specialties like macarons and fish and chips, using similar “cooking” processes.
Others remark that “today’s youth are easy to fool” for spending hundreds of RMB on guojiajia. However, most see the “immersive craziness” as emotionally satisfying and therapeutic.
China’s first Jellycat pop-up restaurant opened in Shanghai at the end of September, offering limited edition plush toys such as taro cakes, lattes, and teapots with teacups. These plush toys are not cheap, with the most affordable one costing 359 RMB (US$50.54); collecting the entire set would cost nearly 2,000 RMB.
Nevertheless, the pop-up restaurant has continued to see long lines every day since its opening. Visitors must book reservations in advance and still often queue for one to two hours, with shopping sessions limited to 15 minutes. Even reservation codes are being resold online for hundreds of RMB.
One customer’s video captures the playful experience. A staff member presents a plush cake, asking, “Whipped cream?” After a “yes”, the employee picks up an empty whipped cream dispenser, mimics the sound of squirting, and pretends to add imaginary cream to the toy. They even warn, “Eat it quickly at home, or the cream will melt!”
Building emotional connection
Reactions online are mixed. Some find the performance “cringeworthy”, exclaiming, “You need a strong sense of belief to do this job.” Others remark that “today’s youth are easy to fool” for spending hundreds of RMB on guojiajia. However, most see the “immersive craziness” as emotionally satisfying and therapeutic.
In the Jellycat fan community, buying a plush toy is referred to as “adoption”. Buyers even “register” their adopted toys, preserving the tag and noting the purchase date as its birthday for future celebrations.
Apart from the immersive packaging process, many Jellycat buyers also enjoy dressing up their plush toys and even create social media accounts for them, documenting their daily activities like “going to school” or “travelling”.
In the Jellycat fan community, buying a plush toy is referred to as “adoption”. Buyers even “register” their adopted toys, preserving the tag and noting the purchase date as its birthday for future celebrations. These rituals elevate the plushies beyond mere toys; they become cherished companions, akin to family or friends.
This focus on emotional connection, whether for a premium Jellycat or a more affordable local brand, fuels the delightful experience driving the growing “kidult” market.
Single-person households and flourishing kidult culture
“Kidults” — adults who embrace childlike joy — are increasingly driving toy sales, according to market research firm NPD Group. Especially in the sluggish post-pandemic market, many are choosing the emotional comfort of plush toys over luxury goods.
In China, the kidult culture is driven by the increasing number of single-person households. According to the 2023 China Statistical Yearbook, among nearly 500,000 households surveyed in 2022, approximately 16.77% were single-person households. Apart from the elderly, an increasing number of young people are also living alone.
Beike Research Institute’s report “The New Era of Living Alone” (《新独居时代报告》) estimates that 150 to 200 million Chinese will be living alone by 2030. Among them, the number of young adults aged 20 to 39 living alone is expected to increase from 18 million in 2010 to between 40 million and 70 million in 2030. This massive group’s demand for emotional value has created significant opportunities for the “companionship economy”.
The trend of playing house further underscores this desire to escape an uncertain reality and find solace in childhood innocence.
Before Jellycat toys became popular, the popularity of characters such as Disney’s LinaBell and Loopy in Pororo reflected a yearning for companionship and emotional healing among young adults. The trend of playing house further underscores this desire to escape an uncertain reality and find solace in childhood innocence.
Ironically, young people who complain about low salaries and long working hours are willing to spend lavishly and invest significant time and effort in guojiajia. Escaping reality, even briefly, comes at a steep price. Perhaps this awareness is precisely what makes guojiajia such a cherished luxury.
This article was first published in Lianhe Zaobao as “成年人迷上“过家家””.
