We’ve all encountered Disney adults, the millennials of TikTok that not only spend masses of time but masses of money on the franchise. Whether it’s the parks, merch or “Disney bounding”, some people didn’t just love Disney, they live it.
So now, enter the Jellycat adult: A group of people utterly obsessed with the toys which come in all shapes, sizes and prices.
The Jellycat Christmas 2025 collection even dropped at the beginning of this month, with people getting their hands on plush snowflakes, plush Christmas trees and even plush fondue pots. With many of the items already sold out, here’s a deeper dive into who Jellycat adults are and why they are so obsessed.
Adults are spending £1,000+ on Jellycat collections
@glamzilla BUYING RARE JELLYCATS!!!!! I’m collecting @Jellycat plushies for my unborn babies because our dream is to have a jungle themed nursery so when this Jellycat Launch was announced I had to line up in store at @indigo.ca to pick them up. #jellycat #jellycatcollection #plushie
Jellycats have been around for years but only recently went viral. You probably had a Jellycat when you were a kid, so if they’re in storage you should get them on Ebay ASAP. They’re still enjoyed by children, but have become cultural icons amongst older generations in recent years. Many parents love buying the soft toys for their children, but lets be honest – we know who really wanted the Amusables Ukulele, Sharon.
One influencer, Glamzilla, shared in May that she had spent $500 on plushies for her children’s “Jungle Themed Bedroom” – despite not yet having children. You’ve got to respect the hustle (and the blue elephant was really cute tbh).
One of the reasons that theres been such a demand and love for Jellycats is the hunt, people love the hunt. Trying to find specific and often rare items, sometimes to sell but often just to own. One influencer, Bella Hill, made a series out of hunting down particular Jellycats, and recently revealed the price of her collection (a whopping £1,850 if you were wondering).
@isabellahill_ Part 2 seeing how much I’ve spent on all my jellycats
Based in Brighton, Bella is one of many influencers who have gained quite a following thanks to her Jellycat dedication. Whilst she does have other content, her one million followers love to see her ever-growing collection and any collaborations she has with the brand themselves.
So, why are adults so obsessed?
The art of collecting seems to resonate deeply with people today. Maybe we’re victims of capitalism, or maybe we just like having fun things in our room. TikTok also loves a Labubu blind box opening or a rundown of someone’s 200+ Sonny Angel collection, but the Jellycat obsession has been around for a while now and it just keeps getting bigger.
Although being around since the 2000s, the obsession has grown 230 per cent since 2020 alone, likely because we were all stuck inside and had no concerts or holidays to buy. It’s trended widely and steadily on TikTok since then, with many accounts dedicated solely to the soft toys.
It’s something about the squiggly eyes and smile that warms hearts, especially when contrasted against the cold dead eyes of a Have A Seat Labubu. Also the company itself is highly regarded ethically, a win win.
The obsession can go a bit far sometimes, as we’ve seen with Disney adults, with collectors sharing their arsenal of plushies. One TikTok user admitted to having over 650 of the things, whilst others have far too many to count. Despite maybe having to take out a small loan, Jellycats are still harmless fun, right?
Others even have fan accounts on Instagram where they share upcoming releases and photos of their collections.
Jellycat knows it’s that girl and has even started putting on exclusive events for fans to seek out. The infamous Fish and Chips London van at the Selfridges on Oxford Street, London sent Jellycats even more viral, and even invited TikTok’s favourite Chip shop Diva” to help out. Aside from being genius marketing, the move into shops like Selfridges has put it the products along the same lines as high end clothes and makeup, only making them more desirable.
They’re so sought after that people are even stealing them
@gracegentlenewark A Huge Thank You to everyone who came today and queued from 7.30 am for our Jellycat Christmas Launch. You are all truly amazing supporting me and the GG Ladies, our Jellycat Community is awesome
Much Love Denise #jellycat #jellycatshop #jellycatstore #jellycatchristmas #newarknottinghamshire
Of course, someone always does a bit too much. For Disney adults it might be pushing kids out of the way for picture with Mickey, but for some Jellycat adults its gone a step further. There’ve been multiple reports of stolen Jellycats that have often ended up online at sky-high prices and in August, a woman was even caught on CCTV attempting to steal £650 worth of Jellycats at a Garden Centre by shoving them down her trousers.
There is a craziness to the Jellycat adult. Whether its paying the crazy re-sale prices for a frog with headphones (currently £75 on Ebay), or waiting from the early dawn in line. Grace Gentle, a Jellycat stockist in Newark, shared on their TikTok that people had been waiting since 7:30am for the Christmas launch this past week. However, if buying Romi Reindeer gets you out supporting small businesses, maybe Jellycats are the way forward.
You may remember however that many indie retailers were pulled of their Jellycats stockist status earlier this year, due to limited supply and huge demand. The Jellycat boom could not keep up with the brand itself and it was small businesses that paid the price. This really aided in shifting the brand from a fun collection of toys, to an exclusive trend that social media really ate up.
Will it last?
If we’ve learnt anything from Disney adults, the answer is yes. People love what they love. It might be a costly hobby and seem a little pointless to some, but all signals point to people’s collections only growing as more and more releases are dropped. And I can’t lie, the little tea bag everyone and their mum is posting about is kind of growing on me…
Featured image via TikTok @hopesjellycats and Instagram @bella.hill
