There’s a new Gen Z idol on the scene – and it goes by the name of “Amusable Croissant”. This cute cuddly toy has dominated wishlists since Christmas, and the hype shows no signs of slowing. Today, we’re taking a closer look at Amusable Croissant, and the wider cuteness overload it represents.
Every once in a while, a product is launched with a target audience in mind, but ends up finding its way into the baskets of a completely different audience.
This is true of Jellycats. The ultra-soft, plush characters designed for babies and toddlers are being collected by Gen Z adults. Why? They’re cute. Cute in a way that is lost on babies.
Cuteness doesn’t exactly speak to being big, bold, and powerful. But it is. It has grown into a movement, a phenomenon – so widespread that Somerset House ran a cuteness exhibition back in April of this year.
Indeed – when, at native HQ, we set out on a mission to interview Gen Z students earlier this year, we were greeted by Zoom backdrops decorated with plushie collections, halloween-themed mugs, and pink-and-purple pastel tones.
Cuteness on campus is no new phenomenon. Brands like Skinnydip paved the way for young western people looking to integrate a nod to cuteness into their personal style. And cuteness has long been a feature of youth culture in Japan among Harajuku kids and the Kawaii aesthetic. Now, a multitude of transient youth aesthetics – from cottagecore to coquette – are all underpinned by a quintessential cutesiness.
The main purveyors of cute are, perhaps unsurprisingly, Gen Alphas – they are children, after all. Early trends point towards a culture of collection among these pint-sized consumers. They love squishmallows, robux (the currency of online gaming platform Roblox), and sensory toys – and they like to have these things in large quantities. Could this penchant for collecting pastel-coloured toys and digital tokens be the first instance of Alphas influencing upwards?
For Gen Zs, the desire to collect something tangible is part of the appeal – whether it’s a plush croissant, a Tamagochi keychain or an elaborate Lego project. These objects simultaneously provide escapism from the advancement of adulthood, whilst also anchoring their owners in a non-digital world. There is, of course, an element of nostalgia – these are the same toys that Gen Zs grew up playing with.
But cuteness also has roots in the digital world. From the ever-expanding emoji dictionary to sandbox-style games like Animal Crossing and Sims 4, there are constant nods to childhood online. This type of game (and the accompanying aesthetics) really took off during the pandemic, when real life became so restrictive – and terrifying – that a regression into fantasy became a collective need.
University, too, is an emotionally-fraught time. native’s latest research shows that 42% of students feel anxious in the first few days of uni, with 34% feeling overwhelmed. They are more likely to feel these emotions than they are to feel sociable or motivated, and one in four students felt lonely at some point in Freshers. Could it be that Gen Z students are cushioning themselves with a layer of cuteness – something they can envelope themselves in as they navigate the transition to adult life?
Only time will tell. But for brands, the cuteness expansion is something to be aware of – and perhaps tap into – even if only in terms of aesthetics.
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