Are you ever too old for stuffed animals?Â
In recent years, increased demand for stuffed animals such as Squishmallows and Jellycats, it begs the question: Are you ever too old for stuffed animals?
I’ve always loved stuffed animals. I have an unspeakable amount of Pillow Pets from my stuffed animal addiction as a child. So why should anyone be surprised that I have a slight addiction to Squishmallows?
My original stuffed animal addiction started with the Pillow Pet when I was in elementary school. Every birthday or holiday for years, all I asked for was Pillow Pets. But with the fall of Pillow Pets, it took a few years before Squishmallows came onto the scene with their extremely cute stuffed animals with their own names and descriptions. However, Jellycat has risen to become the new hot stuffed animal. But at the end of the day, does it really matter what brand of stuffed animal you have?
Similar to the reusable water bottle market, which switched from HydroFlask, to Stanley, to Owala now on top, the stuffed animals market always seems to have a hot new product. With TikTok promoting the rampant consumerism trends, it always ties back to the brand. So while other stuffed animals that may be cheaper, but not the Squishmallow or Jellycat brand, are now looked down upon amongst many consumers.
It ties to the larger movement of whatever TikTok says, goes. Squishmallows used to be the hot new thing, but they no longer hold this status. The same treatment was given to HydroFlask with the rise of Stanley. Yet, I still find myself using my HydroFlask from freshman year of highschool and still love all my Squishmallows (and Pillow Pets). The rise of new trends shouldn’t mean the immediate discarding of what once was popular.
The consumer culture preys on the materialistic need felt by those online. With TikTok influencers showing you how to live, it makes life unattainable for the average person. While I have a significant amount of Squishmallows, they were mostly bought as gifts for birthdays or holidays. So while I may have fallen for the materialistic trap with Squishmallows, if that means I have a Squishmallow on most surfaces of my house then so be it. However, just because Jellycat is now popular does not mean I am going to throw out or give away all my Squishmallows.
I believe there is a need for people to be “de-influenced” as TikTok and other social media platforms continuously push this standard of overconsumption. As a generation, I think Gen Z needs to re-evaluate, especially with the lack of future economic prospects and with more and more people living paycheck-to-paycheck. People need to understand that real life is not what is shown on social media.