Since the Covid-19 pandemic, US citizen Elizabeth Hulanick has turned to toys from her childhood to relieve stress, reports AP.
Elizabeth and her co-workers chip in to buy Legos at Target and play at their desks. She also started playing with Silly Putty again, noting she felt comforted by the bouncy rubbery stuff that changes colors.
Even her American Girl doll called Samantha, which she keeps in her china cabinet, resonates more these days; she waited one year for her mother to buy her that doll when she was a child and now, she says, it served as a reminder to always be patient.
New Jersey resident 37-year-old Piscataway said, “This probably will be with me forever. I always need something to be tinkering with, and that’s probably the safest bet for me to stick with a toy versus keep trying to figure out how to fix cars or something like that.”
Long before the pandemic, many adults turned to toys from Legos to collectible items to tap into their inner childhood for comfort. But all the stresses from the health crisis accelerated and solidified the trend, according to Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of TTPM.
And even as the pandemic’s threat ebbs, toy makers from Mattel’s American Girl to Build-a-Bear Workshop Inc. see adults’ interest in playthings as long-lasting and are creating new products, services and websites aimed for the older group, it added.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
