From the day we’re born, we are wired to seek comfort – your brain’s reward system sparkles in the presence of things that make you feel happy and safe. Children follow this instinct wherever it leads them but as adults we tend to put it on the backburner. We start believing there are more important things: bills to pay; dreams to chase. But in anxiety-inducing times, there are few things more positive for your wellbeing than to seek out comfort in lovely little ways.
Many people have already cracked this code, and they often have one thing in common: they own something soft, silent and incredibly loveable. It might sit on their bookshelf, smiling down at them while they work, or live among the pillows on their bed. It might be in the shape of a bunny or a croissant or a takeaway coffee cup, and it is almost definitely the work of one brand: Jellycat, a name now synonymous with sweet smiles, swinging legs and playful personalities.
The London-based brand has brought such joy into the world that its characters are among the most coveted items of the 2020s. It has been in the game for 26 years, but adults have driven up demand since the pandemic, when innocent fun became an antidote to doomscrolling. Since then, the “kidult” phenomenon has kept ballooning, with the global market research company Appinio finding that 41% of Brits are now buying toys for themselves, and a 2024 YouGov report showing the average age of those engaging with kidult brands online is 36.7.
“In a time of endless news cycles, climate dread and economic strain, buying something like a soft toy or a squishy bag charm is a small but meaningful act of self-soothing,” says Charlotte Fox Weber, a UKCP accredited psychotherapist and author of What We Want. “It’s comfort on demand when everything else feels out of control. Such things offer a reprieve; they are tactile, reassuring and safe.”
This is exactly how Kayden Peterson, 24, has come to feel about her Jellycat collection, which began last year with her first, a large Smudge Elephant, and has since grown to more than 100. She says she’s become hooked on hunting the ones that speak to her, be it a fun Pretzel or a huggable Whale Shark. “I’ve often struggled with anxiety, and they’ve provided me with so much peace and comfort during difficult times,” she says. “Childlike wonder fades the older you get, but finding something that brings joy and light into adulthood is very healing for the inner child in me. No matter what it is, I think we all search for something to make us feel that way again – and for me that happens to be Jellycat.”
She’s representative of a trend within a trend: gen Z can’t get enough. They make up a huge cohort of the fans who flock to Jellycat pop-ups everywhere from Selfridges in London to Galeries Lafayette in Paris, and post pictures of themed displays they’ve put together in their homes. It’s a rare form of tangible self-expression for a digital-first generation, but it’s also about sharing the joy with others. “The loving and kind sense of community I’ve found with the other collectors has been amazing,” says Peterson. “It’s been so much fun chatting with them about our collections and new releases we want to get.”
The ability of soft toys to soothe us runs deep – and the cuddle factor plays a major role: according to research published in The Journal of Positive Psychology, the more participants liked the visual qualities of a teddy bear, the more likely they were to feel comforted by it.
Irresistible cuddliness is a huge part of the Jellycat charm but at the same time the brand has managed to disrupt the industry beyond all recognition. Alongside bears (cuddly, of course), it makes olives, ravioli and a pot of cheese fondue; a rose bouquet and a diamond ring; a tennis ball and a palm tree and ski goggles. Whatever you love, you can now hold it close. There really is a design to give anyone heart-eyes.
Peterson mentions the longing to infuse our lives with childlike wonder, and nostalgia is a major factor in how people spend now – the consumer insights firm GWI found that 37% of gen Z feel nostalgic for the 1990s even though the oldest among them were born in 1997. It is, they say, about what the decade represents: a more carefree time.
Fox Weber sees nostalgia as a time machine for the psyche. “A soft toy, or even the smell of an old blanket, can collapse years in an instant and reconnect us to a younger self,” she says. “That regression isn’t regressive in a pathological sense, it is restorative. It re-roots us in a memory of simplicity and innocence that can temporarily counterbalance the overload of adulthood.”
When you consider the myriad psychological benefits of keeping something cuddly and charming by your side, it’s little wonder so many have taken Jellycat to their hearts. Not only is it an understandable response to the chaotic and often distressing times we’re living in, it’s a positive one – a tiny hand leading us towards the fun and connection that make it all easier to manage. “In the end, it’s about permission,” says Fox Weber. “Permission to be soft, to play and to be comforted, even as adults navigating a hard world.”
Which Jellycat do you hold close to your heart? Take a look at some all-time favourites
