00:00Why are you in Neverland?
00:01Well, that's easy.
00:02Don't always be a little bored and have fun.
00:04I like this game.
00:05Ask me another one.
00:06At what age does youth die?
00:08Well, who said it ever really has to?
00:10Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:12And today, we'll be discussing the world of kidults, kidulting,
00:16and how nostalgia-driven behavior has turned into therapy
00:19for millions of people around the world.
00:21Even in college, my friends were like going out to the bars
00:24and I was like, well, but I could buy some more Lego with that money.
00:30We've all heard the phrase, young at heart,
00:32or how, as we age, we're supposed to act only as young as you feel.
00:37Well, this is why so many adults have turned to the toys,
00:40games, and hobbies they enjoyed as children,
00:42now with a disposable income afforded to them by entering the workforce.
00:46Does this sound like you?
00:47Does kidulting come into play while raising a family?
00:50Or does it really matter whether or not one has kids?
00:53A Build-A-Bear with a beer.
00:54Well, we do have Build-A-Bears with beer and Cabernet or Pawseca.
01:00The truth is that kidulting isn't really new,
01:02but rather something that's occurred gradually through generations,
01:06particularly those raised on television.
01:08Generation X might be the first to be fully immersed in a youth culture dominated by TV,
01:14particularly 80s kids whose eyeballs were inundated with cartoons
01:17and their accompanying toy commercials.
01:19When I was a little kid, I still remember coming home from school,
01:23turning on the TV, and Transformers was like an addiction.
01:27This synergistic marketing strategy wasn't lost on those same kids when it came time to grow up,
01:32with many of those same Gen Xers attempting to reclaim their youth via buying toys on the second-hand market.
01:39Additionally, the adoption of such kid-focused fashion like friendship bracelets or certain clothing styles
01:44isn't solely relegated to the realm of Gen X.
01:47Millennials are included,
01:48as well as others who fondly remember comparatively recent youth culture styles a la emo, pop-punk, or goth.
01:55Hey, who are you wearing?
01:58It's Poe. I don't have the budget for real human skin.
02:02This demand has resulted in a sharp uptick in supply,
02:05from companies that are more than willing to market just about anything
02:08to nostalgia-based dopamine centers in our brains.
02:11Funko Pops, reissued action figures, and more are selling more than ever,
02:16while companies like NECA release well-crafted and detailed adult collectibles
02:20for franchises such as Friday the 13th or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
02:24You know, we've got the Mirage Turtles, we've got Last Ronin, we've got the Movie Turtles,
02:29we've got Universal Monsters mixed with the Turtles,
02:32we've got Splinter, Donatello, Michelangelo, Casey Jones.
02:35It's an amazing display piece for all the Last Ronin comic book fans out there.
02:39Indeed, it's not only television that's left a huge mark upon burgeoning kid-ults.
02:44Movies have more than taken their place as cultural touchstones for generations of adults
02:49who can remember exactly where they were when they watched Star Wars or Harry Potter for the first time.
03:01Curious. Very curious.
03:05Group discussion forums have also assisted in abolishing the gatekeeping of established gender roles.
03:11Adult fans of all ages take to properties such as Gem, She-Ra, or My Little Pony.
03:16This speaks to how adults can differentiate childish behavior from childlike wonder,
03:21as they continue to enjoy the nostalgia of youth,
03:24while knowing enough to leave behind harmful behavior patterns.
03:27Your home looks just the same as the old days.
03:30Wish I could say the same for mine.
03:32Well, I've had to expand my clinic a bit.
03:36Many creatures need healing in this modern world.
03:38Fandoms like Disney adults and Bluey adults enjoy entertainment experiences previously designated as kid-stuff,
03:45with a whole new set of eyes.
03:47They can realize and understand the subtext behind Disney's history,
03:50or the more mature plot points of Bluey,
03:53while simultaneously embracing the kindness and wonder these worlds often present to their viewership.
03:58He doesn't get to play that much anymore.
04:00So he keeps having dreams about it.
04:02Why does he get to play it for real life?
04:05Well, he's busy, sweetheart.
04:07Busy working and looking after you two.
04:09These same adults often also seek out experiences locally that tap into this adolescent sense of healing,
04:15from group bubble parties to playing around in a ball pit,
04:18experiences that can be easily accessed by pop-ups or adult-focused nostalgia centers,
04:23a la the Barcade Phenomena,
04:25that offers retro gaming with alcohol and food options.
04:28Our audience is a wide variety of people.
04:31We get a lot of people in their 40s and 50s who remember these games the first time around,
04:36and of course they're, like, super excited.
04:38So does this all tie into Peter Pan Syndrome?
04:41That established term which describes adults who revert to this childlike state
04:45in order to avoid fiscal or emotional responsibilities?
04:48I must prepare to shoulder burdens with a worried air.
04:52I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up.
04:57Not me.
04:57Modern kidulting doesn't always tie into the negative connotations present within how many psychologists view Peter Pan Syndrome
05:04and its failure to launch aesthetic.
05:06Instead, the state of puer eternus can be seen as something that could go hand-in-hand with self-soothing
05:11therapeutic methods,
05:13a time and place where nostalgia allows kidults to breathe,
05:16before returning back to their responsibilities at home or in the workplace.
05:20Cuteness therapy is where cuteness charges one's energy in the realm of healing.
05:25It is believed to help people connect with the softness, gentleness, and kindness of the safe moments of our childhood.
05:32It's not easy to survive in our ever-expanding socioeconomic culture.
05:36Times will always be hard, and people will always do different things in order to cope with bills,
05:41marital stress, or even the death of a loved one.
05:44I've been a little lonely lately, and I found those Barbies we used to play with.
05:47I thought we gave those away.
05:48So I started playing with them and making drawings like we used to do, remember?
05:52Because I thought it would be joyful.
05:53Was it?
05:54No, it wasn't.
05:55I got sad, and we were...
05:56The cautionary tale of a public figure like Michael Jackson,
05:59his history of familial trauma and his resulting complex personal history,
06:04doesn't necessarily need to define Peter Pan Syndrome.
06:07Instead, it's important to understand that a little nostalgia can be a good thing.
06:11It's just when it takes over our lives and prevents us from moving forward,
06:15that a dividing line in the sand must be drawn.
06:18It's all junk.
06:20Huh?
06:20Eh, well, what about this?
06:23This is not junk.
06:25Eh?
06:28Yes, it is.
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06:46When it's done in a healthy way, visiting the past can help make the present more manageable.
06:51So, play with dolls, race those cars, build something with Lego bricks and tear it down again.
06:56It doesn't really matter if you do it alone or with a family.
06:59If it helps you feel better and be a better, kinder person,
07:03then kidulting may be a clear path to peace and understanding with our collective inner child.
07:09Oh, there you are, Peter.
07:11You're welcome.
07:14You're welcome.
07:17You're welcome.
07:22You're welcome.
07:26You're welcome.
07:26You're welcome.
07:26You're welcome.
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