20s and 30s Seek Out Sensory Toys, Revitalizing Slumped Commercial Districts

[Anchor]

Toys that you press, squeeze, and play with by hand are enjoying immense popularity. Interestingly, people in their 20s and 30s are seeking them out even more than children, to the point where they are breathing new life into streets that had seen a drop in visitors.

Reporter Chae Heesun has the story.

[Reporter]

Long lines are forming at a famous shopping mall in Seoul.

[Look at this line.]

It is an event where visitors can experience and purchase various tactile toys known as slime, "wakpu," and "malrangi," which are enjoyed by kneading and crushing them with the hands.

Pre-registrations alone reached 60,000 applicants.

[Kim Jong-kwang / Ansan, Gyeonggi Province: I made a reservation in advance and came from Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. The malrangi has various shapes and a completely new texture that didn't exist before...]

As people touch and feel each of the colorful tactile toys one by one, picking out the textures that suit their tastes, their baskets quickly fill up.

[Ju Hong-ji / Gangbuk-gu, Seoul: The textures all differ depending on the clay ratio, so I wanted to touch various textures.]

[So Jae-hee / Seodaemun-gu, Seoul: I think there is a sort of dopamine release you get from crushing them.]

Changsin-dong Stationery Street in Seoul has recently gained fame among people in their 20s and 30s as a mecca for malrangi, bringing a renewed sense of vitality to a previously stagnant commercial district.

[Oh, that looks pretty too. That's wakpu...]

While sales used to focus primarily on children's toys, adult consumers in their 20s, 30s, and older now make up a large portion of the market.

[Chae Yong-jae / Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province: My wife is doing it with me, and you can easily relieve stress by touching them.]

[Song Jeong-hun / Stationery Store Owner: There are 120 stores distributed here, and while all the merchants were having a very hard time, they are happy now. That is because overall sales have increased significantly and the market has received a lot of promotion.]

In fact, according to one online shopping platform, search volume for tactile toys surged up to 486 times over the past six months, and transaction values increased by nearly 60 times.

[Lim Myung-ho / Professor of Psychology, Dankook University: Engaging a lot in sensory stimulation play has the effect of stabilizing emotional brain states. This kind of play is increasing quite a bit, especially among young people. There are many members of society who are quite exhausted and stressed out.]

Experts forecast that tactile consumption, which provides fun and stress relief to modern people driven by anxiety and fatigue, will continue to evolve in various forms.

(Video Editing: Kim Jong-min, Design: Jeon Yu-geun, VJ: Jeong Han-wook)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.