Bye bye Beanie Babies — here are the 4 collectible toys Gen Z is spending money on and how much they cost

Jellycats

The Jellycat brand sells plush animals, fruits, plants, holiday ephemera and more. Its “Amuseables” line is a selection of different plushies with little smiley faces and dangly legs. These ones are particularly popular, and as a cuteness lover myself, I get it. There’s just something endearing about a smiling peanut with feet.

The price of a Jellycat depends on its type and size, but can range anywhere from $20 to $200. But, if you’re looking for one that is out of production or generally hard to find elsewhere, resellers are offering them for up to $200 no matter the size.

These prices might not seem too insane, but the amount that many people have in their collection is something to marvel at. For example, Tiktok user @fortheloveofjellycats shared that they have a total of 522 in their collection.

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Calico Critters

Calico Critters are small animal toys that often come in family sets, with furniture and are dressed in outfits. From cats, mice, rabbits and dogs — just to list a few — these little animals are a perfect bookshelf trinket for a collector compelled by the cutesy. They also have multiple series of mystery animals.

Depending on the specific critter you buy and the amount of accessories they come with, the price can be anywhere from $10 to $150.

Many people have also created side hustles by making their own unique outfits designed specifically for Calico Critters, so the accessory options never run dry. The costs of these add-ons and the higher resale prices of discontinued or hard-to-find critters can add up. The beekeeper set is sought after but not easily attainable and it’s sold as resale for around $200.

The real kicker when it comes to spending cash on Calico Critters is how for a sizeable portion of the population, acquiring these cute toys goes beyond humble hobbyist. All it takes is a quick search on TikTok to witness the massive collections out there.

Squishmallows

Stuffed animals are seemingly timeless. While they evolve with new brands, having a little creature to cuddle never goes out of style.

Squishmallows are not just animals, they’re also objects, fruits, mythical creatures and more. And they each come with a name and personality description and are available in mystery packs in a variety of sizes. Squishmallows cost $10 to $100 at retail price, but there are plenty for resale that cost more.

If you find a squishmallow on a resale site, it’s probably due to it being discontinued, a holiday special or exclusive to certain retailers. The Jack Black Cat squishmallow had a limited run of 500 and can be found for resale at $2,300. That being said, not every Squishmallow has this high of a resale value, and it's hard to know if any others will follow a similar trajectory.

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Sonny Angels

Sonny Angels are cherub figurines originating in Japan and come with different hats and shirts — yes, it really is that simple. A single figurine costs between $15 to $20 depending on the retailer, but boxes with multiple figurines can cost up to $200. Rarer Sonny Angels can be found on resale sites for $100 to $300.

These toys are clearly popular, with people sharing their vast collections on TikTok and even joking that they’ve spent so much money on them, that they'll have to forgo buying groceries and eat the dolls for dinner instead.

Cute but costly

While some of these collectibles are worth a pretty penny, not all of them are. Gen Z may want to take this as a sign to scale down on their collecting habits should they ever want to part with their collections in the future in exchange for some cash.

Of course, having a special thing to collect is fun, but it can grow to be too much (say, you have a full closet lined floor to ceiling with Squishmallows). With social media being the perfect place to share what you own, it can quickly lead to overconsumption for the sake of keeping up with your digital peers. As a result, you might need to embark on some de-influencing to lessen your consumption and collecting habits and spend your money more wisely.

Sources

1. Nielsen IQ: Spend Z: Gen Z Changes Everything (2024)

2. TikTok: @fortheloveofjellycats Showing my Jellycat collection (Nov 2024)

3. TikTok: @clothildeshop