For decades, the toy was seen as a simple entertainment tool, the emergence of designer toy comes to shake that up. We are no longer just talking about products, but about cultural objects that circulate in urban markets for adult collectors.

The mass toy is designed to appeal to the greatest number of people, with designs standardized by major studios such as Disney, Marvel, and Mattel, are sold in mass distribution at a lower cost. In contrast, born in the trendy neighborhoods of Hong Kong (with pioneers like Michael Lau), the designer toy has developed as a niche product primarily targeting young adults. It is no longer a toy, but a sculpture, mainly in vinyl, which bears the signature of an artist. It is not distributed like more “classic” toys: manufacturers favor boutique galleries, concept stores, and sometimes even social networks. The object becomes a social marker: owning a rare piece by an artist allows the consumer to assert themselves in urban culture. We are moving from consumption of entertainment to consumption of prestige and belonging.

In conclusion, while the mass toy strives to saturate the global market by volume, designer toy dominated by organized scarcity. This allows companies, like Pop Mart or Kidrobot, to maintain constant demand despite high prices. Toys have become the new language of pop culture.