Magical kidults and where to find them
Toy Business Forum presentation from the Spielwarenmesse 2026
Growth drivers beyond the children’s room: Join Carol Rapp and Robin de Cleur from Merz Verlag on a journey to explore a target group that is no longer a niche phenomenon. In their presentation at the Toy Business Forum, they offered fascinating insights into the purchasing behavior of “kidults” and the enormous economic opportunities they present for the toy market.
About the referents
Carol Rapp first worked at Kosmos and later at Asmodee. There she first took over marketing, then management in Germany and finally was responsible for the Group's international marketing. In 2022, she became Managing Director of Merz Verlag and heads up SPIEL Essen, the world's largest trade fair for games. Robin de Cleur has been responsible for communications and marketing in the board game world since 2014. The enthusiastic gamer initially worked at Asmodee and took on the role of Communications Director at SPIEL Essen at the beginning of 2023.
Focus on Kidults
Cultural assets that adults are enthusiastic about become cult toys. At the 2026 International Toy Fair, the interactive Toys for Kidults experience showcased the most popular collectibles and board games for adults. Further information can be found online.
