TOYMINOLOGY – An A-Z of toys, by The Entertainer

While parents of teens decipher what ‘rizz’ and ‘slay’ mean, parents and grandparents of young children are evidently just as bemused by their little one’s terminology, when it comes to their undeniable devotion and knowledge of their favourite toys. Amid the ever-evolving world of kids toys and characters, grown-ups are struggling to keep up, according to new research by The Entertainer – which found that only 29% of adults are confident that they understand their children’s ‘toy jargon’.

Nearly a third (30%) of parents also admitted to buying the wrong toy at Christmas, because they didn’t know what their child really wanted. So ahead of the 2024 festive shopping season, The Entertainer, Britain’s favourite toy shop, is helping people to stay up-to-date with the latest toy crazes and language to help close the generational toy knowledge gap.

The Entertainer has released TOYMINOLOGY – a tongue-in-cheek A-Z guide translating the top current toy trends and products from kid-speak to grown-up friendly explanations, helping parents and grandparents make sense of their Squishmallows and Emotes.

To speed-learn what your kids are really into this Christmas, download The Entertainer’s TOYMINOLOGY, for simplified gift-giving this festive season.

It’s no surprise keeping up with your little one’s new favourite toy universe can feel like trying to learn a new language, when almost three-quarters of respondents (71%) feel that their child has already moved onto a new craze before they’ve had the chance to fully understand the last.

In general, over half (57%) of parents and grandparents admit to feeling confused when talking about toys with young kids, and 52% have actually held back from joining in a conversation with them as a result. Half (50%) of those surveyed agreed that not fully understanding their child or grandchild’s toy interests makes it harder for them personally to bond, yet 94% recognise the importance of having better knowledge, in order to better connect with them.

Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Dr Elizabeth Kilbey, who specialises in work with children and adolescents, said: “In this fast-paced world, it can be hard for parents to find time and space to connect with their children and even harder when they feel like they’re struggling to keep pace with the latest crazes and interests. Children’s development moves so fast and it can often feel like we are playing catch-up, as they move on to new skills and interests.

“One of the key ways that children express these interests is through their shared language with peers, language often designed to exclude those ‘not in the know’, like parents. Although it can feel daunting, I encourage parents to see this as an opportunity to show curiosity in their child’s world and take the chance to let their children have the upper hand through sharing their knowledge. This gives them a sense of agency and power and does huge wonders for building their communication and confidence skills.”

Despite the generational language barrier, over a quarter of adults (28%) said that if they could, they would have swapped one of their toys growing up with one of their children’s, citing today’s toys as looking much more fun, and being completely different to anything they played with growing up (40%).

The Entertainer’s TOYMINOLOGY guide follows the recent launch of the brand’s biggest-ever Christmas ad campaign, which tells the touching story of Ray, a cuddly toy monster, who is heartbroken after being replaced by a shiny new toy. Ray’s story speaks to the deep love and fixation children develop for their favourite toy – until they abruptly move onto the next thing!

Set to Baxter Dury’s cover of Roxette’s It Must Have Been Love, the ad will air until Christmas Eve, with a Ray plush toy available to buy from The Entertainer’s stores and online, Tesco stores and on Moonpig.com.

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