Why is that bunny reading smut on Instagram

I was scrolling Instagram today and was bewildered when I saw a stuffed lion sensually pulling down a “zaddy” t-shirt over his boxers–it was basically a thirst trap, but with a stuffed animal–from…Build-A-Bear? Was I reading that right? Looking through their Instagram page, I noticed similar plushie content from Build-A-Bear, including one bunny seemingly reading stuffie smut. 

Maybe I’ve been out of the loop, but when did this happen? When did Build-A-Bear start making adult-only stuffed animals–with social media content to match?

Ahead of Valentines’ Day, Build-A-Bear is ramping up the marketing with more thirst traps of stuffed animals, dressed in satin robes, sequined bralettes, skimpy pajamas, with bottles of champagne, martinis, and more accessories. All purchases can be made on their 18+ microsite, “The Bear Cave.” That said, the content is not exactly NSFW, maybe suggestive at best– the only identifying “adult” content might be what’s derived from connotation and the alcohol accessories. 

That said, all this seems…weird. Who exactly is this content geared toward? Who is buying stuffed animals dressed as functioning alcoholics?

How Build-A-Bear bounced back

When current CEO Sharon Price John got to the company in 2013, it was already on the decline. However, she turned that around by leaning into nostalgia and partnering with franchises like Harry Potter, Star Wars, Friends, and Deadpool, in order to appeal to an older consumer that may have grown up with Build-A-Bear. That included launching “The Bear Cave” in 2019. Now, Build-A-Bear is the most profitable it’s ever been. And according to Forbes, teens and adults now make up 40% of the company’s sales.

That follows an overall trend of adult buyers surpassing kids when it comes to toy purchases. The first quarter of 2024 marked the first time adults surpassed children in toy purchases. 

The rise of “kidulting”

In the first quarter of 2024, US adults beat out preschoolers for the first time as the top audience for toys.

Sexualizing stuffed bears in advertising

This sort of reminds me of the Balenciaga controversy of 2023–even though there are no real kids involved this time and the Build-A-Bears are not involved in BDSM. 

Of course, Build-A-Bear’s stuffed animals are “adult only” and not pictured next to children, but the content is in the same feed as the rest of Build-A-Bear’s stuff. Still weird.

Why???

How do sexy Build-A-Bears fit into the larger trend of “kidulting”–and yet, why does it feel off compared to adults’ love of Legos or something like Squishmallow collecting?