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Kidult=Kid+Adult2006/07/15
Text by Mercy Sun Kidult is a word composed by kid and adult. It is an advertisers' creation, for they are the ones who often invent new expressions to indicate groups of people. Kidults are adults who still take care of their child side, that is, their need to have fun, publicly and without fear. Have a look down in the street. You will soon see a manager on board of his car or scooter like in Japanese cartoons: there's a Kidult. Or, look at TV spots: smart business men walking in New York City bringing their babies or men in their 40s going shopping on roller skates... Kidult, Kidult, Kidult. Does your mobile phone ring to the tune of Mission Impossible or Flinstones soundtracks? Welcome to the club. You are a Kidult, too!
Kidult Media Time Books that appeal to both children and adults, such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, have helped to more than double the number of parents reading to their children, a survey has found. The survey, by energy company Powergen, found that 90 percent of parents now read their children a bedtime story. Half of parents had read a so-called "kidult" book within the past year; 94 percent of mothers read to their children and 86 percent of fathers. The survey also found that people in Scotland were more likely to read to their children than people in other regions; 92 percent said they read with their children on a regular basis. Harry Potter publisher, Bloomsbury launched a renewed bid to sell the first four Harry Potter books to grown-ups, issuing them for the first time as "adult hardbacks." The newly designed covers saw the further development of the "kidult" or "crossover" market for children's books. Psychologist and author Aric Sigman, PhD, said, "Books such as The Lord of the Rings can be interpreted on more than one level, making them interesting and stimulating for all ages. Parents and children are now actively choosing to read the same books." Movies such as Ice Age II--Melt Down and Cars are the best choice for a family looking to be entertained together. The kidult market is a big pie for movie producers and publishers. China's movie industry is in a disadvantageous position in the kidult market if compared to Hollywood or the Japanese. However, more young Chinese are being encouraged to make Flash and cartoon products featuring domestic characters that may appeal to the Chinese market. Kidults Answer the Phone: Grown-up Toys for Tweens Several companies have begun making specially designed cell phones for the kidult (or "tween") market. Focusing on connecting children with parents, rather than with friends, the phones include special features that are both child- and parent-friendly. Firefly Mobile launched the first-ever cell phone designed to meet the needs of kids and their parents in March 2005. The phone has only five buttons on the face; one each for moms and dads, one for the phone book, and one each to answer and hang up. There's no way to surf the Internet, download a new ring tones every day or to take pictures. With no keypad for numbers, there's no opportunity for text-messaging. The TicTalk from enfora is similar to the Firefly Mobile. It comes with no keypad and has only a few simple buttons. TicTalk, unlike Firefly Mobile, has learning games from LeapFrog, suitable for children from first through the sixth grades. Children earn reward minutes for playing the educational games. It made the Toys "R" Us 2005 Joy list. Both TicTalk and Firefly Mobile strongly emphasize parental control. Parents programme in the numbers that children can call or can receive and activate the phone. Meanwhile, ChatNow from Hasbro is a walkie-talkie with extras. The ChatNow has a two-mile radius, a built-in digital camera and text messaging. Since it is a two-way radio, not a phone, the talk and text is only between ChatNow phones. On the other hand, there's no roaming charge. Kidult Collection A kidult may build their personal collections over quite a long time. Chris Wang, 29, collects antique toys. His collection consists of about 100 vintage 1940s-60s tin wind-up and battery-operated toys. Included in this collection is a classic toy made by a renowned toy maker named Louis Marx. The wind-up toy is known as the Milton Berle Crazy Car and features a tin car with slogans from Berle's famous US television show as well as a tin figure in Berle's likeness wearing a plastic cowboy hat. Mr. Xin, a Beijinger, focuses on his favourite drink Coca-Cola. He said: "What makes Coca-Cola collectibles so desirable is the beautiful and fascinating artwork they have offered us through the years. My collection includes Coca-Cola die-cut Coke items, Coca-Cola playing cards, Coca-Cola blotters, Coca-Cola postcards and Coca-Cola pins and more." He opened a store for other Coca-Cola fans in the Beijing Soshow Shopping Centre. Kidult Game If a Kidult is a person who can escape child-like feelings, playing games is one of their favourite "communications" channels. According to the 2005 China Game Market Report, the users of online games in the country rose to 26.34 million in the year. Of these players, users aged from 19 to 25 accounted for 61.7 percent of the total. But there more than online gaming to turn to; many rely upon mobile-phone games to while away their days. Kidult Luxury Or what about the painfully unstoppable rise of so-called "kidult" fashion? With Gucci's baby-doll dresses, Geri Halliwell's Hello Kitty handbags and everybody else's "Babe" T-shirts and candy-coloured cardigans, never have so many women been dressing so young, all oddly reminiscent of Jane Horrocks's dizzy secretary, Bubble. To be or not to be? There is no simple and direct way to assert that the kidult lifestyle is good or not; it all depends on the individual. The fact is that a good animation movie can release the pressures of daily life and provide enjoyment and fun for the whole family. So to be a kidult or not to be?
About Kidult
kidult n. A middle-aged person who continues to participate in and enjoy youth culture. -adj. Relating to something, particularly a form of media that appeals to both children and adults. Example Citation: 'Adult toys' may sound like a risque phrase, but it is also used to describe the playthings that 'kidults' (those of us who never quite grew up) have been buying in increasing numbers. --Celia Walden, "Trigger happy," Mail On Sunday, January 13, 2002 Earliest Citation: And in the background, on a much less lavish scale, is LBS communications, which doesn't own its own stations but provides a lucrative stream of 'kidult'--children, teenager and young adult--programming to independents. --Peter Martin, "Coming Soon: TV's New Boy Network," The Times, August 11, 1985 Notes: This blend of kid and adult was made semi-famous (in some circles, anyway) last year with the release of a CD titled "Kidults," by Mandy Patinkin. (For some reason, imparting that information makes me want to heave a great sigh.) The earliest citation I could track down illustrates the adjectival sense: The term is believed to have first appeared in The New York Times on August 11, 1985 in an article by Peter Martin. In the background, on a much less lavish scale, is LBS communications, which doesn't own its own stations but provides a lucrative stream of kidult--children, teenager and young adult--programming to independents A related word is babydult, an adult who still enjoys toys and games designed for young children: Forget beauty, sophistication or elegance. They are too hard to aspire to, and besides, they are for old people. Today, it's all about being cute until you die. Think of celebrity heroines like Rosie O'Donnell, who frequents McDonald's for the Happy Meal toys, the baby-voiced Victoria Jackson of Saturday Night Live, and 40-year-old babydult Heather Locklear, who was recently observed wheeling Barbie luggage through the Los Angeles airport. Given Locklear's strong physical resemblance to the doll, the vision must have been like Airport Barbie come to life. --Karen von Hahn, "Noticed: Babydult," The Globe and Mail, September 14, 2002
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