2022年12月25日 VOA慢速英语：成人玩具是一个不断增长的市场

 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Elizabeth Hulanick has turned to toys from her childhood to deal with worry and stress.
在 COVID-19 大流行期间，伊丽莎白·胡拉尼克 (Elizabeth Hulanick) 从小就开始使用玩具来应对忧虑和压力。
 
She started bringing Lego toys to work to build things out of the colorful blocks with her co-workers. She also started playing with Silly Putty, a toy made of special rubbery material that changes colors. Playing with the Silly Putty, she said, brought her comfort.
她开始带着乐高玩具与同事一起用五颜六色的积木拼搭东西。她还开始玩 Silly Putty，这是一种由特殊橡胶材料制成的会变色的玩具。她说，玩 Silly Putty 给她带来了安慰。
 
"I always need something to be tinkering with, and that's probably the safest bet for me to stick with a toy versus keep trying to figure out how to fix cars or something like that," said Hulanick, who is 37 years old and lives in New Jersey.
37 岁的胡拉尼克说：“我总是需要一些东西来修修补补，这可能是我坚持玩玩具而不是一直想弄清楚如何修理汽车或类似东西的最安全的选择。”新泽西州。
 
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, many adults turned to toys to remember feelings from their childhood. The stresses from the worldwide health crisis only grew that trend, said Jim Silver. He is editor-in-chief of TTPM, a toy review website.
在 COVID-19 大流行之前，许多成年人转向玩具来回忆童年的感受。吉姆西尔弗说，全球健康危机带来的压力只会加剧这种趋势。他是玩具评论网站TTPM的主编。
 
Many toymakers see adults' interest in toys as a long-lasting thing, even after the pandemic fully ends. This so-called "kid-adult" market is a big part of the toy industry. The market is the second-fastest-growing group after customers aged 12 to 17.
许多玩具制造商认为成年人对玩具的兴趣是一种持久的东西，即使在大流行完全结束之后也是如此。这个所谓的“儿童-成人”市场是玩具行业的重要组成部分。该市场是增长第二快的群体，仅次于12 至 17 岁的客户。
 
Some toy companies are creating new products, services and websites designed for the older group.
一些玩具公司正在开发专为年长群体设计的新产品、服务和网站。
 
For example, Mattel's American Girl Cafe recently added alcoholic drinks to their menu after seeing adults show up without children. American Girl makes popular, costly dolls.
例如，Mattel 的 American Girl Cafe 最近在看到没有孩子的成年人出现后，在他们的菜单中添加了酒精饮料。American Girl 制作受欢迎、昂贵的洋娃娃。
 
Last year, the company Build-a-Bear launched a website called Bear Cave for customers 18 and over. Products include a stuffed rabbit holding a bottle of wine.
去年，Build-a-Bear 公司为 18 岁及以上的客户推出了一个名为 Bear Cave 的网站。产品包括一只拿着一瓶酒的毛绒兔子。
 
Even the fast-food restaurant McDonald's is marketing to toy-loving adults. It released its adult Happy Meals in October. McDonald's President and CEO Chris Kempczinski said the company sold half its supply of collectible toys in the first four days of the special deal.
甚至快餐店麦当劳也在向喜爱玩具的成年人推销产品。它在 10 月发布了成人 Happy Meals。麦当劳总裁兼首席执行官 Chris Kempczinski 表示，该公司在特惠活动的前四天就售出了一半的收藏玩具。
 
The Lego Group has been increasing its products for adults since 2020. It now has 100 toys designed for older customers. Among the most popular toys for adults are Star Wars and Harry Potter-linked Lego sets. That information comes from NPD Group Inc., a market research company.
乐高集团自 2020 年以来一直在增加面向成人的产品。目前已有 100 款专为老年客户设计的玩具。最受成人欢迎的玩具包括星球大战和与哈利波特相关的乐高套装。该信息来自市场研究公司 NPD Group Inc.。
 
Genevieve Cruz is senior director at Lego. She said, "The pandemic certainly served as a catalyst for this trend as adults found themselves stuck at home with nothing else to do with a lot of time [on] their hands."
Genevieve Cruz 是乐高的高级总监。她说：“大流行病无疑是这一趋势的催化剂，因为成年人发现自己被困在家里，无事可做，手上有很多时间。”
 
Cruz added, "We do believe that the trend goes beyond the pandemic."
克鲁兹补充说：“我们确实相信这种趋势超越了大流行。”