During the COVID-19 pandemic, Elizabeth Hulanick has turned to toys from her childhood to deal with worry and stress. 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. “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. 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. 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. Some toy companies are creating new products, services and websites designed for the older group.
Title: Toys for Grown-ups a Growing Market
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/A28.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Toys for Grown-ups a Growing Market' data-article-id='6342'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='11813'>During the COVID-19 pandemic, Elizabeth Hulanick has turned to toys from her childhood to deal with worry and stress.</span> <span data-start-time='11813' data-end-time='22083'>She started bringing Lego toys to work to build things out of the colorful blocks with her co-workers. </span> <span data-start-time='22083' data-end-time='33396'>She also started playing with Silly Putty, a toy made of special rubbery material that changes colors. </span> <span data-start-time='33396' data-end-time='38604'>Playing with the Silly Putty, she said, brought her comfort.</span> <span data-start-time='38604' data-end-time='62042'>“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.</span> <span data-start-time='62042' data-end-time='71333'>Before the COVID-19 pandemic, many adults turned to toys to remember feelings from their childhood. </span> <span data-start-time='71333' data-end-time='79083'>The stresses from the worldwide health crisis only grew that trend, said Jim Silver. </span> <span data-start-time='79083' data-end-time='86313'>He is editor-in-chief of TTPM, a toy review website.</span> <span data-start-time='86313' data-end-time='96458'>Many toymakers see adults’ interest in toys as a long-lasting thing, even after the pandemic fully ends. </span> <span data-start-time='96458' data-end-time='103042'>This so-called “kid-adult” market is a big part of the toy industry. </span> <span data-start-time='103042' data-end-time='111125'>The market is the second-fastest-growing group after customers aged 12 to 17.</span> <span data-start-time='111125' data-end-time='120271'>Some toy companies are creating new products, services and websites designed for the older group.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/A28.jpeg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=19129 data-hint-location='33396' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/which_of_the_following_is_a_definition_of_the_word_comfort.wav'>Which of the following is a definition of the word comfort?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='a state where a person is at ease'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/a_state_where_a_person_is_at_ease.wav'><span>a state where a person is at ease</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/a_place_where_prisoners_are_held.wav'><span>a place where prisoners are held</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/an_extreme_twist.wav'><span>an extreme twist</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/a_supervisor.wav'><span>a supervisor</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=19130 data-hint-location='11813' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/what_is_the_brand_name_of_the_colorful_building_bricks.wav'>What is the brand name of the colorful building bricks?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='Lego'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/lego.wav'><span>Lego</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/llama.wav'><span>Llama</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/igloo.wav'><span>Igloo</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/leggy.wav'><span>Leggy</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=19131 data-hint-location='62042' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/before_the_covid19_pandemic_many_adults_turned_to_toys_to_remember_feelings_from_their__blank__.wav'>Before the COVID-19 pandemic, many adults turned to toys to remember feelings from their <span class='blank'>childhood</span>. </div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='childhood'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/childhood.wav'><span>childhood</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/chimney.wav'><span>chimney</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/wooden.wav'><span>wooden</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5738/grasshopper.wav'><span>grasshopper</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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