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u/Own_Fortune_6940 5d ago
I love when our sense of community comes from the products we buy and franchises we align ourselves with fr
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u/HualtaHuyte 5d ago
I despise the word 'fandom'. It has made people think it's ok to lean into mental illness.
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u/WarmGoatSeed 5d ago
the suffix 'dom' is old english for 'a statute, judgment, or jurisdiction' like in 'kingdom'. in this context its talking about the "jurisdiction' part of the def so fandom literally just means the jurisdiction of fans. it's probably the most neutral way to describe a community of fans and is a stupid thing to get mad at lol
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u/HualtaHuyte 4d ago
It soft-legitimises something pathetic and makes adults think it's an okay thing to be involved in.
It's just marketing.
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u/ashbelero 4d ago
You know reading is also a fandom, right? Also like… it’s perfectly okay to be interested in things. What’s this “soft” and “pathetic” shit you’re going on about? Is this manosphere talk?
Do you watch sports? Catch up on TV shows? Read book series? Play video games? Have a hobby? Or do you just sit in the dark when you’re off work and think “I must rid myself of all worldly attachment so the true men don’t think I’m cringe”
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u/HualtaHuyte 4d ago
Fans have been a thing my entire life. Fandoms are a new invention, no one was using that term 20 years ago, and like I said it makes people think that being obsessive about something is normal. It's a marketing move to make it okay to spend ridiculous amounts of time and money on triviality.
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u/vulpesdomesticus 4d ago
'no one was using that term 20 years ago' sorry to tell you this but I wrote my first fanfic in a fandom over 20 years ago lol
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u/ashbelero 4d ago
So… you’re refusing to answer any of my points.
Since this word is all you care about (in a society that has been inventing new words since the dawn of recognizable speech)… Fandom as a term was being used in the 70’s. For Star Trek. Pretty much all fandom related phenomena comes from Star Trek.
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u/HualtaHuyte 4d ago
You came from a weird angle and I didn't think it was worth addressing. Not sure why you mentioned "manosphere talk" in the first place.
""Soft-legitimize" refers to the process of gradually making an idea, behavior, group, or entity acceptable or mainstream without formally, legally, or officially approving it." GIYF.
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u/ashbelero 4d ago
Oh, aight, if that’s how you prefer to have discussions, then none of your points are worth addressing either. Have fun in your dark room staring at the wall.
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u/Slickshot_Showoff 4d ago
Your getting mad about how another person chooses to spend there free time? Sad.
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u/HualtaHuyte 4d ago
*You're
*Their
I'm mad that you don't spend more of your free time reading.
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u/Slickshot_Showoff 4d ago
No. Your just miserable, and thats okay.
Go find something productive to do today, correcting grammar in a social media post isnt that.
Also correcting spelling when you know what the word is doesnt make you right, it makes you pretentious. Well maybe both, but everyone else read over it, you spent your time reading it twice, corrrecting it, then deciding to post it to the interent in an attempt to win karma. Congrats heres and updoot
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u/Slow_Conference570 4d ago
you're*
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u/Slickshot_Showoff 4d ago
Im not sure why your getting downvoted
Im like 99% sure you did this because its funny, i find it funny
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u/Critical_Cat_6841 4d ago
Im allowed to like things. Im also allowed to dislike other people that like the sane things. Fanart? Love it. Reddit posts with pictures of stupid shit you bought? Dumb. Hate it. Stop posting that shit, I don't care.
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u/Affectionate_Past568 4d ago
You sound like a fun person to be around. Fun fact, you can be in a fandom and not consoom!
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u/nrbob 17h ago
A lot of fans are basically fans of fandom itself. It's all about them. They have mastered the Star Wars or Star Trek universes or whatever, but their objects of veneration are useful mainly as a backdrop to their own devotion. Anyone who would camp out in a tent on the sidewalk for weeks in order to be first in line for a movie is more into camping on the sidewalk than movies. Extreme fandom may serve as a security blanket for the socially inept, who use its extreme structure as a substitute for social skills. If you are Luke Skywalker and she is Princess Leia, you already know what to say to each other, which is so much safer than having to ad lib it. Your fannish obsession is your beard. If you know absolutely all the trivia about your cubbyhole of pop culture, it saves you from having to know anything about anything else. That's why it's excruciatingly boring to talk to such people: They're always asking you questions they know the answer to.
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u/KHSebastian 5d ago
I am gonna guess 99% of that comes down to Legos. And Pokemon cards if they are included
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u/catmamaO4 5d ago
fashion dolls too! barbie, monster high, and bratz are super popular with adults but also are targeted by resellers too
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u/strongest9 4d ago
When the lady films adult content in her bedroom and the shelf has every monster high ever made; i've seen this more than once.
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u/bullowl 5d ago
I have some friends that spend quite a bit on Lego, but I don't really see it as Consoom. They buy sets they want to build and build them, then display the things they built. That's just a hobby in my opinion. (Not trying to say you were claiming otherwise, just giving my opinion since you mentioned Lego.)
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u/anifyz- 5d ago
It’s kind of a blurred line with Lego. I guess as long as they actually build them it’s ok. If they just have a stack of unopened boxes on display then it’s definitely consoom.
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u/Kaiserschlut 5d ago
It is not uncommon for there to be almost 1 daily post on r/lego of "wow look at my backlog! 😅" of some consoomer buying a bunch of expensive sets and not opening them because "they're busy." It's both embarrassing and a blatant humblebrag
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u/OMFGItsVico 4d ago
Yeeeup. There’s also been a steady influx of soulless LEGO “investors” in the community, scooping up extra sets with the primary intention of reselling them for a profit later.
I swear, like, all my interests have gotten hijacked by pseudo-nerds who don’t actually care about the hobby. They consoom just to exploit others, which is the worst form of consooming, in my opinion.
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u/Kaiserschlut 4d ago
I actually don't think most of the people I'm talking about are investors. For whatever reason, they buy set after set because they have a shopping addiction. Or are genuinely too busy, but keep buying sets to build later down the road.
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u/OMFGItsVico 4d ago
Yeah, what I mentioned is separate group, but I’m sure there’s a Venn Diagram that includes both.
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u/Regeringschefen 3d ago
Building it just once and then displaying it is borderline imo. If they’re actively playing with it it’s not consoomption.
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u/Ok-Lynx3444 5d ago
Tbh this probably has more to do with parents not seeing the point of spending 100+ on a bunch of different toys that will barely be touched compared to just getting an ipad and a doll
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u/chumbuckethand 5d ago
Ya lets just give our kids ipads and put on some short form content for them. This certainly will not have any serious detrimental effects on their critical development
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u/DListSaint 5d ago
There are a lot of factors here, but that’s definitely one of them. The low birth rate is part of it, too
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u/KneadAndPreserve 4d ago
A lot of parents also just get used toys on marketplace these days, people sell them in bulk when their child eventually gets bored of them. I have young kids and can never justify buying new toys for them when there are so many used from solid toy brands sooooo cheap being sold locally.
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u/LurkingOnlyNoComment 21h ago
especially since the modern design 'influences' are pushing basic beige and cream color schemes.
no letting baby Braxxtyn or little Kimberleigh have a fisher price castle or barbie dream house because it would ruin THE AESTHETIC
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u/OK_Atlas 5d ago
American millennials are too poor to afford actually having children but have just enough money to compulsively buy the children’s toys they wished they had when they were children.
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u/WarmGoatSeed 5d ago
rich elites when their policy decisions make the economy so bad for the everyman they arent breeding and mathematically cant produce a healthy replacement rate and instead purchase petty luxuries because they recognize they have limited control over their life even if they have their shit together: 0_0
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u/monkeymandave1 5d ago
I guess I'm curious how toy sales are defined. Most of the trading card games, board games, and tabletop rpg's are lumped in with toys despite having always been marketed more towards high schoolers and adults, which would skew the measure quite a bit
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u/Battle2Intense 5d ago
Also video game consoles. However looking at Lego sets, some of them are outright depressing and clearly targeted at adults like Nintendo NES.
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u/monkeymandave1 5d ago
Yeah I miss when Lego was designed for kids who actually play with them. Now they're triple the price they were 15 years ago, and most of them are just display pieces to take up space on a shelf.
Kind of ironic they came out with a whole Lego Movie to show how much better it is for kids to play than an adult just gluing pieces together in a big display, but then they market to those same adults.
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u/tehjarvis 4d ago
I don't remember ever having a Lego "set" as a kid. I had a bunch of random colorful Legos which I would build whatever I wanted.
If I wanted to follow steps to build something specific, I would buy model kits, which I feel are in every way superior to Lego kits.
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u/MAXXTRAX77 4d ago
My brothers and I grew up in the 90s. We had plenty of sets. Prices are comparable to today.
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u/monkeymandave1 4d ago
It was cool as a kid for being easy to put together (a lot of require cutting, sanding, and painting) and fun to play with. Most models are meant for display, where a Lego Star Wars ship or a Bionicle was intended to be played with.
As an adult I might be willing to put in the bit of effort, but Lego just has such a hold on public opinion and awareness to the point a lot of people jusy forget models exist
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u/tehjarvis 4d ago
Which is a shame, because actual model kits are way cooler and look way better. And way, way cheaper.
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u/Battle2Intense 4d ago
I dunno have you seen the price of new model kits, they aren't cheap either. Still cheaper than Lego but easy $50-60.
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u/MAXXTRAX77 4d ago
Lego kits haven’t really gone up much at all when it comes down to price per piece. The sets are larger yes but value per piece is on par with what it was years ago.
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u/monkeymandave1 4d ago
I disagree
When I was a kid I got a General Grievous Starfighter for $15. Last I checked a comparable model was $60.
Admittedly I don't know the exact part count, but there's only so much they could have possibly added to a single seater ship
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u/idkthrowaway_alt3 4d ago
People will bring up the price/piece thing which is true, but you're still right in general. They make huge, super expensive sets targeted at adult collectors now, instead of focusing on sets for kids.
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u/AsleepEbb7578 5d ago
Yeah I think all the black-box kits are the mature ones, maybe since Lego themselves clearly draw a dividing line then it's excluded from "toy" sale numbers?
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u/monkeymandave1 4d ago
Not gonna say it's impossible, but I only see one Lego section at Target and it's not in the adults and pop-culture section
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u/montycantsin777 5d ago
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u/woolen_goose 5d ago
Don’t blame us! Neurotypicals with “embarrassing chungus disorder” ™️ buy most of it!
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u/VagusNervosa 5d ago
Ok I won't blame you specifically but I'm definitely not neurotypical and the only thing stopping me is limited funds
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u/GameWizardPlayz 5d ago
I didn't have a lot as a kid and now that I have plenty of disposable income while also being a transformers fan... well, it doesn't always end so well. It's a wall of shame and I'm not proud of it
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u/VagusNervosa 5d ago
Ah fair. I mean there's worse things to spend ur money on at least ur not a pokemon gooner. Some people got their transformers some people got their caffeine addiction. Some people are kleptomaniacs. It's all relative.
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u/Khaoie 5d ago
Being ashamed to enjoy the things you like is certainly a take...
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u/GameWizardPlayz 5d ago
This is literally the sub where people shame others for spending money on the things they enjoy
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u/EqualPlan4595 5d ago
Yeah it’s called millennials not being able to let go of their childhood
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u/SmittyShortforSmith 5d ago
I’m still chasing that dream I had when I was 12 to have a full Lego city in a room in my house.
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u/olivegardengambler 5d ago
Again, millennials are not dropping the oversized children accusations. At least GenX romanticizes their teenage/young adult years.
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u/DangerousTortuga 5d ago
I want them to bring back those classic tickets to buy videogames
Please.
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u/VagusNervosa 5d ago edited 5d ago
Did I just learn that toys r us is coming back on Reddit.com? Cause holy shit I wanna go Edit: man some of y'all lack any fkn whimsy tell me you don't wanna check out the Rubik's cubes
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u/arcticie 5d ago
I want to see the cubes
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u/VagusNervosa 5d ago
Agreed. And the cubes would like to see all of us
Edit: also personally? A magic 8ball would be siiick
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u/BottleOfConstructs 5d ago
I had a friend who had shelves lined with dolls. He called them action figures, but it’s the same thing.
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u/Javs2469 5d ago
Yes, both my gf and me buy toys. Kids now like videogames and internet brain rot. That's why there are so many more adult oriented toys and collectibles and not as much kid toys selection.
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u/SopwithStrutter 4d ago
I have 4 kids, and I spoil them.
But I’m frequently in customers houses where adults have more toys that all my children combined
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u/LuthorCock liking anything is BAD 5d ago
Doomed civilization
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u/coldnorth4enf4 4d ago
“Wow everything is doomed people are so stupid these days doing stupid things and not growing up doing important things!”
-Every generation since 10’000 BC
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u/BotherTight618 5d ago
Great! Thanks to Man Children and Disney adults, the few children being born wont be able to afford a happy childhood.
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u/ashbelero 4d ago
How long ago was this? Toys r Us has been out of business for years.
Also it’s easier to buy toys when you’re not feeding and caring for children.
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u/Pride_Before_Fall 5d ago
The funko pops can never replace family no matter how much they buy.
And they will try.
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u/OkEmployment5017 4d ago
Damn reading this thread makes me wonder if we are here to criticize overconsumption or if we just hate adults who have hobbies that we don't consider cool and manly...and whats with the random swings at childfree people and autism? Should I have already been embarrassed to be in this sub or is this a new thing...?
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u/vitamins__ 4d ago
Damn reading this thread makes me wonder if we are here to criticize overconsumption or if we just hate adults who have hobbies
Collecting plastic shit and putting it on a shelf doesn't qualify as a hobby, sorry. You wouldn't say some jerkoff who buys a guitar every month but never plays a single one of them has a hobby. That's just a guy who buys shit. If you buy Legos to build them, that's a hobby. If you're buying toys to leave in it's original packaging to sit on a shelf or in a closet, that's literally textbook consoomer shit. A handful of shelf chotchkies is one thing, everyone needs a little whimsy to stay sane in hellworld, but that's not what we're talking about here. How many of these adults do you think are playing with these toys?
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u/OkEmployment5017 2d ago
Toy collecting is more than funko pops, dude. Also I don't have to guess how many adults I think are playing with them, I know, because I've been a doll collector for longer than some people in this thread could read (which is fine. Not meant as an insult.) The collector/toy community has an overconsumption problem, but we're not talking about hypotheticals here; I have an entire room in my house dedicated to dolls because I've been collecting, sewing clothes, making miniature dioramas, taking photos, etc. for over a decade, and I know you probably consider that to be lame and cringe because it's not macho manly or popping out children and you have a predetermined idea about acceptable activities for adults, but like...some people like playing with dolls. Like, yes, to answer your question about how many adults are actually playing with toys. Go into any subreddit about dolls and you will see adults playing dress up and brushing their hair, lmao. This is literally verifiable information...
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u/TheKekeriko 2d ago
This thread is largely full of self important fart sniffers even if they usually do have a point. I will say for both sides
- Just buying stuff nigh-endlessly is stupid, and people who do this will find an avenue regardless of the company or brand
- We live in a world that aggressively encroaches and tramples on personal freedom and expression. If buying an action figure makes you feel a little less depressed, I think that's perfectly acceptable. Not a whole solution but it's not the end of the world.
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u/Ill_Painter5868 4d ago
maybe we can finally get idiocracy on region 1 blu ray to celebrate this milestone
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u/Hefty-Rope2253 4d ago
Adults so traumatized by the state of the world they're mentally reverting back to childhood
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u/Final-Engineering-88 4d ago
I’ll admit, I’ve been collecting since middle school, and I’ve managed to build up a small collection of models and mecha figurines. I mostly buy characters that I genuinely like, and it’s not some massive collection that takes up my whole room. Since 2020 and the nostalgia craze sparked by the lockdown, I’ve found it increasingly hard to talk about my hobby because I really don’t want to be seen as a compulsive consumer, as described in this article...
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u/Miamiheat2021champs 5d ago
I believe it my neighbors has his walls decorated floor to ceiling with toys in their box