At 3 p.m. on the 24th, at the toy street in Changsin-dong, Jongno District, Seoul. From one side of an alley packed with colorful toys came a nonstop, cheerful "click-click" sound.
More people in their 20s and 30s flocked in than children or students in school uniforms, pressing small plastic pieces in their hands or checking the texture. They were "keycaps" that fit over keyboard keys. As keyring products that bundle several keycaps to hang on bags have become the trend, the toy street is emerging as a new shopping haven for younger shoppers.
◇ "You feel at ease when you touch them"… Keycaps and squishies are popular
On display at the toy street stalls that day were so-called "tactile toys," such as keycaps and squishies. The sensation of touching and pressing with the hands itself is fun, and word has spread that they help relieve stress, drawing popularity especially among Millennials and Gen Z.
Visitors pressed keycaps one by one to compare sounds or kneaded soft squishies. A person surnamed Park in their 20s who visited with a partner said, "I already have a few keycaps, so I came to buy a squishy today," adding, "I need to touch it myself and like the texture to feel satisfied."
Purchase posts are also popping up on social media (SNS). Reviews say things like, "As you touch them, your mind quickly feels at ease," and "Each squishy feels crunchy or velvety, so they're good to play with." Merchants have followed the trend by hanging phrases around their stores such as "stress relief" and "healing items enjoyed with your hands."
A homemaker, a person surnamed Kim, 36, met on-site that day said, "I'm choosing ones that make good sounds and look pretty, hoping they might help relieve stress." An office worker, a person surnamed Lee, 44, said, "My child said they wanted one, so we came, and since they're not too expensive, I'm going to buy a few."
The low price point is also cited as a reason for the popularity. Keycaps cost around 3,000 won for a set of four, and squishies run 1,500 won to 3,000 won each.
◇ "Stress-relief effects are limited… beware of over-immersion"
Merchants said they can feel the popularity of tactile toys. A person surnamed Lee in their 50s, who runs a toy store, said, "In the past, most customers were parents holding their children's hands, but these days there has been a noticeable increase in young customers looking for keycap keyrings or squishies."
With rising consumption, the local commercial district is also gaining vitality. According to the small business big data platform "Small Business 365," the average monthly sales of stationery and art supplies retail in Changsin 1-dong, where the toy street is located, totaled 11.24 million won in February this year. That's about a 34% increase in three months from 8.35 million won in November last year. This contrasts with an approximately 15% decline in stationery and art supplies retail sales across Jongno District during the same period.
Some, however, note that the craze for tactile toys cannot be seen as entirely positive. While they may temporarily divert attention and make people forget stress, they are unlikely to be a lasting solution.
Kwak Geum-ju, an emeritus professor in the Department of Psychology at Seoul National University, said, "If, in an effort to avoid an anxious situation, people become fixated on or overly immersed in toys, it can negatively affect daily life."