When making video calls with elderly family members, in addition to caring about their physical health, they also ask, "Are you having fun?" According to media reports, such scenes are increasingly being staged in more and more families. Toys that were once exclusively for children have quietly targeted the silver haired generation and become a new blue ocean in the consumer market. According to data from the Yiwu Toy Industry Association, inquiries and transactions for age appropriate toys such as smart chessboards, wrist balls, and rebound fitness balls have significantly increased. In 2024, the search volume for "age appropriate toys" on a certain e-commerce platform increased by 124% year-on-year, and the transaction volume increased by over 70% year-on-year. The booming sales directly reflect the overall shift in society's concept from "elderly care" to "enjoying old age". Previously, the consumption around the elderly group mostly belonged to basic needs such as care and medical care, and many entertainment projects in nursing homes were limited to "old-fashioned" activities such as sunbathing, watching TV, and playing cards. However, with the increasing abundance of material life, the spiritual needs of the elderly population are gradually being recognized. Hands on toys suitable for the elderly not only stimulate brain activity to prevent cognitive decline and exercise physical function during play, but also provide companionship emotional value to alleviate loneliness and anxiety that may arise after retirement. From the perspective of economic development, the new track of elderly toys also helps to further stimulate consumption potential and promote the transformation of the traditional toy industry. Of course, elderly toys should not have gimmicks that outweigh their actual content. Based on the physical and mental characteristics of the elderly population, launching truly suitable entertainment products is the common expectation of society. The report shows that the aging friendly toy industry has just started, and there are pain points such as lack of unified standards, insufficient social awareness, and inadequate aging adaptability. For example, there is no unified standard for elderly toys in terms of material, function, appearance design, and other issues. Many businesses change the labels or proportionally enlarge children's toys and hastily put them on sale. In fact, elderly people have their own aesthetic preferences and physical and mental characteristics, such as decreased sensitivity of their hands and feet, vision, hearing, and other bodily functions, making it difficult for them to cope with overly complex toy functions; Some elderly people also have underlying illnesses, overly intense gaming styles, or unsuitable toy materials, which may cause accidental injuries. For example, the elderly population is diverse, with a span of several decades in terms of age alone. Experts have analyzed that recently retired elderly people may prefer sports and competition toys, while older people are more suitable for puzzle and rehabilitation products. The market still needs to be more accurately segmented for elderly toys. For example, elderly toys are not solely for the elderly to enjoy. It is worth looking forward to whether they can effectively tap into the social potential brought by toys, help narrow the emotional distance between the elderly and their relatives, friends, and children, and enrich their social life in their later years. In this regard, it is necessary to first introduce refined standards based on the characteristics of this group, guide businesses to focus on "tailoring" toys for the elderly, and launch more high-quality products that balance safety, adaptability, and functionality for the market. At the same time, cross-border integration can also be achieved by introducing professional expertise. For example, inviting doctors, ergonomic experts, and others to participate in toy design to ensure that the product design is reasonable and truly "age appropriate". In short, elderly toys are simply meant to make elderly people have fun. But specifically, how to achieve a balance between safety and entertainment, truly catering to the spiritual needs of the elderly and matching their physical condition, still requires more effort. To achieve this, we still need to start by getting close to and seeing the true state of the elderly population. (New Society)