Let’s Get Physical

Collection of Sonnys Angels and Labubus. Photo Art by Lea Packer; photo by Kendall Hayes

Gen Z turns back time by engaging with all things tactile amidst blue screen burnout

Toy culture has taken over the Gen Z social space, bringing “it’s not a phase, mom!” to a different meaning (and if you still listen to Teenage Dirtbag, that is neither here nor there). 

The U.S. toy industry grew $700 million from January through June 2025 with Pokemon cards as the second category contributing to its growth, according to a 2025 Circana report. Pop Mart’s beloved Labubu generated around $670 million in the first half of 2025, and if you got scammed by a “lafufu,” then you’re shit out of luck.

Sonnys Angels, Smiskis and Labubus fueled the trend of blindbox mania amongst Gen Z consumers with lines longer than Disneyland and sold out stores within just a few hours. 

Whether displayed on corkboards, nestled between bookshelves or dangling off handbags, trinkets serve as a visual diary for an individual’s interests and hobbies, allowing us to peek into someone’s inner world beyond physical appearances. 

“I think Labubu is cute, and I like the collectible plushies,” said Kendall Hayes, first-year Saddleback student and biology major. “I think consumer trends pressured me to buy them. I almost felt left out if I didn’t have one. I do love my Labubu though, and I wouldn’t trade him for the world. He is my little creature.” 

Calico critters, beanie babies, Pokemon cards, Smiskis and numerous other collectible items form niche communities that come together to trade or decorate their beloved dolls with different outfits, expressing the buyer’s own style. 

Collectors can also personalize their plush dolls with miniature accessories, like sunglasses, purses, hats and headphones, mix and matching tops and bottoms to achieve the desired looks.

With the rising cost of living and attaining lifetime milestones like owning a house seemingly out of reach, Gen Z is turning back time with their pocket money, choosing to spend it on the small joys that keep their psyches afloat and sane amidst economic uncertainty and geopolitical anxiety.

Gen Z’s obsession with the tactical in a digital-first era rejects the idea that collections are just for show but rather serve as tangible symbols of experience, memory and identity in a fleeting world of online personas. Collections transcend over time and speak to a generation’s longing to keep their inner child present and active in their daily lives. 

Everything is Blue(Screen)

Physical DVDs became popular again with Gen Z. Lea Packer | guest contributor

On the surface level, collecting has become synonymous with clutter in an era where minimalism and convenience dominates. 

From Blockbuster rentals and Netflix’s red envelopes to simple clicks on a screen from the comfort of your own couch, the novelty of the tangible dissipated in favor of instant gratification at your (literal) fingertips. 

But even as technology continues to flood us with new gadgets aimed for greater accessibility and more features wrapped up in a neat, palm-sized box, Gen Z’s running on fumes when it comes to doomscrolls and higher subscription fees just to skip the bombardment of ads. 

And they aren’t the only ones turning up their noses to digital-exclusive content.

Director Christopher Nolan’s 2024 Academy Award winning “Oppenheimer” sold out its 4K Ultra HD version within the first week of its release in 2023 and made a dig at streaming during one of the film’s LA screenings.

Nolan told the audience how he intended “Oppenheimer” to be “for a version that you can buy and own at home and put on a shelf so no evil streaming service can come and steal it from you,” the director said in a video posted by Variety on X.

In another statement to The Washington Post, Nolan explained his stance on streaming further, saying that his movies will “come and go” on digital platforms, but “the home video version thing” will always be there—not an upload, not a button on a screen, but a round, iridescent piece of plastic exclusively owned by its fans. 

Director James Cameron also made a statement to Variety that year and said that restricting certain movies from streaming platforms causes people to respond with their “natural reaction,” which is simply to purchase the film for themselves. It’s the adult version of a rebellious teenager’s “I’ll show you!” attitude toward a parent’s monopoly of control over their lives.

DVD sales only fell 9% in 2025 versus 20% in 2023 and 2024, according to the Digital Entertainment Group, and companies such as Criterion Collection, an independent home movie distributor, reported a significant increase in sales in 2025. 

LA-based Vidiots, a non-profit storefront preserving and renting out DVD, Blu-Ray, and VHS tapes, reported that January 2026 was their biggest month with rental sales, averaging 170 movies and 500 titles per day, according to the LA Times.

The resurgence of physical media is a direct response to the ephemeral nature of streaming services and music subscriptions where control with what we stream becomes nonexistent. 

The convenience of a laptop, tablet and phone overtook the novelty of inserting a disc and pressing play, bringing more restrictions, extra fees, and monthly subscriptions that seem to only increase with time. 

Gen Z Turns Tables with Vinyl Resurgence

If you think young people refuse to grow up because they spend their minimum wage on plush toys instead of depositing it into a trust fund (who the hell has that, by the way?), you should also blame (thank) them for bringing back vinyls. But here’s the kicker:

Most Gen Z don’t use them for their intended purpose.

As a 2000s baby, it isn’t exactly false as many of us don’t own a record player, and our parents most likely gave theirs away or didn’t grow up with one in the first place. 

What intrigues a lot of younger people is not the distinct audio quality vinyls produce but their aesthetically pleasing art that makes for easy splashes of color against otherwise blank walls. 

56% of Gen Z vinyl collectors say they’re simply drawn to the look, and 37% say they use them as home decor, according to a December 2025 CNN report.

Well, collector see, collector do.

Artists have leaned into the revitalization of vinyl sales by releasing colorful variants that reflect a message or theme integral to the album. 

Snagging an exclusive release may also contain curated merchandise, such as signed posters, notes, photos or even voice memos, which add an extra layer of incentive for those who identify as “die-hard” fans. 

Taylor Swift’s 2024 “The Tortured Poet’s Department” sold 1.48 million in vinyl copies and currently sells four variants of her “Midnights” album that, when the back is pieced together, form a clock face, according to CNN. A year later, Swift’s 2025 “The Life of a Showgirl” vinyl sales reached 1.3 million, according to “The Washington Post.”

Leading up to their 2024 “The Greatest Impersonator” album release, alternative-pop singer/songwriter Halsey teased four different colored vinyls, each one themed after the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, and Y2k eras. Each contains a die-cut out of Halsey’s face, so fans are able to mix and match decades. 

A vast vinyl collection opens up a new world of interior decoration, and like Labubu, Smiski and Calico Critter collectors, it’s a form of self-expression that is yours to organize and display to your liking. It’s a way of telling those around you, “This is part of who I am, and I’m proud of that.”

Whether you’re a film connoisseur, vinyl devotee or critter aficionado, physical media and memorabilia remain and continue to remain a core element in fan communities where collections aren’t simply appreciated but celebrated as perennial tokens of various pop-culture niches. 

Comments

comments