# Credit Crunched Toys The Secret Life of Toys Proves That Action Figures Feel the Recession Too By Michael Hines | Published 2010-04-09 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/secret-life-of-toys References: [beautifuldecay](http://beautifuldecay.com/2010/04/06/the-secret-life-of-toys/#more-20942) The Secret Life of Toys makes me wonder what happened to my old toys. These [Star Wars action figures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/star-wars-tamagotchi), like a lot of America, have fallen on hard times. Except they can't work, they're action figures. The Secret Life of Toys is too nerdy to be true. Needing money for a cup of 'Jawa' is too clever. Check out the gallery to see how the Star Wars universe has fallen on hard times. Not even [Han Solo](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gingerbread-atat-walker) is immune to a bad economy. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.2/10 - Popularity: 25% | Activity: 32% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 90% men, 10% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) > [Media](https://www.trendhunter.com/media) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Nerdy Nostalgia:** Opportunity to tap into the nostalgia of consumers by creating toys that evoke childhood memories with a modern and nerdy twist. - **Economic-themed Play:** Disruptive innovation opportunity to develop toys that teach children about economics, personal finance, and the impact of economic downturns in a fun and engaging way. - **Recession-proof Collectibles:** Opportunity to create exclusive and limited-edition collectibles that gain value over time, appealing to both toy enthusiasts and investors even during economic downturns. ### Where This Applies - **Toy Manufacturing:** Innovation opportunity for toy manufacturers to develop creative and unique toys that reflect current economic trends to capture consumer interest and boost sales. - **Education and Edutainment:** Disruptive innovation opportunity in the education industry to design toys or educational materials that teach children about money management, economic concepts, and financial literacy. - **Collectibles and Trading:** Opportunity for collectibles and trading companies to cater to collectors' interests in acquiring exclusive and valuable toys and action figures, creating a market for recession-proof investments in collectibles. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Collectible Pop Culture-Referencing Toys](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/san-diego-comiccon.md) - [Motion-Activated Sci-Fi Toys](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hasbro-2.md) - [Book-Inspired Toy Lines](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dungeon-crawler-carl.md) - [Selfie-Based Action Figures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/formlabs.md) - [NFT-Enabled Cartoon Toys](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cryptoys-1.md) - [Conversational Action Figures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/robosen.md) - [Sci-Fi-Honoring Toy Puzzle Books](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/force-of-creativity.md) - [Selfie-Centric Action Figures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/selfie-series.md) - [Custom Face Action Figures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tron-identity-program.md)