Insights

Trendspotting: The Rise of Newstalgia

Welcome back to our trendspotting series—where we explore what’s capturing hearts, attention and brand momentum in today’s play and dining landscapes. This edition is all about Newstalgia: a cultural throughline that’s connecting generations by tapping into the past.

What Is Newstalgia?

Newstalgia is a mash-up of the old and the new. It’s more than simple nostalgia—it’s about giving beloved past icons a facelift for today’s standards, values and technologies. Think: retro-inspired with a twist, not straight-up vintage.

We saw the term come to life at this year’s Toy Fair, where the Toy Association named “Newstalgia Trip” as one of its six defining toy trends for 2025. According to their insights, this movement is being fueled by:

73%

of parents buying toys for themselves

61%

doing so to bond with their child

Nearly half

reliving fond childhood memories through play

In short: nostalgia has become a powerful cross-generational connector.

Newstalgia in Action

Here are some standout examples of brands and IPs riding the Newstalgia wave—with both emotional impact and modern relevance.

Sweet Serenity Care Bear

An original character meets 2025’s well-being ethos. Sweet Serenity is the first Care Bear to feature 3 sensory experiences on its belly badge, paw pads and ears—bringing MESH (Mental, Emotional and Social Health) into cuddly, tactile play.

A young white girl with long brown hair and freckles is lying down, looking at and pointing to a light blue Care Bears stuffed animal. The bear has a rainbow and a pink lotus flower on its belly. The girl is smiling and is wearing a light pink ribbed sweater. The background is a soft white blanket and a bright pink pillow.

A close-up shot of the embroidered design on a Care Bears stuffed animal’s belly. The design features a colorful rainbow arching over a silver cloud. A pink, flame-like emblem is partially visible to the left, and a couple of yellow embroidered stars are scattered around the rainbow and cloud. The fabric is a soft, white plush material. The bottom right corner has a caption that reads ‘Courtesy of Basic Fun’.

Tamagotchi Gets an Upgrade

The latest Tamagotchis are wearable, plush and scientific. Tamagotchi Adventure Companion embraces the current plush trend and lives in a wearable backpack, while Tamagotchi Paradise leans into STEM by allowing users to zoom from outer space to the cellular level of their digital pet using a new dial interface.

A promotional graphic for a Tamagotchi product. In the center, a girl with her back to the camera is wearing a backpack that looks like a Tamagotchi character. The backpack is blue with a pink and white border. The center of the backpack has a window showing a plush toy of a Tamagotchi character, with a face showing a happy expression. To the right, there are three small images showing how the product works: a black smiley face in a circle; a pink, round plush toy with an arrow pointing to a yellow Tamagotchi plush toy; and an image of hands pulling the plush toy out of the pink casing. The text ‘Backpack & Plush!’ is on the right side of the graphic, and at the bottom is a drawing of a Tamagotchi character and the trademark symbol. The background is a gradient of pink and blue with small white shapes.

A digital photo of two hands holding a pink and green Tamagotchi device shaped like an egg. The device has a digital screen showing a pink rabbit-like creature in a green field. A finger is turning the green knob at the top of the device, with a yellow arrow showing the direction of rotation. Above the device, a curved strip shows a ‘ZOOM!’ feature with several cartoon images of the pink rabbit and other characters. The background is a starry night sky with a yellow crescent shape. The bottom right corner has a caption that reads ‘Courtesy of Bandai’.

Masters of the Universe Reawakens

Fans have waited decades for this: MOTU is set for a 2026 big-screen comeback starring Jared Leto and Idris Elba, reigniting the evergreen love for this ’80s classic. A recent example of a brand tapping into MOTU’s nostalgic nature in a new way was SONIC Wacky Pack’s Masters of the Universe Toy collection, which generated cross-generation appeal for kids and parents alike.

A promotional image showing three small, stylized action figures from the Masters of the Universe franchise, along with three separate, removable accessories. In the center is He-Man, a muscular man with blonde hair, holding a grey power sword. To his left is Skeletor, a purple-hooded character with a skeletal face, holding a dark grey scepter. To He-Man’s right is an angelic female character with white hair and large, sparkly purple wings, identified as ‘Teela’s new look’. Lying on the ground near her is a light blue helmet. Above the characters are three different scepter accessories: a purple and green one, a gold one, and a dark blue one. The figures are all posed as if they are ready for action. The background is a solid white.

A large, life-sized statue of the He-Man character from the Masters of the Universe franchise. He is a muscular man with blonde hair, wearing his classic harness and loincloth, and is holding his Power Sword up in the air as if he is about to shout ‘By the power of Grayskull!’. Next to him is a large display board for the ‘Masters of the Universe’ toys, which has a large plastic blister pack on the front, similar to old-style toy packaging. The background is a convention hall with red and black booth dividers and other people.

McDonald’s Adult Collector Meals

The Cactus Plant Flea Market collector meal gave Ronald and friends a Gen Z art-toy remix. More recently, the Minecraft Meal brought kidults and kids together through a modern pixelated lens on the classic toy-in-a-box experience. Both are recreating the joy of the Happy Meal for adults.

A promotional graphic for a McDonald’s ‘Minecraft Movie Meal’. In the center, there is a large, purple, cube-shaped collectible toy with a pixelated face, resembling a character from the Minecraft video game. In the foreground on the left, there is a stack of chicken nuggets, with a package of ‘NETHER FLAME SAUCE’ sitting on top. On the right, there is a large double cheeseburger. The background is a landscape from the Minecraft game, with a pixelated mountain and a sunset. A banner at the top reads ‘A MINECRAFT MOVIE MEAL’ and a smaller yellow banner below it reads ‘Get 1 of 6 collectibles’. The bottom right corner has a caption that reads ‘Courtesy of McDonald’s’.

2025 Toy of the Year Picks

This year’s Doll and Action Figure of the Year awards went to Rainbow Brite and Transformers—two nostalgic IPs that are still sparking imagination after more than four decades on toy shelves.

A digital photo showing four versions of a transforming Optimus Prime toy from the Transformers franchise. The top left image shows the toy in its vehicle mode, a red, blue, and grey semi-truck with wings, with a sword attached to the side. The top right image shows the toy in its robot mode, a standing Optimus Prime holding a sword. The bottom right image shows the robot in a slightly different pose, holding a blue spiked mace. Red arrows point between the different forms, indicating the transformation process. The bottom left image shows a more detailed view of the robot, holding a sword and a red shield. The background is a blue and white landscape. The bottom right corner has a caption that reads ‘Courtesy of Hasbro’.

A product shot of a Rainbow Brite doll and its packaging. The doll is a white female character with long yellow hair tied with a blue ribbon, rosy cheeks with a blue star, and a colorful outfit consisting of a red and blue top with a yellow star and a metallic blue skirt. She is sitting with her legs outstretched. Behind her is her packaging, a yellow box with a transparent front displaying the same doll. The box is adorned with a rainbow arching around the title ‘Rainbow Brite’. The bottom right corner has a caption that reads ‘Courtesy of The Loyal Subjects’.

Why Newstalgia Matters for Brands

Newstalgia isn’t just a marketing strategy—it’s a blueprint for emotional resonance in brand storytelling. Here’s why it works:

Cultural relevance: It syncs with the Kidult trend, where adults actively seek collectible, playful and even healing brand experiences. Read more
Cross-generational appeal: Parents, kids and kidults all find a point of connection.
Emotional lift: Joy, memory and discovery fuel deeper brand love.

What’s Your Brand’s Take on Newstalgia?

Whether you’re sitting on a vault of IP or simply looking to create an emotionally sticky experience, Newstalgia offers creative runway. At C3, we’re experts at building branded joy with emotional depth—for every generation at the table. Let’s unlock your brand’s newstalgic magic.

About C3

C3 is an industry-leading design and brand marketing agency with more than 38 years of experience creating connections with customers, from families with children to Gen Zers. We provide insights, strategy, creativity and supply-chain expertise to build smart marketing programs around fully custom products, like kids’ meal toys, collectibles and other branded entertainment. We design and produce brand experiences you can touch — and that’s more powerful than a marketing message alone. A C3 product ignites a moment of joy and creates brand loyalty that lasts.