Once in a while, it’s time for even the most focused and tenacious journalist to take time to embrace a story that’s more whimsical and human-interest driven than grimly technical.
Such was the case this morning as FP dropped its Bluetooth-connected “Chatter” retro-style mobile phone headset at a price of $60, now available at Best Buy.
Many of us remember the colorful Fisher-Price phone with its googly eyes and a set of wheels on which to roll around.
This toy concept got a refresh and some technical innards, so that now adults can carry it around to take business or personal calls.
In a story humorously titled “The Fisher-Price phone is now a real phone for adults because we’re all broken inside,” Bridget Carey at CNet describes the apparatus this way:
“For the first time, this is a mobile phone that doesn’t hide the fact it is watching you. But his eyes don’t look you up and down out of judgment. He’s seeing how much you’ve grown. And he’s proud of all you’ve accomplished. And he wants you to be proud, too.”
Carey also uses a trendy sort of slang, “kidult,” to describe this new retail movement.
What is kidult?
“Kidult is a term for an adult who acts immaturely like a kid or just really likes kid stuff. The adult may be known to have ‘Peter Pan’ syndrome, which is to say he or she acts like a kid,” writes a helpful expert at Slangit. “The term is primarily used to describe an adult who enjoys things associated with children. The person most likely enjoys Disney movies, macaroni and cheese, and bright colored things. Although the term is usually not meant to be derogatory, it can sometimes be utilized to criticize a person who can’t handle mature responsibilities.”
Does any of this “matter” at all in terms of tech stocks?
If some of your investment plays have to do with retail technologies, maybe. Tech minded people tend to be so focused on newfangled wearables of a certain kind that they don’t have room to think about anything else. But if the kidult trend continues to catch on, you may see some manufacturers pivot this way.
