Home appliance makers are releasing new devices with superhero and movie themes to stand out in the increasingly saturated market and appeal to a growing number of “kidults,” adults with interests similar to children.
Local firm Dongbu Daewoo Electronics said Monday it had launched limited edition Marvel Comics-themed refrigerators in partnership with the US entertainment firm The Walt Disney Co.
The small refrigerators feature the characters Iron Man, Spider-Man and Captain America, fictional superheroes who appear in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Dongbu said it will sell a total of 4,500 units, with 1,500 units for each of the three superheroes. Every refrigerator will have a serial number from one to 1,500, making each device unique.
Dongbu Daewoo Electronics’ Marvel Comics-themed refrigerators (Dongbu Daewoo Electronics)
“We have unveiled the Marvel-themed refrigerators to suit the taste of growing kidult consumers. We may expand the lineup in the future, based on consumer demand,” said an official at Dongbu Daewoo Electronics.
The refrigerators will be on sale in Korea only at a price of 777,000 won ($690).
Last month, another local tech firm, Yujin Robot, unveiled a robot vacuum cleaner, iClebo, featuring Iron Man and Star Wars in partnership with The Walt Disney Co.
Yujin Robot said the vacuum cleaners sold two to three times better than similar versions without characters at Shinsegae’s shopping mall Starfield Hanam over the last month.
In April, Philips Korea, the local arm of the Dutch electronics firm, also launched limited editions of its razor, featuring Star Wars characters Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma and Stormtrooper.
The market for home appliances that feature characters is expected to see growth here, driven by the growing number of single-person households that can afford costlier appliances, experts said.
“The kidult market is becoming a more common sight in Korea, with a growing number of single-person households who are willing to pay extra for the devices that can give them the feeling of being with ‘friends,’” said Han Chang-whan, a professor at Sejong University’s animation college.
Dongbu’s Marvel Comics-themed refrigerators are priced 30 percent higher than its ordinary products, while Yujin Robot set the price of its character-themed vacuum cleaners at 25 percent higher due to royalties for using the characters.
“The character products have created a new opportunity for us, as they can appeal to a wider customer base such as male consumers or kidults, apart from homemakers, our traditional client base,” said an official of Yujin Robot.
The Korean kidult market reaches 1 trillion won, with around 20 percent growth since 2014, according to the state-run Korea Creative Content Agency.
By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)