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> children's toy Adults and collectors can pay more and "nerdy" or "childlike" subcultures are viewed as mainstream. Both of these are symptoms of the fact th

> children's toy Adults and collectors can pay more and "nerdy" or "childlike" subcultures are viewed as mainstream. Both of these are symptoms of the fact that societies are growing older - the median age of the US was 35 in 2000 and is around 40 in 2025. Similarly in the EU the median age was around 38 in 2000 and is around 44-45 in 2025. Additionally, tastes change and childhoods change. For the younger generation, Minecraft and Roblox is their Legos, and for the generation before the "Lego" generation it was Erector and Mecano sets. The norms and tastes of a boomer who grew up in the 1970s or 1980s is somewhat out of touch with younger generations, just like how someone who grew up in the 1920s or 30s was out of touch with someone growing up int he 1970s or 80s. In 2026, the 1980s is as far back in history as WW2 was in the 1980s. Legos weren't a defining part of most childhoods globally, and there's no reason to assume they still would be. Younger generations will wax nostalgically about Minecraft or Roblox in 20-40 years as well.

maxerickson 8mo ago
Millennials grew up in the 1980s.
- alephnerd 8mo ago
  "Boomer" means "old" (ie. 40 and above) now.
  - maxerickson 8mo ago
    Wow, your very hip.
    - alephnerd 8mo ago
      I'm not hip but I am much younger than much of HN (heck my sibling is in their mid 20s), but even I'm getting old and increasingly out of touch. And that's what happens - tastes change and mindsets change. People who were born in 1993-97 are already planning to or are already married, and planning to have their first child (the median age for a woman having their first child in America is around 27-28 [0]), and have a different set of tastes and views than someone who was at a similar stage in their life in late 2000s or early 2010s. Based on the references I see on HN, a large portion of commenters seems to be in their 40s to 50s, with some younger straddlers in their late 20s or early 30s. [0] - https://www.axios.com/2025/05/07/birth-rate-states https://www.axios.com/2025/05/07/birth-rate-states

maxerickson 8mo ago

Millennials grew up in the 1980s.

alephnerd 8mo ago
"Boomer" means "old" (ie. 40 and above) now.
- maxerickson 8mo ago
  Wow, your very hip.
  - alephnerd 8mo ago
    I'm not hip but I am much younger than much of HN (heck my sibling is in their mid 20s), but even I'm getting old and increasingly out of touch. And that's what happens - tastes change and mindsets change. People who were born in 1993-97 are already planning to or are already married, and planning to have their first child (the median age for a woman having their first child in America is around 27-28 [0]), and have a different set of tastes and views than someone who was at a similar stage in their life in late 2000s or early 2010s. Based on the references I see on HN, a large portion of commenters seems to be in their 40s to 50s, with some younger straddlers in their late 20s or early 30s. [0] - https://www.axios.com/2025/05/07/birth-rate-states https://www.axios.com/2025/05/07/birth-rate-states