Toys have become much more than a playroom prop

Toys aren't just toys anymore. Toy shops aren't just toy shops anymore. Toys are adventures waiting though, like they always were.

- Hein Kaiser

But gone are the days of small selections, simple cap guns and a few dolls on the shelf. Today, it's brand this, series that, heroes and kids' idols everywhere.

Birthdays, friend's celebrations and the festive season can be bewildering for any adult.

These days, said toy giant Zuru's Beatrice van Niekerk, toys are a multi-sensory experience.

Gone are the days when a kid tore open a box, grabbed a toy, and got straight to playing. Now, it's all about the unboxing, too. It's about the reveal, the anticipation, the layers of surprises or mini experiences before you even get to the main event.

Packaging has become part of the play, she said. This, of course, is thanks to unboxing videos that have racked up millions of views on social media.

Then, too, there's ASMR which stands for autonomous sensory meridian response. It's a trend that will not go away, it seems. It's a term that describes, according to Google, the "tingling, static-like, or goosebumps sensation in response to specific triggering audio or visual stimuli. These sensations are said to spread across the skull or down the back of the neck and, for some, down the spine or limb." There you have it.