Kidult

A kidult is a "grown-up" person who enjoys being a part of youth culture and doing things that are usually thought as more suitable for children, for example, playing with toys, reading comic books, watching cartoons, sleeping in a blanket sleeper or with a stuffed animal. A kidult may also dress like and/or have a hairstyle like that of a teenager or younger child.
The word is a portmanteau of kid and adult.
The term was first used by Jim Ward-Nichols on the campus of Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ in late 1980 and is believed to have first appeared, in print, in The New York Times on August 11, 1985 in an article by Peter Martin:
And in the background, on a much less lavish scale, is LBS Communications, which doesn't own its own stations but provides a lucrative stream of kidult — children, teenager and young adult — programming to independents.
Kidults are not necessarily socially immature (i.e. irresponsible, narcissistic, or dependent on a caregiver), nor are kidults paedophiles or infantilists (i.e. sexual arousal is generally not a motivation for their behavior).
In popular culture
Japan
Among youths, dressing up in Gothic Lolita has become popular.
The United Kingdom
London has become an increasingly popular rendezvous for young men and women determined to re-live their childhoods. Every weekend thousands of twenty-somethings dress up in school uniforms to go clubbing at School Disco. The School Disco scene has spread northwards, to both Leeds and Newcastle. In February 2002, the School Disco Spring Term album went to number one in the UK charts.
The United States
This blend of kid and adult was made rather famous with the release of a CD titled Kidults by Mandy Patinkin.
Famous examples
*Nemi, the cartoon character. Her appeal lies in her mix of innocence, sense of fun and child-like qualities. However, she has a fear of growing up.
*Michael Jackson, the legendary pop singer, was publicly perceived to be one.
*Jeff, in the movie '. He lives with his grandmother, and works as a video game tester.
Joey Gladstone in "full house"

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