The Youth Lab

THE POINT OF POINTLESSNESS
Why we’re bringing more whimsy into our lives.

Today, Practical Magic 2 is released in cinemas.

Nearly 30 years after Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman gave us midnight margaritas, kitchen dancing, witchy aunts, spell books and one of cinema’s greatest houses, the Owens sisters are back.

The timing feels perfect because culture is feeling very whimsical right now, Business Insider had declared whimsy the “it word of 2026”. We’re putting charms on bags. Making wonky ceramics. Bedazzling things, and more. The internet is calling it whimsymaxxing. But underneath the stick-on jewels and tiny ceramic frogs is something bigger.

After years of trying to optimise absolutely everything, maybe we’re just keen to have some fun again.

WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE. SORT OF.

Earlier this year, in Optimised to Death we referenced whimsy. Somewhere along the way our productivity assigned KPIs to fun. Reading became a yearly target. Hobbies became side hustles. Even resting became something to optimise. (How’s your recovery score?) Even our attention is optimised; content must stop the scroll; every idea needs to work hard; something productive at every touchpoint.

Months later, the whimsy hasn’t gone anywhere. If anything, things have gotten weirder. Pulsar tracked a 70-fold rise in online conversation around “whimsymaxxing”. In August, Sephora's take on the latest bedazzling craze pulled 2.5 million+ views and 165,000 likes. We’re seeing younger audiences embrace whimsy and push back against minimalism and years of optimisation in favour of things that feel more playful, personal and alive.

What first looked like an aesthetic shift now feels like something deeper. Whimsy or whimsymaxxing is becoming a playful response to a world that feels increasingly heavy, a way of finding small moments of joy, control and connection when the bigger stuff feels decidedly out of our hands.

We’re not just dressing more whimsically (Etsy has seen searches for whimsical jewellery go up by 84%). We’re sending postcards. We’re playing (Nearly 40% of European consumers bought a toy for themselves or another adult last year, while in the UK that rises to 76% among Gen Z adults). We’re making things and taking up hobbies (Etsy has seen searches for beginner needlepoint kits go up by 175%). We’re doing things our ten-year-old selves would probably approve of.

There’s something beautifully stupid about whimsymaxxing. It’s basically optimising your life for messing. It isn't about pretending the world isn't serious. It’s giving ourselves permission not to be serious all the time.

Because when so much feels outside our control, there is something comforting about the tiny things we can control.

“Whimsy isn't something you can buy your way into. For me, it’s about being yourself, wearing the weird thing, choosing colour and having fun, not caring whether everyone else is doing it too. I think a lot of whimsical people can relate to being the ‘weird kid’ but never let it get in the way of their whimsy. That’s been the whole point of my brand Subtle Poison from day one, playful clothes made for actually living, swimming and surfing in, but made consciously too.”

Gráinne Binns, Founder, Subtle Poison

WE OPTIMISED TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN

For years, innovation has been about removing friction. One-click checkout, same-day delivery, algorithms feeding us content, even AI writing our emails.

Everything is faster, easier, smoother.

Now some of us are buying technology to put the friction back in. Take Brick, the physical device that blocks apps on your phone until you physically tap your phone against it again. We’ve invented technology to stop us using too much technology. Which is quite funny. But it’s part of something bigger.

Dumbphones are cool again. Film cameras are everywhere. We’re buying vinyl. We’re knitting, baking, reading physical books, making things with our hands and meeting up to do crafts together.

Maybe waiting, getting bored, learning to make something badly or having nothing immediately available to entertain us left a little room for other things: ideas, conversations, daydreaming, magic and whimsy.

WHIMSY IS DOING THE EXTRA THING

Because real whimsy is wonderfully pointless.

Putting googly eyes on the office printer. Wearing your good earrings to Lidl. Naming the cat that randomly visits your office.

One of the nicest definitions we found came from Jenna O'Brien who told Business Insider how her grandmother once baked a cake to celebrate her being about to lose her first tooth. Her definition of whimsy was essentially taking the time to do the extra thing because you know it will delight someone else.

If optimisation asks: what can I remove, how can I simplify? Whimsy asks: what unnecessary little thing can I add? Just for fun.

“We’ve never called it whimsy - for us, it’s just about finding little opportunities to make someone smile. A bottle needs a label; technically it doesn’t need a silly story, a tiny joke or a game on the back. We do those things because they add a little bit of fun to someone’s day. Not every part of a brand has to work incredibly hard or deliver a message; sometimes doing something simply because it’s delightful is reason enough.”

Sinead Breen, Marketing Lead Ireland
innocent drinks

The pointless bit, is the point. The candles, the sprinkles, the handwritten note, the stupid little drawing that makes your friend laugh. Whimsy isn’t an aesthetic. It’s a behaviour.

It’s doing something because you fancy it. Because it makes you or someone else laugh. The kind of thing that makes an otherwise completely normal Tuesday slightly more fun.

The minute it comes with a ‘starter-kit’, we’re in danger of optimising the fun out of it.

“Whimsy shouldn’t be another shopping list. The whole point is individuality, creativity and finding joy in the world around you, not buying a load of plastic because the algorithm has decided rhinestones are whimsical this week. If everyone is buying the same thing to prove how individual they are, we’ve probably lost the plot.”

Keelin Moncrieff
Influencer & Founder of DraftDue & Bundle Club

There is a real contradiction in buying more stuff to prove how carefree and whimsical we are.

A LITTLE MORE MAGIC

Whimsy isn’t going to solve climate change, geopolitical chaos, the cost of living crisis or our collective screen addiction. In fact, sticking bedazzled jewels on a single-use face mask will contribute to our problems. But elements of whimsy might make an ordinary day slightly better.

Flowers for no reason. Dancing in the kitchen. A ridiculous voice note. A themed dinner. Things that don’t need to be ‘content’, or productive, or monetised. Things that are just… lovely.

Which might be why Practical Magic feels so right again. Its magic was always surprisingly ordinary. Sisters, friends, gardens, food, dancing, rituals, lighting a candle, making midnight margaritas.

The idea that everyday life can be made a little more magical is one we can get behind. As technology makes more of life polished, automated, instant and optimised - the weird, handmade, imperfect and unnecessary become more valuable.

The next cultural flex isn’t having a perfectly optimised life, but having enough space in it for something completely pointless. Preferably with a midnight margarita.

BRAND TAKEOUTS

DON'T SELL THE MAGIC. MAKE ROOM FOR IT.
The opportunity isn't to launch another whimsical product, but to give people an excuse to play, make, personalise, discover or be silly. The best whimsical brands don't tell us what delight looks like; they help us create our own.

DELIGHT IS A VALID OUTCOME.
Not every activation needs to solve a problem, teach us something or communicate six product benefits. Sometimes making someone's day 5% more delightful is enough.

LET PEOPLE BE WEIRD.
The internet has made culture increasingly homogenous. Brands that leave room for people to interpret, remix and make things their own can feel much more culturally alive than brands attempting to control every detail.

THINKHOUSE NEWS

Foxpack at IAB Ireland Creator Marketing Summit
Our very own Neal Cummins, Head of Integrated Services at THINKHOUSE, took to the stage at the IAB Ireland Creator Marketing Summit this week, to talk all things creator economy.
Joining Neal was our client partner Anna Walsh, Senior Brand Manager at HEINEKEN Ireland. Together they shared the story behind Orchard Thieves’ creator approach - Foxpack, and how brands can move beyond influence to connect with communities.

Bord Bia 2027 International Graduate Programme
Bord Bia opened applications this week for the 2027 intake of its International Graduate Programme, a fully funded MSc in Global Business Practice with national and international placements across the food, drink and horticulture sector.

The launch comes as new Bord Bia research shows 78% of students worry about employability due to lack of real‑world experience, 84% feel stuck in the “no job without experience” cycle, and 59% say postgraduate study feels financially out of reach. With a 95% employment rate, the Talent Academy continues to offer graduates a proven pathway into meaningful industry roles.