The word “hobby” derives from the word “hobyn,” which meant small horse and pony in the 16th century. The word “hobby horse” was used as a term for toys, for children, made from a stick with a fake horse head on one end to mimic a real horse. Over time, the word “hobby” gradually became a part of the English vocabulary.
As we can see from the paragraph above, the word “hobby” came from a toy for children. Nowadays, people also use the word “hobby” for adults, although many people tend to classify hobbies into two categories; the ones for adults and the ones for children. However, there are some adults who are interested in hobbies that are traditionally classified as the ones for children. Some people use the term “kidult” to refer to those kinds of adults.

 
In Korea, the “Kidult and Hobby Expo” takes place every year. This year it took place in COEX (COnvention&EXhibition; located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul) from Jan. 19 to 22. The Kidult and Hobby Expo is an exhibition to promote companies and their products, which are targeted at “kidult,” The exhibited products include plastic models, small unmanned aerial vehicles, remote controlled model cars, and board games.
Most parts of the expo were composed of small sections each with their distinct products. In some sections, there were exquisite craftworks. In other sections, there were products related to comics and animations. Well-made works of plastic models could be found in several places. Some people tried out the unmanned aerial vehicles with the remote controls in their hands, while other people explored from section to section with some snacks they bought in the exhibition hall. Some parents were explaining what the exhibited objects are to their children. Some people were buying stuff they liked, while others were busy taking pictures.

 
Along with the main exhibition zone, there were some separated exhibition zones. One of them was the 2017 Paper Craft Boum. In this zone, every model was made with paper. Robots, Gundams, animals, and animation characters were recreated by paper and were of a very high quality. Some of the paper models were small, however some were pretty enormous, notably a paper model of a robot which was taller than most men. When looking at the paper models from a distance, it was hard to believe that the models were actually made from paper. Spectators were allowed to vote for the paper model they most liked. In addition, people were actually able to buy the paper models if they wanted to.

 
Another exhibition zone was the Plamodel Contest Zone. In this exhibition zone, spectators were able to see a lot of high quality plastic models (also called plamodel) depicting various situations. Some showed robots fighting, some showed tanks and soldiers in action, and others showed characters, which might have been from fantasy novels. Again, spectators were allowed to vote for the plastic model that they considered as the best.

 
Right next to the Plamodel Contest Zone, there was the Board Game Zone. In the Board Game Zone, you could experience various kinds of board games including the newest ones. The area was filled with tables, each with a board game set on it. When a group of people sat around one of the tables, an employee came around and explained the rules. Then the group of people could try out the game. The board games of this exhibition zone were not the ones you can easily find, such as chess. The board games were usually ones most people are not familiar with.

 
The Kidult & Hobby Expo was an exhibition for both adults and children to enjoy. Many people enjoyed it and purchased goods related to their hobbies, or they even found a new hobby. Additionally, people watched various kinds of activities that some other people might be interested in. The exhibition is recommended to people who want to enjoy their own hobbies and have the will to find a new one.

Some people may have a childish impression of words such as “hobby” and “toy.” However, there were many adults, who were enjoying themselves at the Kidult & Hobby Expo. In fact there were more adults than children and teenagers. It was easy to find adults who were introducing their hobbies to their children who, too, were also enjoying the Expo. This scene breaks the bias that hobbies are more important to children and teenagers than adults.

Do not step back because you do not have the guts to show others what you like. Having a hobby is not something strange; instead, it is something natural. Find a place you can enjoy it, such as the Kidult & Hobby Expo. There might be others who could share your interests with. And if you believe that you do not have one, try to find it. Probably, it is hidden inside your childhood. 


Shin Gi-sung
sgsparthia97@uos.ac.kr
 

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