Iowa Moms, Kids Brave Dawn Lines for Viral Toys: 'It's About the Memories'

While much of America shops with a single click, a growing number of Iowans are choosing to spend hours standing in line for trendy products, from viral bakery pastries to celebrity beauty brands. The phenomenon, which has exploded on social media this summer, has reached Iowa's own front doors, with parents and children waking before dawn to secure the latest must-have items.

Anna T., a 40-year-old Iowa mother, found herself in the snow at 6 a.m. waiting for NeeDoh squishy toys with her 11-year-old daughter. A local children's boutique announced 'drop' dates for harder-to-find designs, prompting customers to line up before opening. For Anna, the experience transcended the product itself.

'I don't do it for the actual item,' she told Yahoo. 'For my daughter, it was about getting the trendy new item, but I know these are memories that she will be able to talk about with her kids one day. And all of it is a reason for us to spend time together.'

Why are young people waiting in line for hours?

The trend isn't limited to Iowa. Across the country, young consumers are queuing for hours outside beauty pop-ups, bakeries, and coffee shops. Kristen, 22, drove an hour from Connecticut to Newport, Rhode Island, arriving at 5:30 a.m. for a Hailey Bieber beauty brand pop-up that didn't open until 11 a.m. She waited five and a half hours just to get inside, then returned the next day for another six-hour wait.

'People don't wait in line for products anymore,' Ryan Glick, founder of brand-experience agency Coffee N' Clothes, told Yahoo. 'They're waiting in line to be a part of a moment.'

What is driving the 'line culture' trend?

Marketing experts point to 'effort justification' as a key driver. Derek D. Rucker, a marketing professor at Northwestern University, explains that the more effort we invest in something, the more we value it. 'The more effort we have to put into something, the more we justify it as,