Introduction

In esoteric New Age movements, ‘Indigo Children’ (IC) is a commonly used term for children who – according to the adherents of this concept – feature particular characteristics and talents. The response to this phenomenon has been considerable, first in the United States and then internationally, although it has not become a topic for reputable newspapers or scientific research. A search in the article archives of the leading German print media Der Spiegel and Die Zeit results in only one article in the latter (weekly) newspaper. This is a book review of a novel entitled Indigo, written by the Austrian writer Clemens Setz. An online search in the archives of the New York Times also results in only one article on the topic of IC, written in 2006 on the occasion of the release of the The Indigo Evolution which deals with the ‘Indigo phenomenon’. The most easily available information from an etic (=outsider) perspective is provided by ideologically oriented organizations such as cult information centres, and authors who are aligned or close to sceptic organizations. In the scientific-academic context, only a few studies have been conducted. This chapter will try to give an overview of the genesis as well as the common interpretations of the phenomenon from an ideologically neutral perspective.