Squishy Toys Spark Safety Concerns Amidst Viral Popularity
Squishy toys, initially a harmless children's trend featuring soft, colorful, squeezable items shaped like fruits, food, and more, have become a massive hit in the US and Israel. However, these popular toys are now drawing attention for safety issues. A Business Insider investigation revealed over 11,500 reports of squishy exposure to poison control centers in the US since 2024, with more than half occurring in the first six months of 2026. While most incidents did not result in severe injury, there are accumulating reports of toys tearing, leaking, or exploding, causing burns in some cases.
One documented incident involved a 10-year-old girl who microwaved a squishy for 30 seconds, causing it to explode and spray hot material onto her face and body. The problem extends beyond misuse, with reports of toys tearing during normal use, including one instance where filling sprayed into a four-year-old's eyes. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has intercepted 96 shipments containing over 640,000 squishies this year due to safety standard violations and issued a warning in August about burn risks associated with exposing the toys to heat.
Commercially, squishies have been a significant success, with Five Below's CEO noting their rapid rise from obscurity to popularity, contributing to increased customer traffic and sales for US retailers. Brands like NeeDoh are widely available, alongside numerous imitations and cheaper versions. This rapid global adoption highlights a common consumer product issue: the speed at which a trend can become ubiquitous before regulators fully understand the product's nature, whether it's a toy, a sensory item, or a collectible.
As the trend grows, so does the market for knockoffs and direct-from-online-platform products, complicating the question of who is responsible for verifying the contents of these toys. The squishy phenomenon serves as a reminder that regulation often lags behind widespread consumer trends, with safety checks sometimes only implemented after the product is already in many homes.
