A squishy is a type of soft toy made of a specially formulated soft
polyurethane foam
Polyurethane products have many uses. Over three quarters of the global consumption of polyurethane products is in the form of foams, with flexible and rigid types being roughly equal in market size. In both cases, the foam is usually behind othe ...
, that slowly returns to its original shape after being squeezed. Squishies are manufactured into many different shapes and sizes, such as animals, fruits, and food items. They are often scented to match the object represented. The toy is also called kawaii squishy, ''kawaii'' meaning "cute" in
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
.
[
Originating in Japan, squishies became available in the US in the spring of 2017. In the following years, the toys become popular all over the world, ][Lauren Schwartzberg (2017):]
What’s the Next Fidget Spinner?
. Article on the ''New York Magazinewebsite ''The Strategist'', dated 2017-08-24. Accessed on 2020-01-13. and have huge presence on social media (especially YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
and Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
).[
Squishies became popular among children and adolescents, but also among adults, for the tactile pleasure that one experiences squishing them — which is said to relieve stress.][Annaliese Griffin (2017):]
Adults’ obsession with weird, squishy stuffed animals reveals a heartbreaking need in our psyche
. Blogpost on th
Quartz website
dated 2017-10-03. Accessed on 20120-01-13.
History
Squishies are a recent member of a more general class of mindless manipulation toys, that includes stress ball
A stress ball or hand exercise ball is a malleable toy, usually not more than 7 cm in diameter, which is squeezed in the hand and manipulated by the fingers, ostensibly to relieve stress and muscle tension or to exercise the muscles of the ha ...
s and fidget spinners. The genre may be seen as very old, including for example the 16th century cup-and-ball
Cup-and-ball (or ball in a cup) or ring and pin is a traditional children's toy. It is generally a wooden handle to which a small ball is attached by a string and that has one or two cups, or a spike, upon which the player tries to catch the ...
toy (bilboquet). Non-foamed materials can also be referred to as squishies. This might involve highly plasticized rubber or crosslinked polymers that generate squishy materials. The latter might provide a healthier alternative as it contains no small migratable molecules if prepared properly. The squishiness of the material can be controlled by controlling the crosslink density. Too few crosslinks and the material might remain squashed.
Health issues
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency tested 12 squishies and found that they all release unacceptable levels of harmful substances, such as dimethylformamide
Dimethylformamide is an organic compound with the formula ( CH3)2NC(O)H. Commonly abbreviated as DMF (although this initialism is sometimes used for dimethylfuran, or dimethyl fumarate), this colourless liquid is miscible with water and the majo ...
, leading to their removal from the Danish market and the recommendation that all squishies be discarded and that they can safely be disposed as household waste.
Squishies have also been taken off the market in Norway because of their potential choking hazard and their popularity with small children between ages 6-12.
See also
* Kinetic sand
Hydrophobic sand (or magic sand) is a toy made from sand coated with a hydrophobic compound. The presence of the hydrophobic compound causes the grains of sand to adhere to one another and form cylinders (to minimize surface area) when exposed to ...
* Flubber (material)
Flubber (named from the film ''The Absent-Minded Professor''), Glorp, Glurch, or Slime is a rubbery polymer formed by cross-linking of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with a borate compound. Slime can be made by combining polyvinyl-acetate-based adhesive ...
* Slime (toy)
Slime was a toy product manufactured by Mattel, sold in a plastic trash can and introduced in February 1976. It consisted of a non-toxic viscous, squishy and oozy green or other color material made primarily from guar gum. Different variation ...
* Silly Putty
Silly Putty is a toy based on silicone polymers that have unusual physical properties. It bounces, but it breaks when given a sharp blow, and it can also flow like a liquid. It contains a viscoelastic liquid silicone, a type of non-Newtonian fl ...
* Office toy
An office toy (also known as an executive toy or a desk toy) is a novelty item typically placed on the desk of a corporate executive or other office worker. They have no work-related function, but are often intended to provide decoration or pleasu ...
* Fidget Cube
The Fidget Cube is a small hand-held device designed by Matthew and Mark McLachlan, brothers and co-founders of the Colorado-based design studio Antsy Labs. It has fidget tools on all sides: a switch, gears, a rolling ball (marble), a joystick, ...
* Baoding balls
References
{{reflist
Plastic toys
Novelty items
Sensory toys
Toy recalls