The toy industry's latest craze is cheap, colorful and very squishy
Squishy toys like NeeDoh have seen a massive surge in popularity in 2026, with sales quadrupling compared to the previous year. Experts attribute this growth to social media trends, low price points, and consumer desire for stress relief.
Why it matters
The trend highlights how social media platforms like TikTok are increasingly driving retail sales and consumer behavior in the toy industry.
Dumplings, ice cubes and gummy bears — squishable ones, anyway — are some of the hottest toys of 2026
Squishy toys have been around for years, but products such as NeeDoh, made by Massachusetts-based Schylling, have exploded in popularity this year, helped by their relatively low prices and social media appeal.
U.S. sales of squishy toys reached about $297 million through June, quadrupling from a year earlier, Kristen McLean, vice president of client insights and the leader of market-research firm Circana's Entertainment Knowledge Group, told CNBC.
Unit sales jumped nearly 200% to 58.6 million over the same period, according to McLean.
"While the price and the stores they are selling in make them widely available and accessible from a price perspective, the NeeDoh run in particular started on social media," McLean said.
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