Move over Labubus, there's a new viral collectible in town.
NeeDoh, an ultra-squishy, soft, stretchy and squeezable toy, has taken over social media, and as a result, has become almost impossible to find in stores and online. And, just like with Labubu, their popularity and rarity have led to plenty of counterfeits.
So what exactly makes these squishy toys so popular? And how can you ensure that you're getting a real one? We're answering all the questions you need to know, below.
What are NeeDohs?
NeeDohs are a range of colorful, squishy collectibles created by the toy company, Schylling. The original NeeDoh is the Groovy Glob, a squeezable circle that's reminiscent of a stress ball. Each one is designed to fit right in the palm of your hand, and they're filled with a non-toxic, dough-like compound that returns to its original shape, no matter how many times you squeeze it, the brand says.
But the brand has also since expanded its collection, adding other fun shapes, sizes and characters. There's a cute cat version, a fidget version with poppable grooves, a super squeezable and stretchable Nice cube (which seems to be a favorite on social media) and so much more.
Why are NeeDohs so popular?
While the toy has been around for nearly 10 years, searches for "NeeDoh" just reached an all-time high, according to Google Trends. Of course, like most sold-out products these days, a big part of that is thanks to social media. There are practically countless videos on TikTok of people showing off their NeeDoh collections and "hunting" to find them in stock in stores. And, as is the general rule, the rarer something seems to be, the more appealing it becomes.
As someone who has been covering toys for over five years, I was not surprised to see NeeDohs going viral, as they have plenty of the same qualities as the other most popular toys of the last few years.
First of all, there are multiple varieties, which makes it easy to build a collection, something that we saw people doing with Labubus as well as other toys like Mini Brand collectibles and Jellycats. There's the affordability factor — most of NeeDoh's offerings clock in at less than $5 — which makes them even easier to collect.
Fidget toys have also blown up in the last decade, as a way for both kids and adults to occupy their hands and minds.
Where to buy NeeDohs
The toys have become so popular that they're selling out both online and in physical retailers. In fact, all varieties are currently unavailable on NeeDohs' site.
Because of its popularity, NeeDoh also shared a statemen, warning people of counterfeits. The brand shared that toys bought on platforms such as Temu, Alibaba and eBay are not official NeeDoh products, and the best way to buy authentic products is by purchasing them from brick-and-mortar stores. These include retailers like Target, Walmart, Staples and more. You also may be able to find them in certain drugstores or toy stores.
While you'd be hard-pressed to find legitimate ones online right now, we rounded up a handful of other squish toys that you can shop until they're back in stock.
More squishy fidget toys that you can shop now
Calling all cheese lovers! This fun toy is another social media star. You can squish it, squeeze it, twist it and watch as it slowly rises back to its original shape.
This stress ball is filled with a sticky goo, so the brand says that it's super satisfying to squeeze. If it loses its stickiness, just add corn starch and you can get it back.
Each of these dumpling stress balls comes in its own steamer basket, which just adds to their cuteness! You'll get four in a pack, so you can gift them to friends or keep them all for yourself.
These cute cubes are tear-resistant to stand up to plenty of stretching and squeezing, the brand says. Each cube is designed to fit perfectly in the palm of your hand, too.
How we chose
All of the above products were chosen because they were either viral, had a similar fun factor to NeeDohs and seemed to fulfill the same satisfying squish feeling of the popular toys.
