Earlier this summer, I noticed my social feeds were filled with people proclaiming their love for a very specific fidget toy called NeeDoh — with some saying they were simply a fun item to collect and others talking about how they used them for stress relief.The popular squishies are palm-sized and filled with a dough-like substance that allows you to stretch, pull and squeeze them before they return to their original shape.
They come in all different shapes — including ice cream cones, pizza slices, gum drops and ice cubes.The caveat is that you can’t get them just anywhere.
This made me wonder how they got so popular in the first place.To learn more about why NeeDohs have reached peak viral status, I spoke with experts about what’s driving this trend.
I also I found other squishies that are in stock and have similar qualities to NeeDohs, and provide information about a class action lawsuit against Schylling, the brand that makes NeeDohs, citing an undisclosed safety risk that the toys pose when heated.RelatedselectedselectedWhy is everyone suddenly obsessed with Nerds Gummy Clusters?Why are NeeDoh squishies so popular? Intrigued by the toys when I first learned about them, I hopped in my car and headed to Target to see if I could pick one up.A store clerk quickly let me know that was wishful thinking because these squishies sell out immediately — customers call to find out when new shipments are coming and line up outside before the store even opens.
“When something is hard to get, people want it more,” says Dr.Jenny Guo, an assistant professor of marketing at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
“The fear of missing out is actually more powerful than the desire for the product itself.”Sure, NeeDohs are fun to squeeze, but there are tons of other squishies that can do the same.So what makes this particular brand so popular? “The real driver is a perfect storm: People kept posting videos of them online, demand built slowly,...