Absolutely nothing in the whole wide world could put a wider smile on your face than seeing your youngsters run into the toy section of the neighborhood department store and make a headfirst dive into a pile of stuffed animals. This isn’t your typical Ty’s brand furies or comfortable plush toys. It’s a Squishmallow, and anybody, even adults, can like them!
These eight-euro toys are absolutely dropping a bombshell in the UK. Bringing sales up by 300% in stores, it didn’t take long for 200 million of these stuffies to be sold to the public in less than a year.
However, these stuffed creatures didn’t only appear as a true miracle in the market. They were also featured frequently on social media posts and TikTok videos. In fact, they received such a liking that fans included anybody from Kim Kardashian to Lady Gaga. With eleven billion impressions on TikTok, not to mention an average of 150,000 likes on each of the posts, these plushies are taking the route to becoming a brand like Hot Wheels, Hello Kitty, and Pokémon.
And these cuties didn’t go viral for nothing – they come in many versions, including vegetables, fruits, and candies, and even have styles to match any holiday season. With over 1,000 characters to collect, Squishmallows are a whimsical sensation for their fans.
Sunny Cho, a designer at KellyToy, began the story of what is now the hottest toy on the market. She thought of combining a Japanese-style plush she had seen in Japan with the face of a regular stuffed animal, and the creation of a world-famous whimsy was born. She first began duplicating the face of an animal onto the Squishmallow before finally adding striking and adorable details such as eyelashes and cheeks onto each of the stuffed animals and turning it into what we enjoy and cuddle with today.
The Squishmallows started booming during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children grabbed cartloads and cartloads of them, and many customers couldn’t believe the awfully reasonable prices. However, most shoppers started falling in love with Squishmallows because the options were diverse and relatable. For example, there are characters who are deaf, blind, or disabled and share familiar emotions of happiness, anger, shame, fear, and sadness.
While many of these toys may seem to be kid-friendly, many adults nonetheless enjoy hunting these collectibles down. Many industries call this “kidulting”: when adults seek these products that bring instant nostalgia of their youth.
Aside from selling plushies and sleep toy accessories, the Squishmallows also offer their stash of backpacks, apparel, stickers, bath bombs, and nail polish, allowing for more of a treasure hunt than shopping altogether.
Whether adult-friendly or kid-friendly, a hoard of Squishmallows always brings a wide grin to any person needing comfort. These stuffed animals aren’t just a trend; they are popular, comfortable, lovable, and collectible all at the same time. They have boomed in sales over the pandemic and are a necessity for many. And there’s no debate that these plushies have surely made it to be the peak of the toy industry.
These eight-euro toys are absolutely dropping a bombshell in the UK. Bringing sales up by 300% in stores, it didn’t take long for 200 million of these stuffies to be sold to the public in less than a year.
However, these stuffed creatures didn’t only appear as a true miracle in the market. They were also featured frequently on social media posts and TikTok videos. In fact, they received such a liking that fans included anybody from Kim Kardashian to Lady Gaga. With eleven billion impressions on TikTok, not to mention an average of 150,000 likes on each of the posts, these plushies are taking the route to becoming a brand like Hot Wheels, Hello Kitty, and Pokémon.
And these cuties didn’t go viral for nothing – they come in many versions, including vegetables, fruits, and candies, and even have styles to match any holiday season. With over 1,000 characters to collect, Squishmallows are a whimsical sensation for their fans.
Sunny Cho, a designer at KellyToy, began the story of what is now the hottest toy on the market. She thought of combining a Japanese-style plush she had seen in Japan with the face of a regular stuffed animal, and the creation of a world-famous whimsy was born. She first began duplicating the face of an animal onto the Squishmallow before finally adding striking and adorable details such as eyelashes and cheeks onto each of the stuffed animals and turning it into what we enjoy and cuddle with today.
The Squishmallows started booming during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children grabbed cartloads and cartloads of them, and many customers couldn’t believe the awfully reasonable prices. However, most shoppers started falling in love with Squishmallows because the options were diverse and relatable. For example, there are characters who are deaf, blind, or disabled and share familiar emotions of happiness, anger, shame, fear, and sadness.
While many of these toys may seem to be kid-friendly, many adults nonetheless enjoy hunting these collectibles down. Many industries call this “kidulting”: when adults seek these products that bring instant nostalgia of their youth.
Aside from selling plushies and sleep toy accessories, the Squishmallows also offer their stash of backpacks, apparel, stickers, bath bombs, and nail polish, allowing for more of a treasure hunt than shopping altogether.
Whether adult-friendly or kid-friendly, a hoard of Squishmallows always brings a wide grin to any person needing comfort. These stuffed animals aren’t just a trend; they are popular, comfortable, lovable, and collectible all at the same time. They have boomed in sales over the pandemic and are a necessity for many. And there’s no debate that these plushies have surely made it to be the peak of the toy industry.
