Squishmallows, a soft plush toy that looks like an animal or an object with a round face and belly, have been on the top of the toy market for several years, and their popularity is still growing.
In 2017, Sunny Cho, a designer at KellyToy, designed a toy meant to resemble Japanese-style plush. She created a cute, round face and a big belly and made 12 plush toys resembling different animals, such as foxes and owls.
Shortly after, KellyToy released this first set of 12 plush toys in 2017, and amusement parks and pop shops were the main places where people bought these toys. However, according to James Zahn, Chief Editor of the trade publication The Toy Book and senior editor at the Toy Insider, what surprised the company was that customers were easily attached to these Squishmallows. However, the problem was that KellyToy couldn’t mass-produce and manufacture these toys quickly enough.
“It took off in a way no one really expected,” Zahn said. “Part of the initial appeal of Squishmallows was the fact that they were a little harder to get.”
Luckily, the solution to their problems came in 2019, when toy manufacturer Jazwares acquired Kellytoy, allowing the company to scale distribute these toys and spread them to stores such as Target, Walmart, and TJ Maxx.
It was during the pandemic when most of Squishmallow’s growth happened. The plush toy wasn’t too expensive, ranging from sizes two inches to two feet and costing $6 to $40, so parents commonly bought this toy whenever they went to the store to give to their kids.
Kids enjoyed it because during the pandemic, many children were experiencing anxiety, and squishing a Squishmallow could calm children’s nerves.
However, there is a peculiar attraction between these toys and adults. When Nancy Ferrell, 31, was recovering from surgery in March 2020, someone gave her a few Squishmallows as a gift, and she started to get attached to Squishmallows.
“It brings joy,” Ferrell said. “[I] started to become kind of obsessed.”
Many people like Ferrell, who deeply enjoy Squishmallows, have started a community for the toy. People are trading and collecting these toys, and Jazwares has even made marketing changes to further the toy’s growth. Such changes include partnering with Pokémon and Star Wars to make new editions of Squishmallows and adding personal details to the Squishmallows, such as adding a name, the toy’s date of birth, and backstory to the Squishmallows.
Squishmallows have even gotten to social media such as Instagram and TikTok, where people post videos sharing their Squishmallow collection and other Squishmallow-related content, amassing millions of views.
For example, Carter Kench, is a popular content creator with over 9.6 million followers across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, who bases most of his content on the toy. His videos include him “hunting” certain Squishmallows at different stores, going so far as to camp out by a store early in the morning just to get that special plush.
“I feel like I’m Indiana Jones every time I’m on the hunt,” Kench said. “It’s an addiction.”
Squishmallows are a very well-known and popular toy among many people, including adults, and the franchise has been spreading everywhere, from social media to various stores, and it is still growing in popularity.
Link to article:
https://eb18600f7bb2916037f5ee8e636ce199.cdn.bubble.io/f1687708616284x779138974179656600/Adults%20are%20driving%20sales%20of%20the%20hottest%20toy%20on%20the%20market_%20Squishmallows%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
In 2017, Sunny Cho, a designer at KellyToy, designed a toy meant to resemble Japanese-style plush. She created a cute, round face and a big belly and made 12 plush toys resembling different animals, such as foxes and owls.
Shortly after, KellyToy released this first set of 12 plush toys in 2017, and amusement parks and pop shops were the main places where people bought these toys. However, according to James Zahn, Chief Editor of the trade publication The Toy Book and senior editor at the Toy Insider, what surprised the company was that customers were easily attached to these Squishmallows. However, the problem was that KellyToy couldn’t mass-produce and manufacture these toys quickly enough.
“It took off in a way no one really expected,” Zahn said. “Part of the initial appeal of Squishmallows was the fact that they were a little harder to get.”
Luckily, the solution to their problems came in 2019, when toy manufacturer Jazwares acquired Kellytoy, allowing the company to scale distribute these toys and spread them to stores such as Target, Walmart, and TJ Maxx.
It was during the pandemic when most of Squishmallow’s growth happened. The plush toy wasn’t too expensive, ranging from sizes two inches to two feet and costing $6 to $40, so parents commonly bought this toy whenever they went to the store to give to their kids.
Kids enjoyed it because during the pandemic, many children were experiencing anxiety, and squishing a Squishmallow could calm children’s nerves.
However, there is a peculiar attraction between these toys and adults. When Nancy Ferrell, 31, was recovering from surgery in March 2020, someone gave her a few Squishmallows as a gift, and she started to get attached to Squishmallows.
“It brings joy,” Ferrell said. “[I] started to become kind of obsessed.”
Many people like Ferrell, who deeply enjoy Squishmallows, have started a community for the toy. People are trading and collecting these toys, and Jazwares has even made marketing changes to further the toy’s growth. Such changes include partnering with Pokémon and Star Wars to make new editions of Squishmallows and adding personal details to the Squishmallows, such as adding a name, the toy’s date of birth, and backstory to the Squishmallows.
Squishmallows have even gotten to social media such as Instagram and TikTok, where people post videos sharing their Squishmallow collection and other Squishmallow-related content, amassing millions of views.
For example, Carter Kench, is a popular content creator with over 9.6 million followers across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, who bases most of his content on the toy. His videos include him “hunting” certain Squishmallows at different stores, going so far as to camp out by a store early in the morning just to get that special plush.
“I feel like I’m Indiana Jones every time I’m on the hunt,” Kench said. “It’s an addiction.”
Squishmallows are a very well-known and popular toy among many people, including adults, and the franchise has been spreading everywhere, from social media to various stores, and it is still growing in popularity.
Link to article:
https://eb18600f7bb2916037f5ee8e636ce199.cdn.bubble.io/f1687708616284x779138974179656600/Adults%20are%20driving%20sales%20of%20the%20hottest%20toy%20on%20the%20market_%20Squishmallows%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
