Social media has played a huge role in promoting popular dumpling squishy toys recently. Currently, many young teenagers want to get their hands on the ‘dumpling squishies’ that are going viral online, and they especially want the glittery ones.
Even though many people like these toys and they are very popular online, I think the social media companies are responsible for the toys being unsafe.
This toy is very popular online on a lot of social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube. The dumpling squishies are a combination of the Internet’s two most popular trends: blind unboxing toys and squishy fidget toys. They can be used for stress relief and focus, as they can be squashed, stretched, pinched, or rolled. The toys come in a blind box, so customers never know what they are getting. People usually enjoy opening a box in which they don’t know what’s inside. Some people are doing it to find the rare glittery type that has also went viral online.
The reason the toys are unsafe because the toys contain many hazardous chemicals. In an investigation by Trading Standards Officers at Swansea council, they reported that these toys could be unsafe, after receiving reports that these toys have a strange smell. They say the toys contained some hazardous chemicals that were seized from shops in Swansea. The officers also said that some of these toys failed to meet basic UK safety standards. This is shown in the quote by Rhys Harries, a Trading Standards officer: “These products are clearly attractive to children because they are being driven by online trends, but that does not mean that they are safe.” Last year, the government also warned against counterfeit Labubu toys, which officers say highlighted the speed of the social media driven trends. In fact, 90% of the fake toys the UK caught this year were fake Labubu dolls.