A lot of people have at least one Squishmallow or know about the toy. But who created them?
Squishmallows were created by a designer named Sunny Cho for Kellytoy, which was founded in 1986 by a man named Jonathan Kelly. Cho was asked to design with a soft fabric, so she decided to make something like Japanese plushies that weren’t in the U.S. yet.
The plushies she designed had a big, round belly and were in an oval shape. The first Squishmallow she designed was Cam the Cat.
Cam was released in 2017, along with other Squishmallows.
Not as many people were obsessed with these cute little animals at the time. It wasn’t until 2020, three years later, that they started becoming a trend. Now, they are in many toy stores and large supermarkets.
Are these toys only for children? No, adults can get obsessed with them too!
“There was nothing else like them,” said James Zahn, of Toy Book and Toy Insider. “They hit every interest level and they always kept it fresh.”
Some adults have more than 400 Squishmallows. “Kidulting” is the toy industry’s name for when adults buy toys that remind them of their youth.
“I love their cute little faces,” said Melissa Whittaker, a cashier with more than 70 of the plushies. “They’re very nice to hug, and you can double them up as pillows.”
Sources:
https://eb18600f7bb2916037f5ee8e636ce199.cdn.bubble.io/f1687708616284x779138974179656600/Adults%20are%20driving%20sales%20of%20the%20hottest%20toy%20on%20the%20market_%20Squishmallows%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/style/squishmallows.html
https://cozyrainbow.org/2022/07/07/did-you-know-about-squishmallows
Squishmallows were created by a designer named Sunny Cho for Kellytoy, which was founded in 1986 by a man named Jonathan Kelly. Cho was asked to design with a soft fabric, so she decided to make something like Japanese plushies that weren’t in the U.S. yet.
The plushies she designed had a big, round belly and were in an oval shape. The first Squishmallow she designed was Cam the Cat.
Cam was released in 2017, along with other Squishmallows.
Not as many people were obsessed with these cute little animals at the time. It wasn’t until 2020, three years later, that they started becoming a trend. Now, they are in many toy stores and large supermarkets.
Are these toys only for children? No, adults can get obsessed with them too!
“There was nothing else like them,” said James Zahn, of Toy Book and Toy Insider. “They hit every interest level and they always kept it fresh.”
Some adults have more than 400 Squishmallows. “Kidulting” is the toy industry’s name for when adults buy toys that remind them of their youth.
“I love their cute little faces,” said Melissa Whittaker, a cashier with more than 70 of the plushies. “They’re very nice to hug, and you can double them up as pillows.”
Sources:
https://eb18600f7bb2916037f5ee8e636ce199.cdn.bubble.io/f1687708616284x779138974179656600/Adults%20are%20driving%20sales%20of%20the%20hottest%20toy%20on%20the%20market_%20Squishmallows%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/style/squishmallows.html
https://cozyrainbow.org/2022/07/07/did-you-know-about-squishmallows
