If ever something is worth calling a craze, it must be last year’s fidget spinner frenzy.
Seriously; remember just how nuts it all was? From being something no-one had ever heard of (“Sorry, what? A sort-of-a-spinny-disk thingy? What does it do? Nothing? Just spins?!”) to suddenly being everywhere – for a good three-week period last spring, there wasn’t a child between the ages of three and 13 that was spotted without one in their hands.
In Dundrum, where I live, there was a little shop on the main street selling these, and for those glorious three weeks, did a trade so roaring there were ques forming down to street to even get into the shop. My daughter’s school yard soon became a hotbed of who had the best spinners (metallic ones were good, even better if you got your hands on one that lit up, obvs) and parents across the land collectively spent an extortionate amounts of money on tiny plastic yokes that actually didn’t do much at all.
And now, my friens, now you are about to do it all again. Just not on fidget spinners this time around.
If you haven’t got these floating about your house already, you’re no doubt about to. Say hello to squishies.
Yep. Squishies.
Slow rise Kawaii Squishies to be exact, and if you are wondering what they do, let me assure you that in true fidget spinner style, these cuties don’t do much – apart from looking cute that is.
What we are talking about is a sort of a cute stress-ball – for kids (you know; because they have such stressful lives…).
Anyway, squishies, which originated in Japan and Korea, are BIG, and kids all over are going ga-ga for these foam toys. The texture is key, and the best ones are the squishies labelled “slow rising,” meaning when you squeeze them out of shape, they will slowly rise back into its original form in front of your eyes.
How do kids play with them?
Some squishies are small, and come in a key-chain version, so it’s more a cool accessory, and the idea, I guess, is for kids to collect a whole lot of different shapes. Type “squishies” into Youtube, and you’ll find tons of strangly satisfying videos of squishies being, well, squeezed. And in fairness, they are pretty cool to touch.
‘The squishes global craze began online and has become an international obsession, explains Samir Kulrami, CEO of Showcase, where the toys are sold exclusively across Canada. “A single YouTube video featuring Squishies has generated more than 7.8 million views, highlighting the popularity of the craze.”
Smyths Toys have some, and Amazon.co.uk is chock-a-block with them (search “slow rise squishie”) but make sure you don’t get screwed on the shipping. It might also be worth searching sites like Ali Express, but again, the individual toys may seem cheap as chips, but the shipping might ruin you.
What makes for a good squishy?
The slower they rise, the better.
What are some of the hottest styles?
Fruits are good, and according to toy stores in the US, bread-shapes is doing really well. As well as this, there are pandas, unicorns, cappucinocups, whales, donuts – the list is, seemingly, endless.
