Why kids and adults alike are hunting for viral NeeDoh squish toys

From Stanley water cups to Trader Joe's tote bags, trendy items have a long history of drawing attention online and bringing shoppers to stores in search of the latest fad. Right now, that interest is in NeeDoh, a squishy, colorful toy with heightened social media popularity that has items selling out stores and people lining up outside.

Though NeeDoh Toys launched in 2017, a recent spike in popularity and virality online has skyrocketed interest in the items for in-person shoppers, leading to empty shelves in stores and people hunting for the toys like customers once did for Beanie Babies.

For NeeDoh's parent company, Schylling Inc., and some stores that stock the products, the popularity online has created an unexpected spike in demand in the squishy products.

NeeDoh parent company, toy stores see spike in demand

NeeDoh has been around for nearly a decade, launching initially with a single item at a time when fidget toys and spinners were on the rise. Since then, the brand has seen steady annual growth as its line of products has expanded to over 50 items, Schylling CEO and President Paul Weingard told USA TODAY.

Recently, however, social media activity with the brand has reached a tipping point that upped popularity to an unseen level for lovers of sensory toys of all ages, he said.

"We started this the beginning of this year with good expectations for the year, but I mean, nobody can plan for a 10 times demand," Weingard said. "A lot of what's happening with NeeDoh is unprecedented in a way because we're appealing to young children, but also high school students, college students, and adults and it's amazing."

NeeDohs, often priced between $5 to $10 at stores, are sometimes used by people as a way to relieve stress or fidget. In a world that is often spent online, the toy also lets customers of all ages use their hands while using devices, Weingard added.

"We look at it as people spend so much time on their screens, on their phones, there's a lot of I think pent up physical energy and that's one of the ways I think people divert it is fidgeting and so NeeDoh fits right into that," Weingard said.

The increase in popularity, however, also comes with an increase in demand from customers and stores that stock the product. Multiple stores have waited weeks for restocks of products just for them to sell out immediately when they hit shelves, Weingard said.

"They were sold out within an hour. They expected that product to last when they ordered it for a few months or at least a few weeks," Weingard said. "So then of course they want more, but at this point, it's difficult for us to respond as quickly as people would like."

At toy store chain Learning Express Toys & Gifts, customers' NeeDoh demand has also taken over. The company's Bedford, Massachusetts, store gets between 50 and 100 calls a day from people asking if they have NeeDoh, the chain's CEO Lauren Derse told USA TODAY. Last weekend, people lined up outside the store three hours before it opened because they had gotten a restock of NeeDoh, she said.

"NeeDoh have always been popular, but I think, in recent years, fidgets have become kind of a lot more commonplace as kids and adults are dealing with larger stresses," Derse said. "NeeDohs are just one of those fidgets where they're quiet, they're not sticky, they have a satisfying squish to them, they're nontoxic. So, the appeal is there for kids who want to relieve some stress."

Beyond that, the variety of the NeeDoh draws both collectors and enjoyers of the toy to stores as more styles are released, she added. The NeeDoh craze has also upped excitement from customers for other types of squish toys in stores too, she said.

"We're seeing a lot of that in our stores too, where kids are treasure hunting for NeeDoh and different types of squish, and it's super exciting," Derse said. "They're placing the phone calls, they're coming in every day after school and they're trying to find the latest popular squish or the rare NeeDoh. So these treasure hunters, it's something that our stores have experienced over the years like with different fidgets or Webkinz or fidget spinners, but this is definitely above and beyond what we've seen in the past."

Posts show lines of people, sprinting customers for NeeDoh

Online, viral posts show NeeDoh hopefuls in line outside of stores like Learning Express Toys & Gifts and Spencer's ahead of toy restocks. Other clips show customers running through Target to get to the toy section and hunt for squish before other people.

"I waited two hours for these two," one person says in a TikTok video, showing off NeeDoh Fuzz Ball and Gumdrop toys from Spencer's after waiting in a line that stretched throughout the store.

At other places, the NeeDoh search is more intense. Viral posts on TikTok show people running through Target behind screaming children.

"Good luck to everyone," a person can be heard saying in one post before the store's doors open and customers start sprinting.

While NeeDoh was never made to be a viral sensation, this moment of popularity is exciting, Schylling's Weingard said. It's great to see such a wide age range of people use NeeDoh for different purposes, he added.

"We certainly know that people are finding amazing uses for it that would benefit kids and adults, so it's pretty cool to be working on a toy that ends up benefiting people in ways you hadn't expected," Weingard said.

Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] or on X @katecperez_.