The Squishmallow Craze

In 2017, Squishmallows, a new line of soft toys by Kellytoy, hit the shelves. Four years later, teens are going crazy collecting them. It’s called “Squishmallow hunting,” started by a few youtubers and social media influencers, where they travel around various stores and retailers looking for Squishmallows of a specific kind. Squishmallows come in various sizes and designs. Each toy is given a name on its label, along with a biography or story that creates its identity. Although Kellytoy has marketed the toys with children in mind, it’s been teenagers and young adults who have defined the brand. Stuffed animals have been proven to help people of any age cope with stress and anxiety. Squishmallows allow comfort that’s welcoming during the uncertainty of a pandemic. An adorable stuffed companion might be just what you need to help make it through.

Squishmallows have been compared to the phenomena of Beanie Babies from the ’90s. Beanie Babies were also a popular toy among children and adults. Similar to Squishmallows, they were stuffed animals with a name and tag that explained their character. Alana Caselli, a fifth grader at Deibler, says her six squishmallows make really great friends. For lots of people, collecting Squishmallows is more than just a hobby. It’s a coping mechanism. Following the COVID-19 lockdown, Squishmallow sales grew rapidly, according to KellyToy co-President and creator of Squishmallows, Jonathan Kelly. “We know stuffed animals and Squishmallows in particular provide comfort to people of all ages, and that includes college students, who have normalized owning and collecting Squishmallows and sharing their collections online,” Kelly said. 

Mya Giordano, a senior at Pennridge, says she’s proud of her collection because her Squishmallows make her happy. “That’s all that matters, right?,” she says in response. “A little retail therapy never hurts, as long as it’s done in moderation,” Mya added. Because they have been so hard to find in stores, Alana says she gets the majority of her Squishmallows off of Depop. According to Business Insider, Depop is an online marketplace platform designed to allow people to sell clothes and other items remotely. Depop allows users to either set up shop for a new brand or to sell a few items they may have laying around. “Shopping second hand is also great because a lot of the time the items are discounted, so it works out really well,” Alana adds. Mya also uses Depop to purchase Squishmallows. “I’ve gone Squishmallow hunting a couple of times, I’ve looked at Costco, Bj’s and the Disney Store, but with how big of a trend they are at the moment, I mostly shop online now,” she adds. 

If you haven’t actually felt them for yourself, you can’t even imagine what they feel like. Squishmallows are exactly how they sound, squishy. “I completely believe everyone when they say the obsession is real,” Mya says. Squishmallows are here to stay and it’s only going up from here. In just three years, more than 50 million Squishmallows have been sold worldwide. For comparison, Webkinz stuffed toys hit their 1 million sold mark in a similar time frame. “It makes sense,” Alana adds, “What’s not to like?”