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I have been on a “squishy” hunt this week. While most folk go on deer hunts or even in search of wild turkeys and black bears, I have been frantically searching for NeeDohs in every supermarket and toy shop I come across.
Armed only with Apple Pay and a WhatsApp message from my 12-year-old granddaughter, I have stalked the aisles of Walmart and searched the shelves of independent stores to no avail.
“Sorry ma’am, we don’t have any and aren't expecting new stock until the middle of May,” explained a Walmart assistant. “And when we do get them, they disappear off the shelves within an hour. Our manager had to restrict sales to two per person,” he added.
“I have just ordered $7000 worth of stock,” said the harassed owner of a toy shop in New Bern, North Carolina, “And they won't arrive until the end of May at the earliest. I hope the craze lasts,” she said.
NeeDohs are brightly coloured, easily mouldable stress toys that have been around for ten years. But they went viral on TikTok recently and now everyone under the age of 16 needs to have at least one.
Some retailers report that NeeDohs are the number one search engine item on their website, before essentials like bread and milk.
I have yet to see a NeeDoh in real life, but Sofia tells me they come in all shapes, including cubes, gum drops, strawberries and cats. She doesn’t care which one I buy her. “Any NeeDoh you find, I need it!!!!!!” she messaged.
The makers of this viral toy say they have sold six months' inventory in just six weeks, so I am not hopeful of finding any. I have bought a couple of other squishies, including a very sparkly one which the toy shop owner told me was very popular, but it isn’t a NeeDoh.
But like all ‘must-have’ toys, NeeDohs will eventually fall out of fashion and most will end up in the bottom of a basket in a thrift store.
I fear Sofia will have to wait until then, by which time of course she will have moved on to the next TikTok craze. Afer all, who remembers Cabbage Patch dolls?