We NeeDoh it! Schoolchildren go loopy for stylish nervousness aid cubes – with sold-out £6 ‘groovy globs’ now promoting on Vinted for £50 every (and fakes flooding the market)
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It’s certainly not the most sophisticated toy ever invented, described by the US company who makes it as a ‘groovy glob’, but that hasn’t stopped the NeeDoh becoming the must-have item of the moment for British schoolkids.
Hot on the heels of the Labubu dolls, Jellycat soft toys and the Air-up water bottle, the NeeDoh is the latest ASMR novelty that teachers, in both secondary and primary schools, say has flooded into their classrooms.
Gaining popularity on social media, particularly on TikTok, the NeeDoh Original is a described as a ‘stress ball fidget toy’ that’s about the size of a tennis ball – but it’s the ‘Nice Cube’ and ‘Dream Drop’ versions that appear to be captivating British youngsters.
The cubes come in a rainbow of often swirling colours with eye-catching black and neon packaging – and they can be pulled, stretched and squeezed in every direction, but will always settle back to their original shape.
They’re proving a hit, say toy experts, because they tap into the ongoing love affair with toys linked to ASMR – Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, essentially offering soothing, tactile sensations for those holding them.
Crucially, the pliable cubes are often allowed into the school environment – because they double up as sensory aids that can help pupils manage anxiety.
The latest must-have toy – that’s sold out in stores and online at official retailers – is the squidgy sensory NeeDoh
Made by US company Schylling, based in Boston, the NeeDoh has soared in popularity on this side of the Pond in recent months, after experiencing similar viral success in America.
Retailers have sold out so quickly that the brightly coloured stress relievers, which retail at around £6, have skyrocketed in price on eBay and Vinted.
On Vinted, brand new boxed NeeDohs are selling for around £28, around four times their original value, with one ‘Nice Cream Cone’ posted for sale this week for £50.
Responding to the rise in imitation products appearing on the market, Schylling has warned parents this week that ‘bricks-and-mortar’ stores are the safest bet to guarantee authenticity and safety – and advised against buying ‘fraud’ products from ‘platforms like Temu, Alibaba/AliExpress or eBay’.
On Vinted this week, a NeeDoh ‘nice cream cone’ is currently on offer for £50
The sensory toy has been a hit on social media, with TikTok toy shop Toys Toys Toys, run by Merseyside grandmother Jane Hastings (pictured) saying it’s become a best seller
Popular with teenagers and children – as well as adults – managing anxiety, the NeeDoh has sold out across the UK, with the exception of on pre-loved sites such as Vinted, where prices have rocketed
On UK high streets, the NeeDoh is sold at major retailers including Smyths, Hamleys and Waterstones although none of those stores appear to have any in stock.
At a London branch of Waterstones this week, a store worker told the Daily Mail: ‘We will get more in because they’re so popular, but they sell out very quickly.’
Online, it’s a similar picture… online toy store My Small World sells more than 30 NeeDoh products but currently has none in stock.
Smyths has ‘out of stock’ on all of its NeeDoh products, although the toy store goliath says it expects more in.
Merseyside grandmother Jane Hastings, who’s run popular toy shop Toys, Toys, Toys on the outskirts of Liverpool for 15 years, told the Daily Mail earlier this year that the NeeDoh has become one of the store’s biggest sellers – but recent posts suggest the official retailer is now also sold out bar one or two NeeDoh products.
UK toy expert Peter Jenkins says Schylling is basically reaping the rewards of making a slicker version of popular ASMR toys that are already out there, after sensory toys became a hit during the pandemic.
‘ASMR [videos] became big, because it was just highly watchable. Slime and dough and ASMR compounds picked up popularity when we were at home and we were making stuff. Manufacturers saw how popular it was.’
NeeDoh stands out on quality though, he says. ‘It looks curated, there’s some thought going into it, from the packaging to the name itself. People saw why it was more expensive, and it became more prolific, and the retailers didn’t expect it to explode quite as quickly as it is.
‘It’s next level and it’s a more grown-up version. It’s not as childish as sticking your finger in a jar of slime and making fart noises as we did back in the 80s and 90s.’
Perhaps the most surprising thing is that Schylling probably hadn’t countered on such huge successes – hence the lack of stock.
Says Jenkins: ‘When kids take things viral, it’s nothing to do with people who are so-called toy experts, it kind of happens organically, which is brilliant.’
