NeeDoh squishies are going viral, but are they more than a trend?
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What are NeeDoh Squishies and why are they going viral?
Needo Squishies. Do you know 'em? They are the latest viral toy craze, but the toy maker behind the fad is taking a measured approach to demand. For more, we head to the KCBS Ring Central newsline and talk with Bloomberg's Sonny Kim. Sonny, thanks for the time. Thank you so much for having me. Okay, so describe what these neato squishies are. How much are they? What are they used for? And do I need one?
So these Nido squishies, they cost about three to six dollars per each item. And they're basically a squishy toy.
How much do NeeDoh Squishies cost and who should consider buying one?
They are very colorful, can range in all different colors, all different shapes, can come in the shapes of cubes or cats or hearts. And it's honestly, it was used for children and kids who um kind of struggled with uh autism. It can be used by adults who are stressed out and just are in need of a squeeze. And it really kind of appeals to a broad range of audience. So if you would like one too, you know, and it really uh appeals to everybody.
Now what is the Toymaker's strategy? 'Cause you think that, you know, you you you gotta catch the wave and ride it. Mm.
Yeah, I thought so as I was talking to Paul, uh the CEO of Skilling, the manufacturer who creates these Nido toys, I thought it was interesting that he really emphasized that having too much of supply in the marketplace kind of kills the brand. And they're um they're definitely taking a more measured approach. They are um, of course, increasing their production dramatically because the
What are the main uses of NeeDoh Squishies for kids and adults?
demand for these neato squishies are just, you know, skyrocketing at the moment, but they are also just trying to be mindful of not trying to just overload the marketplace with too many of these, um, just kind of taking a more measured and controlled approach, which I thought was really interesting.
Do they learn from previous crazes like the labooobos?
Yes, they definitely talked about laboobos, um, but talked about how needles um are different than labos because needles have been around since twenty seventeen. It's nothing that has just entered the market this year or anything super new. And um it has always, you know, steadily been increasing and appealing to a broader audience. But um it's it's really different. Because I feel like Laboo Boos really hit that viral hit through a celebrity, uh Lisa from Blackpink, um, carried it, and that really created a huge surge. But for Nidos, it was more of a social media hype, and that really increased the demand for it. But it definitely has a broader um audience appeal than to just a specific niche audience that
Laboooboos really appeal too.
Well, I mean, if you have somebody like Lisa who's carrying something around, everybody's gonna want it. And you're not gonna turn down something that has that much exposure. But at the same time, like you said, sort of slow growth is probably better than a big spike and then a drop.
What is the toymaker’s strategy for managing rapid demand without oversaturating the market?
Yes, definitely. Yeah. That's definitely what they were emphasizing. And, you know, they want this product to have long term success. Um and that's kind of the strategy behind it, um, based on my interviews.
Well, I mean, you said they've been around since twenty seventeen, so th so they've been there. It's it's kind of just how do you deal with the sudden popularity?
Right. Yeah. So they're definitely increasing the production.
How does the NeeDoh craze compare to previous toy fads like Laboooboos?
Um, but uh Paul really talked about how there uh was a huge demand for these around Chinese New Year and that's also when the a lot of the factories in China were closed, which kind of created um kind of a bottleneck at the moment. Um so now they're slowly catching up to that now. But Um they're just trying to, you know, meet the demand and let everybody get one of these toys. Um he also really emphasized that he doesn't want to raise prices for the products um despite the really hot and popular demand and kind of you know criticized resellers who sell these, you know, toys for obscene amounts, um, for really expensive prices when it's supposed to be affordable and accessible to everyone.
Sonny, thanks so much for the time and for the reporting.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What are NeeDoh Squishies and why are they going viral?
0:00–0:31
2
How much do NeeDoh Squishies cost and who should consider buying one?
0:31–1:35
3
What are the main uses of NeeDoh Squishies for kids and adults?
1:35–3:04
4
What is the toymaker’s strategy for managing rapid demand without oversaturating the market?
3:04–3:31
5
How does the NeeDoh craze compare to previous toy fads like Laboooboos?
3:31–4:25
6
What long‑term plans does the company have to keep NeeDoh Squishies affordable and accessible?
4:25–4:34
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from KCBS Bloomberg Tech and Business Report
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