What makes a toy go viral
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This is Planet Money from NPR. The other day, I got on the line with someone who, at least at her middle school, is kind of a big deal. I hear that you are, like, legendary among squishy dumpling collectors. Yeah, I have a lot.
Well, I got one.
This is Juliana, juju to her friends, and she is counting all her squishy dumplings, which she has assembled on her kitchen table. Squishy dumplings are these rubbery, stretchy, squishy dumpling toys, just the right size to squeeze in your hand. It's like kind of like rubber with just like gel in it. Each one has a little pucker top, like a real dumpling, plus a smiley face and comes in its own plastic steamer basket. These little guys are some of the latest toys to go viral. And Juju is one of the experts we call to help us understand exactly how a little squishy blob has sold so many millions over the past few months. She told us, for her, the allure started a few months ago when she was swiping her way through TikToks and she saw someone pulling a squishy dumpling out of its package for the first time.
Three, two, one.
Oh! You actually got the teal one.
No way! I was like, oh, I really want one of those. It matches my nails!
The exciting part wasn't just a toy. It was that the TikTokers didn't know what color it would be or what special qualities it would have. The part of, like, unboxing it and not knowing what you get is, like, pretty fun. She had to have one. But Juju is 13 years old. So actually, she had to convince her parents that she had to have one.
I'm Lila. I'm Juliana's mom. Squishy supplier.
Juju got her squishy supplier to take her to the store. And then we like turned down an aisle and then like there was just like the bin stacked full of them. They bought a few. And then Juju came home, set up her camera on a table and placed dumpling number one in front of her. Still in its little beige steamer basket with a lattice top, just like the bamboo ones, but plastic. She looked into the camera and started recording her own TikTok. Okay, so I think I'd want like... Pink or the purple one, or like the galaxy. She pulls off the packaging, closes her eyes. Three, two, one. And lifts the lid off of the steamer bag.
Oh my God!
So the very first one you ever bought happened to be like the super rare blue glitter. Yeah. What are the odds? It's like, I don't know, but it's like pretty rare. Pretty soon, her friends all see her video.
Okay, so now this time...
I want the pink. Then they see this dumpling in real life.
How did squishy dumplings first explode into a viral TikTok trend?
Or the, like, green. And they want to get one. And then they make their own videos. And then, gazillions of other people are making their own videos. And the squishy dumpling. And videos of people opening the squishy dumplings goes viral. And people are lining up to buy them. Stores are rationing how many can be sold. There's a booming resale market. And Juju's collection is still growing. What is that? I think I just got another glitter one. Wait, while you're talking to me?
Yeah, I just opened one. So, whoa.
Oh.
Hello and welcome to Planet Money. I'm Erika Barris. The squishy dumpling is clearly speaking to something in the American psyche.
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