New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
SQUISHMALLOW TREND INVADES STATE
Whether it was Beanie Babies in the 90s or Pokemon cards in the 2000s — and a resurgence in popularity during the pandemic when Pokemon cards were selling for six figures — collectable items have always found a way to fly off the shelves of stores. With companies throwing around labels like “limited edition” or “ultra rare,” the desirability only increases for collectors.
One of the newer trends to pick up steam during the pandemic are Squishmallows.
Described as soft, pillow-like stuffed animals with individual names and numbers, Squishmallows are like modern day Beanie Babies; their different sizes and variations cause collectors to flock to them. In Connecticut, there's a whole group of people on the hunt for the plush dolls.
Kayla Passmore, who is an admin for the “Connecticut Squishmallow Scavengers” Facebook group that has more than 700 members, estimates that she has 213 individual Squishmallows.
“It started just because I thought they were cute but it’s so much fun going out and hunting down some Squishmallows, finding them and screeching in the aisle like a maniac, then coming home and reorganizing the overabundance of them and taking pictures for my account,” Passmore said.
Passmore credits TikTok as a catalyst for the popularity of Squishmallows, with videos tagged with Squishmallows currently amassing almost 2 billion views on the platform. There's even a TikTok account dedicated to Squishmallow "hunting," which has 18.5k followers.
“Along with Squishmallows, other popular items such as Halloween ghost rugs, leggings, candy and even some pillows have seemed to gain massive popularity lately and are practically impossible to find in stores, especially in such a small state,” Passmore said.
Squishmallos are sold at stores like Walgreens and Target as well as local toy stores. And they disappear from shelves just as quickly as they appear, according to Debbie Imperatore, manager and buyer for the Funky Monkey in Greenwich.
“You can’t keep them on the shelves. I get an order in and it’s gone within four to five days,” Imperatore said. “You can go on eBay and you’ll see some of the characters going for hundreds of dollars. It’s crazy.”
Imperatore also attributed the popularity of TikTok to the success of Squishmallows. And that success has translated to over thousands of Squishmallows sold at Funky Monkey as well as lines that wrap around the store.
Established in 2017 by KellyToy, the brand has evolved past its origins of offering animals such as “Ben the Teal Dino” to now include licensed products like “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Toy Story” Squishmallows. An individual Squishmallow can range in price from $3 to upwards of $60. As of this January, KellyToy reported to have sold over 71 million individual Squishmallows.