NeeDoh craze creates long lines and dramatic chase for viral toy
Squishy lovers are clearing shelves and standing in long lines to get their hands on NeeDoh, a colorful and squishy toy.
A New Mexico teen was rushed to an emergency center with severe burns after a NeeDoh toy that had been sitting in a hot car for hours reportedly exploded when she squeezed it.
The article follows a series of headlines about children trying to heat NeeDoh and other fuzzy toys (often soft, gel-filled stress and fidget products) in the microwave, only to end up suffering third-degree burns from the melted material inside.
Here’s what you need to know about the latest incident.
“Mommy, please take your clothes off.”
Katie Spence told local media outlet KRQE that she and her 13-year-old daughter were in West Texas on June 6, when temperatures reached 94 degrees Fahrenheit.
Throughout the day, Spence’s daughter, Needow, sat in the car as the gel material inside the car grew hotter and hotter. More than four hours later, the girl grabbed the toy and it exploded, causing third-degree burns on her arms and legs.
“She jumped out of the car and seemed like she was screaming at the top of her lungs, ‘Mommy, please let me down,'” Katie Spence told KRQE. “There were people around. When we tried to take it off, they told us not to take it off because it would peel off her skin. So I rushed her to a nearby children’s hospital.”
The entire ordeal was recorded on a Snapchat video, the outlet said, and begins with Spence’s daughter commenting on how hot the toy was before it exploded.
NeeDoh’s parent company responds
In a statement shared with USA TODAY, Schilling, NeeDoh’s parent company, said it was “saddened to hear of the reported incident and wishes the child a speedy recovery,” adding that “the safety of the child and family is the top priority” for the company.
Following a social media trend encouraging children to microwave NeeDoh toys, Schilling has added several safety warnings to all packaging. It contains warnings about leaving the toy in a hot car or in direct sunlight, as well as the dangers of microwaving, heating, and freezing.
Previously reported incidents
Spence’s experience wasn’t the first time a fluffy toy had exploded inside a car.
Back in May, a mother warned others on a local Facebook group that her daughter’s friend’s fluffy dumpling-shaped toy had exploded after being left in a car.
“My younger daughter picked it up in the car today. It exploded from the heat in the car and splattered all over her body,” the mother wrote. “She’s okay, thank goodness. But the screams that came out of her are something I’ll never forget.”
Meanwhile, in August 2025, another mother posted on TikTok the aftermath of a fluffy toy exploding in her car.
Drew Pittock covers trending news from around the country for USA TODAY. He can be reached at DPittock@usatodayco.com.
