ORLANDO, Fla — Parents and grandparents need to beware of the latest toy trend. Doctors are issuing warnings about a popular kids toy that is likely in your home. We’re talking about the gel-filled squishies that are shaped like dumplings or animals.
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Doctors are warning there could be risk of leaking or rupturing if someone is misusing them, or if they leave them in the sunlight or inside a hot car.
They are small and squishy and fun for little hands to squeeze. The toys are so popular that some stores are sold out. But now the “dumpling” toy and other similar squishy toys are going viral for a different reason. People taking to social media and reporting some toys are leaking or exploding.
Grandmother Virginia Darby was watching her four-year-old grandson when his toy burst open, spilling the contents all over his face. Some the contents even got into his mouth and nose.
Darby said, “Like I said, I’m panicking. I ain’t know what the heck to do with it, especially when you don’t know what it can do to you.”
She called 911 and medics took her grandson to the emergency room to get him checked out.
In Florida, last year, there were more than 3,700 exposure cases reported to Florida’s Poison Control Centers related to toys and other miscellaneous items. Perhaps more telling, in Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Poison Center reports more than 180 calls from parents since the beginning of the year specifically worried about leaking, or broken squishy toys.
“We see these new products come on the market and as they get more popular, we tend to see more calls,” said Dr. Joshua Shulman, medical director for the Pittsburgh Poison Center.
So far, no reports of serious injuries there in Pittsburgh, but Dr. Shulman says a new social media challenge where kids are microwaving the toys puts kids at higher risk.
Dr. Shulman said, “I would say if they’re heated and one ruptured, it could cause burns. It could cause irritation to the skin, to the eyes.”
Within the past couple of weeks, the UK issued a recall on counterfeit Squeezie Dumplings after finding a high level of the chemical benzene in the outer shell. There are no recalls in the U.S., but there is a list of complaints reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission including a squishy dumpling shaped toy that exploded causing chemical burns and a counterfeit squishy with a strong chemical odor.
Virginia Darby’s grandson was ok after the doctors checked him out, but she’s still angry that the toy didn’t come with product or warning labels.
“There’s no way you would know if it’s in the sun, it would bust, or if you played with it too hard, it will bust. It’s just no cautions,” Darby said.
Experts do have some advice for parents since it’s not always easy to tell the difference the real toy and a counterfeit or knockoff squishy toy. They say you should buy from a well-known retailer, not secondhand, or online. Some consumers report the counterfeits have a strong chemical odor and no package labels.
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