I was buying a pint of milk in my local food store when my children Lola, 10, and Liberty, eight, started chanting “Squishy dumpling! Squishy dumpling!” as we got to the checkout. I had no idea then what a squishy dumpling toy was as they zoomed in on a pile of them near the vapes. Little did I know then that I was entering a new world.
The latest viral trend for kids – the next Labubu – has taken off on TikTok and is promoted online through unboxing videos. The soft, gel-filled and dough-like steamed bun-shaped toys come packaged in a plastic bamboo steamer in a variety of colours – with a rare one that is glitter-filled. Their mega success lies in the winning combo of two internet crazes: blind unboxing toys and squishies.
We now have a few squishy dumpling toys, each costing £6.99, which I thought were genuine when I bought them. But they are not as innocent as they seem. These fake versions carry with them potential exposure to toxic chemicals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), skin irritation, redness, blistering, and chemical burns on skin from bursting gel, inhalation hazards from microplastics; and choking or poisoning if the toxic contents are ingested by mistake, or because a child thinks it’s real food.
I had no idea at that point that I was even buying a fake. It was exactly the same when Labubu fever kicked off at my children’s primary school last year. Then I was buying fake Labubus, known as lafufus, from my local corner shop, with the wrong number of teeth and eyes that fell off – making them a choking hazard.
Soon, the government warned against counterfeit Labubus, which Trading Standards officers said highlighted the speed at which social media-driven trends can spread unsafe or fake products.
I wasn’t aware that genuine Labubus came from Pop Mart with a QR code on its tag that you can scan to check its authenticity. I had to enter a competition to buy a real one as Pop Mart took them off the shelves to bring order back into their stores, where fights were erupting with people fighting to get them and camping out for them as stock levels were replenished. I became a Labubu expert, able to spot a fake a mile away.
Now it’s like a replay – but worse. Once again, UK Trading Standards officers are seizing counterfeit squishy dumplings that lack required safety information – as well as vital information such as the name and address of a UK-based responsible person, such as an importer or manufacturer. Swansea Council’s Trading Standards, which have issued warnings about the market being flooded with these fake dumpling squishies, have raised concerns that the squishies have “a strong chemical smell described as similar to petrol”.
“When a toy gives off a strong chemical smell and is missing basic safety information, that should ring alarm bells for parents and retailers alike,” the council wrote online.
They also tested the fake products and found samples included Ethyl Benzene, Styrene, m-Xylene, p-Xylene and o-Xylene at levels that have “raised significant safety concerns”, and some of the chemicals detected are recognised as “hazardous”.
Trafford Council is urging local families to beware of gel-filled squishy dumpling toys for sale in local convenience stores and online, reporting on their website that they “are not properly tested or regulated and have been found to contain high levels of toxic substances”.
“Toys have been found to contain high levels of benzene, a highly toxic and flammable liquid chemical that can cause serious health problems,” Trafford Council reported.
According to one trading officer I spoke to, 10 tons of counterfeit squishy dumplings were seized at Heathrow airport recently in one day. There was an urgency from the importers to get them released as consumer demand is so high.
Meanwhile, reports have emerged of them exploding, releasing toxic fumes and causing children to be hospitalised. A dangerous social media trend of microwaving squishy dumpling toys is being shared on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Doing such a thing can cause them to explode and release hot gel, with children reportedly suffering facial injuries after trying it out.
On Facebook, parents all over the world are alerting each other with warnings about the viral squishy dumplings containing “unknown liquid substances inside them”, that, when ruptured and come in contact with skin, can cause injury.
The original viral dumpling squishy is made by toy manufacturer RMS International (sold under their Crazy Fun label) and is often sold out, with buyers purchasing rare or sold-out editions online.
Fake dumplings often have warped faces – and ours now look sad and unhygienic with smudged eyes and dirty-looking hand prints from overuse. Cheap fakes also tend to feel stickier and less heavy, with an outer shell that clings slightly to your skin. While the authentic ones feature the RMS logo on the bottom of the boxes which, unlike our fake ones, don’t have holes in the bottom of the steamer.
The faces on the real dumplings have small, solid orange ovals for cheeks and perfectly proportioned black eye shapes above that don’t look like they’ve been drawn on with marker pen, like ours, and the real glitter dumplings almost always have a closed-eye design.
Authentic squishy dumplings such as Need-doh – another popular brand – are rigorously tested to ensure they are free of BPA, phthalates, and latex. The authentic ones are manufactured to comply with formal toy safety regulations, making them safer than unbranded fakes. The fakes are made from cheaper materials that can leak chemicals – and tear more easily than the genuine ones. There have been warnings about squishies, marketed as calming, sensory tools, with them bursting open and giving children chemical burns – and parents concerned about what exactly is inside them – for some time.
Even safer bets aren’t without issues: the gel inside the Nee-Doh Original Groovy Glob had a pH level of 2 – the same pH as lemon juice or vinegar, according to tests done by Consumer Reports in the US last year, which can cause skin irritations when they pop open.
Mega-popular brands such as TabaSquishy have become popular, touting themselves as being “safe” and made with “handmade food-grade silicone”.
Professor Paul Fowler, chair in Translational Medical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen tells me that the chemicals found in the fake squishy dumplings tested by Swansea Council’s website are not forever chemicals, but, he says, “ they are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hazardous and readily enter the bloodstream and cross the placenta”.
The chemical odour of a toy reflects low-quality materials used such as TPR or PU foam that are petroleum-based.
The smell is a result of “off-gassing” – the release of airborne chemicals like VOCs from everyday manufactured materials into the air.
The material becomes soft and flexible when these chemicals are added. No mum like me wants their child inhaling these compounds. Prolonged exposure to high concentrations can lead to respiratory issues, damage to the liver and kidneys, and an increased cancer risk.
Senior UK campaigner at CHEM Trust, Chloe Topping tells me: “It is deeply concerning that these harmful chemicals have been found in children’s toys sold in the UK. While unsafe imported toys continue to be a problem, the issue goes beyond enforcement,” she says.
“The UK’s toy safety rules are now 15 years old and still allow the use of chemicals that scientists increasingly link to harm to children’s health,” she says.
While the EU has recently overhauled its toy safety laws, banning chemicals that can damage the hormone, respiratory and nervous systems, as well as all PFAS ‘forever chemicals’, the UK hasn’t.
“The UK should urgently match these stronger protections while also stepping up enforcement to keep unsafe toys off shop shelves and online marketplaces,” says Topping.
Katrina Phillips, chief executive of the Child Accident Prevention Trust is also appalled by the health hazards of fake squishy dumplings.
“When you buy cheap copies of toys from unknown sellers on online marketplaces, you really have no idea what you’re going to get. And that’s certainly true for fake squishies,” says Phillips. “…children are still developing, and they’re uniquely vulnerable to harmful chemicals.”
She advises buying squishies from reputable retailers, that are made to toy safety standards. “Remember, they’re not safe for children under three. And take care with older neurodivergent children who also put things in their mouths,” she adds.
“Just because something is marketed as a sensory toy doesn’t mean it’s safe, especially if you buy it online from a seller on the other side of the world.”
It’s best to ventilate the room if your child is playing with a strong-smelling squishy and to check them all regularly for damage before they leak or burst, which they invariably do.
Personally, I’ve gathered all of my children’s fake squishies up – not just squishy dumplings, but also squishy cats, doughnuts, and cute pink puppy paws – and thrown them in the bin. I won’t be popular when they get back from school, but as far as I’m concerned, these fake squishies are not good for stress relief. They should be banned.
