If your house is full of brightly coloured foam shapes shaped like ice cream cones, donuts, unicorns or even a roll of toilet paper, you’ll know exactly what a Squishie is. This collectable craze had kids everywhere hooked — but a few years ago, parents were given a serious reason to take a closer look at what these toys are actually made of.
Squishies are soft, spongey and often scented with a fake fruity smell that tends to linger on hands and clothes long after playtime is over. They’re fun to squeeze and collect, but concerns were raised about what’s inside them.
It turns out that behind the marshmallowy softness and cute little faces, some Squishies were found to contain chemicals that no parent would want their child breathing in regularly.
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Are Squishies Dangerous?
In 2018, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency launched an investigation after concerns were raised about the chemical smell and composition of these toys.
The agency purchased 12 different Squishies from a range of retailers, both locally and internationally, and had each one tested. The results showed that every single Squishie contained dimethylformamide, styrene and toluene. These names might not mean much to most parents, but the chemicals themselves are known to be harmful — they’ve been linked to fertility problems, liver damage, breathing difficulties, and irritation of the eyes and mucous membranes. Some are also classed as carcinogens.
The testing was carried out an hour after the packaging was removed, and analysts found that children would be exposed to “unacceptably high levels” of dimethylformamide, a chemical that can be absorbed through the skin and has been linked to liver damage, constipation and vomiting.
Even more concerning, further tests three days after the toys were unpackaged still showed “unacceptably high” chemical levels.
What Happened Next
“The toy industry is responsible for ensuring that the products they sell are legal and do not contain harmful chemicals,” said the Danish Minister for Environment and Food at the time, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen.
“In this case, we’re talking about serious violations, where children breathe in substances that may cause mucous membrane irritation and which may, in the long term, be harmful for fertility and cause liver damage.”
As a result, Denmark banned the toy. Other countries did not follow suit at the time, partly because Squishies are made by a large number of different manufacturers, many based in Japan, which made a coordinated response more difficult.
The Danish report urged distributors and importers to remove all Squishies from sale until further investigation could establish whether the toys posed a genuine risk to children’s health. Toy Industries of Europe pushed back on the findings, arguing that the risk of exposure had been “unreasonably overstated” and that the test scenarios didn’t reflect realistic use.
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What do you think? Are Squishies a bit of harmless fun, or something parents should still be cautious about? Leave a comment below and let us know — we’d love to hear from you!
Frequently Asked Questions
What chemicals were found in Squishies?
Testing by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency found dimethylformamide, styrene and toluene present in every Squishie tested.
Why were these chemicals a concern?
These chemicals have been linked to fertility issues, liver damage, breathing difficulties, and irritation of the eyes and mucous membranes. Some are also classed as carcinogens.
Did any country ban Squishies?
Yes. Denmark banned the toy following its 2018 investigation, though other countries did not take the same action at the time.
What should parents do if their child already has Squishies?
If you’re concerned, it’s worth keeping an eye on how much your child handles and mouths these toys, and airing them out where possible. Parents who want more certainty about a specific product should check with the retailer or manufacturer directly.
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