Don’t leave squishy toys in hot cars. Here’s why

(Gray News/WXIX) – Squishy toys are all the rage right now, but there are serious concerns about leaving them in the heat.

Squishy toys, which can be made from soft plastics, rubber, silicone, or other materials, have surged in popularity, driven in part by viral TikTok videos.

One store representative said they receive between 10 and 12 phone calls a day asking about the toys, a volume that has continued for three to four months.

Many stores have begun limiting how many a customer can purchase at once.

Several reports have surfaced of children and teens seeking emergency medical treatment after the toys have exploded and burned them.

According to WXIX, a family in West Virginia is warning parents after their 13-year-old daughter suffered minor burns when a squishy toy exploded after it was left in a hot car.

Kimmie Staggs said the toy had to be removed at the emergency room.

“The nurse said she had to drench her skin in saline, because if they tried to take it off without it, it would pull at her skin and hurt her,” Staggs said.

USA Today reported a teenager in New Mexico also went to the emergency room with severe burns after a squishy toy that had been in the car for hours exploded when she squeezed it.

A post was made in a mom’s group on Facebook in May warning about the squishy toys exploding in heat.

The post read in part, “My daughter’s friend accidentally left her toy dumpling in my car yesterday. My younger daughter picked it up today in the car, it exploded because of heat in the car and went all over her. She is ok, thank goodness. However, the screaming that came out of her will be something I will never forget.”

Dozens of reports have been submitted to the Consumer Product Safety Commission describing squishy toys bursting and causing injuries ranging from skin irritation to second-degree burns.

Several of the reports involved the toys left in hot cars.

“This is a learning curve now that they’re so popular, people need to be aware that these things can be dangerous if you leave them in a car,” one store representative said.