The 1 Thing Missing From Your Annual Review

The $9 squishy toy that your company owes you.

NeeDoh sold the entire year of inventory in the first 9 weeks of the year

There’s a moment in every Zoom meeting — you know the one — where someone says something that deserves a response that you can’t actually say — out loud, at least. So you mute yourself, bite your lip, and quietly lose it.

Me? I squeeze a neon pink blob, hopefully remembering to keep it under my desk where nobody else can see. It has helped me keep my job.

It is a children’s toy. It costs $9. And you can’t have one.

I wasn’t looking for another impossible-to-find product to obsess over. I’m already deep in a Topo Chico grief spiral without my favorite bubbly beverage — but that’s a whole other problem. And yet here I am, lusting after a neon colored squishy — called NeeDoh — along with the entire rest of the world.

After seeing all the buzz, I went digging through my junk box. Sure enough, it was the hottest toy on the planet, now proudly on display in the center of my office.

Bye Bye Labubu

Selling for between $5 and $10, a NeeDoh is affordable — if you can get your claws on one. Which you won’t. Demand is 10 times higher than the company expected. Within the first nine weeks of the year, NeeDoh sold the entire year’s worth of inventory, the company CEO told Business Insider.

NeeDoh is the most sought after item, online and off. At this point, I’m pretty sure no one even remembers what a Labubu is.

The company isn’t even accepting orders, posting: “Demand for NeeDoh and our other products is exceptionally high right now, so we’re taking a short pause on new orders.”

One of the very first people to point out the shortage was Michael Rand, right here on Substack in his post: The vanishing of the NeeDoh Nice Cube.

On TikTok, Hello Kitty devotees Agustus & Amy have pivoted to seeking some squish. For themselves — no kids involved. Here’s a video from their Target attempt, which is quite amusing.

@agustusandamy Needohs have people going insane 😱 #needoh #squishy #dumpling #trending #haul fidget toy viral Needohs five below Walmart target shopping haul squish

Don’t even think about finding your fun on Amazon or Temu, which only has a bunch of inferior fakes that are a waste of money and will just break. If you don’t believe me, heed the warnings from the brand.

Beanie Babies & Cabbage Patch Kids

NeeDoh got its start in all things squishy in 2018, launched during the craze for fidget toys and spinners. Interest was primarily from tweens and teens. The brand grew steadily and now offers 50 varieties — pulling in fans in their 20s and 30s along the way. To which we will make no mention of my age at this time, thank you.

At Learning Express Toys & Gifts in Bedford, Mass, they’re getting 50 to 100 calls a day with people looking for NeeDoh. When they got a shipment, people lined up 3 hours before the store opened hoping to land a squeeze.

To put the demand in context, think the Beanie Babies craze in the ‘90s. Or Cabbage Patch Kids in the ‘80s. My aunt raced through Venture dodging crowds to get me that doll. But many of the craziest collectors weren’t kids — it was full on adult territory.

NeeDoh has that same frenzy. But unlike in my day, the craze is now fueled by fans sharing their hunts on Social Media with videos and photos, multiplying the mania.

In one posted video, you hear a “Good luck to everyone” from someone in the crowd before a store’s doors open and customers start sprinting in.

The toy’s purpose, according to the company: “stretching, smushing, squeezing, and soothing your way to the best mellow and chill.”

NeeDoh: stretching, smushing, squeezing, and soothing your way to the best mellow and chill

Turns out I bought mine Nov. 27, 2024 for $9.20. I couldn’t tell you why. The order also included a home steamer. For wrinkled clothes I guess? The steamer is still in the box.

I thought I ordered the NeeDoh cube that’s the color of a Blue Raspberry flavored Slurpee. Nope. I got neon Barbie pink. And now I need at least a dozen more.

I really want the gummy bear, because they’re delicious — the candy, not the toy, which I haven’t tasted — and it matches my affinity for all things Grateful Dead. You know, the dancing bears. A Dead thing. Don’t worry about it.

Part of the appeal is that no matter what you do to your NeeDoh, it always returns to its original shape. Some users apparently put it in the freezer. While I respect the effort, I won’t be going there.

Radio has gotten ahold of my mushy cubes a few times. When I ask him to drop it — and bribe him with cookies — he does so with a large “thunk” hitting the ground, still intact and his teeth haven’t punctured the cube. Unlike a bunch of my clothing when he was a baby.

And now that I realize I own this hot commodity, I’ve got a plan. Radio and I are going to set up what is essentially a lemonade stand all summer. The neighborhood kids can rent out my NeeDoh, say in 10 minute increments. We’ll make a fortune.

Better yet, I'm going to start selling NeeDoh to Corporate America. We've all got too many Yeti tumblers. Stop already with the AirPods and the branded swag nobody wants. Instead, give out a NeeDoh with every annual review. Give out a NeeDoh with every annual review — compensation for the forty-seven forms you made us fill out documenting our work. It's cheaper than a therapist. Less distracting than a fidget spinner. And it knows better than to hit reply-all.

Please tell me I’m not the only one who bought something two years ago and doesn’t remember why. And no, I’m not talking about the steamer.

What’s your favorite stress toy? Share in the comments, which are open to everyone.

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