Scroll on TikTok long enough and see the viral NeeDohs and dumpling squishies everywhere, but good luck trying to find them in stores.
“Social media platforms such as TikTok have amplified the popularity of these toys. Toy stores can’t keep them in stock for longer than thirty minutes,” said Barbara Greenberg, from an article in April 2026 for Psychology Today.
With the Five Below mystery dumplings specifically being out of stock everywhere, some students have given up trying to find them, as the chances of opening the rare glitter dumpling is slim.
“Personally, I have not bought or tried to buy the glitter dumplings […] I know that they are very hard to find so it doesn’t seem worth it,” said junior Samantha W.
On the other hand, some students have gone to Five Below in search of the rare squishy.
“I did try finding the glitter dumpling. I bought one from Five Below and I got pink. I was happy that I got a pink dumpling, but I had the urge to buy more to find the glitter one and my mom didn’t let me,” said sophomore Angelina D.
While students enjoy the excitement of unboxing the dumplings, many complain that the texture of the dumplings aren’t as good as NeeDohs.
“I honestly didn’t like the texture of the dumplings. It was just water inside, I only bought one to see what the hype was and what color I would get. I do love my pink NeeDoh fuzzball though, that was also hard to find,” said Angelina.
Just like the dumplings, NeeDohs are also hard to find due to the shortage.
“I don’t enjoy the shortage because they are very helpful for me. I also think the lack of them is making them more popular because when people can’t find them, they’ll search everywhere for them,” said Samantha
Many students utilize squishies as a toy to help with stress, regardless of the popularity.
“I would still care about [NeeDohs] if they weren’t viral because the fidget factor helps me stay calm and focused. I have the Nice Cube, Ice Cream Cone. & Gum Drop,” said Samantha.
The CEO of Schylling, which is the parent company of NeeDoh, spoke about the overwhelming demand since the start of 2026.
“Within the first nine weeks of the year, we’d sold through the whole year’s inventory. [It] was a fantastic, and overwhelming demand […] no company can plan for that,” said CEO of Schylling, Paul Weingard, in an article from Business Insider.
Lines continue to reach outside of store entrances, and the hunt for these viral squishies are still on.
