Squishmallows — Cheap Therapy?
If you’ve been into almost any popular chain store lately, you’ve probably seen a Squishmallow. They’re sold at major retailers including Costco and Target, as well as more localized/smaller businesses. If by some miracle you haven’t seen a Squishmallow, they’re plush animals or creatures (and sometimes people) shaped like a mix between a sphere and an egg. They range in sizes from keychain to more than 24”. Also available, are branded Squishmallows, such as Star Wars favourites, Grogu, Chewbacca, R2D2, and BB-8, as well as Disney characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
Now, one may see a large (or small) round plush fox or dog and assume that any child would be delighted to thrash that creature around. However, a substantial population of the Squishmallows fanbase consists of teenagers and adults. If you scroll through the #squishmallow on TikTok, any video with a child will be found few and far between. All of the top videos appear to have been created by an older audience. This may be because of TikTok’s age restrictions, but I’ve seen lots of random cringey content slip through. I believe, that as many of the TikToks state, there is a connection between mental illness and buying Squishmallows. Not to say that every person who owns a Squishmallow is mentally ill, simply that there appears to be a strong correlation.
Especially over the past year, when the pandemic has been rough on so many people, mental health and keeping yourself thriving mentally is an uphill battle. Loneliness and depression are struggles for many. It’s also quite typical in this time for someone to regress their interests into something they used to enjoy. Whether it is a hobby, a book, or a tv show, returning to it brings back the positive emotions that you associated with it before.
Most people, at some point or another in their childhoods, had a stuffed animal that they really loved and cared for. One that probably ended up all ratty and grimy, and you can’t let go because you loved it, but is pretty much hanging on to existence by a few loose threads and the power of love.
Squishmallows often draw up the same emotions, and even nostalgia. The positive memories that you associate with childhood stuffed animals are being brought up, and you’re able to receive more positivity even in pandemic times. A direct comparison made by TikTok user @dana.mango brings up the idea that people who had Webkinz as a child, probably own a Squishmallow now.
Another user, @itreallydobeyaboi, references that they were rid of their childhood stuffed animal obsession, and then it cuts to a Squishmallow with the caption “these fetching idiots”.
A further TikTok by @talonbuzbee, as quoted “Teenagers trying to deal with the fact that their childhood is slipping through their fingers and there’s nothing they can do about it:” The next screen being a jump cut to a dog Squishmallow, as the ironic semi-solution.
Many people, over the course of COVID-19 and through other rough times, cope with humour. This demographic is often represented on TikTok, which also helps people find others who think like them and a sense of community.
Another facet of Squishmallows, connected to human loneliness, is that they each have tags with their names and personalities attached. Many of them have jobs, or dream jobs. Most have hobbies and passions. Lots of them reference their friends (that you can purchase separately of course). Of course, they are just stuffed animals (unless Toy Story wasn’t lying), but in a world where human contact can be deadly, I believe that they’ve taken the role of emotional support stuffie.
As I mentioned, the pandemic has been really tough on everyone, if only for the isolation and stress without any mental health issues on top. Many people turn to online retail therapy, for something to do, but there are only so many clothes and home decor pieces you can buy. Which is why lots of people have turned to collectibles, those including Squishmallows. Something small (most of the time), that is fairly affordable, very cute, and brings up positive connections to your childhood is an absolute winner for those looking to start a collection.
Each of these reasons leads to the evidence that a large portion of people who would be interested in Squishmallows are teenagers and adults. While they may still target much of their branding and characters at children, Squishmallows have definitely had a larger surge in popularity than they anticipated. Through TikTok, they’ve also received a massive amount of free promotion from people in the older demographic who loved their products, which pushes many others to go make their own purchases.
