Dangerous ‘squishy’ viral toy trend leaving children with serious burns

A strange online trend of heating ‘squishy’ toys in the microwave is leaving children permanently scarred.

A strange online trend of heating ‘squishy’ toys in the microwave is leaving children permanently scarred.

Videos circulating online show the toys, which are soft and easy to squeeze, being heated to make them even softer.

But experts warn this causes pressure to build inside the squishy, increasing the risk it may explode and release the hot gel inside that can stick to the skin and cause severe burns.

The Royal Hospital for Children (RHC) in Glasgow has treated six children with injuries linked to the trend in the past eight months, with some needing skin grafts.

One of those injured was eight-year-old Joseph Erskine, from Clackmannanshire, who needed weeks of treatment and a skin graft after a toy burst across his chest and hand in May.

His mother Stephanie Ewing said: ‘My husband and I were home. We were sitting in the living room next door when Joseph came in holding a towel to his face.

‘He had already wiped off the burning gel which had also taken off his skin. He was saying that his squishy burnt him and we initially thought he meant a chemical burn. Then he told us that he had put it in the microwave.

‘We were shocked as it had never crossed our minds that he would do that with a toy. He has never used the microwave before.

‘One of us had heated something earlier and so the clock was already set at 40 seconds. Joseph just hit start.

She said Joseph had seen the trend online and she urged parents to chat about it with their children and discourage them from doing something similar.

She added: ‘Joseph’s burn wouldn’t heal on its own and required a graft, where skin was taken from his thigh and applied to his chest.

‘He is normally such an active and sporty child with six clubs per week, but all of that is on hold until he heals.’