The toy every school-age kid wants in backpacks this year

In kid world, what’s cool changes regularly. For a while, the “it” item was the fidget spinner, but what 8-year-old can stay devoted to a toy his mom has too? After fidget spinners came Squishies, the highly satisfying toys (shaped like adorable strawberries and cute cakes) that squish to a tiny size and then slowly rise to full size again. But as kids across the country settle into the new school year, what is this year’s must-have toy? The answer is a twist on Squishies — plush Squishies.

The plush Squishies come in a variety of brand names; Squeezamals, Squishmallows, Squishables — all adorable and affordable.

“The [toy] trend is still tactile,” says Christine Osborne, who owns Wonder Works, a chain of toy stores in Charleston, S.C. “Every toy is a fidget toy.” She notes that slime would fall squarely in that camp too.

The plush Squishies, like regular Squishies, are made to look adorable — think: hedgehogs, owls, unicorns.

“Squeeze-type toys in general have been popular for a while, but the squishy ones have the additional feature of the slow return to normal, which is, somehow, satisfying,” Kathy Hume Gray and Miranda Gray-Burlingame, two of the owners of Lark Toys that was voted the best toy store in Minnesota, tell Yahoo Lifestyle. “There’s also a stress relief element in squeezing and squishing. Stress relief is a big trend.”

In addition to being fun for kids, experiential toys like Squishies serve double duty by also helping keep toy stores alive — you can’t experience a tactile toy online. “Everyone is so into online buying,” Osborne says. “But tactile and experiential you can’t do online. They have to go brick and mortar before they can go online.”

Osborne adds, “We want to sustain the industry and tactile is the way to do it.”

As back to school kicks into gear, it’s a safe bet that classrooms will have their fair share of Squishables and Squeezemals hidden in bags and desks. With the toys being tiny, and very affordable (with prices mostly under $20), they are also accessible to all. Adorable toys that release stress and parents can afford? Sounds like a fad ready to blossom.

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