NeeDoh toy – A New Mexico teenager suffered third-degree burns after a NeeDoh squishy toy left in a hot car for hours exploded when she squeezed it. The incident underscores how a viral trend around heating or misusing the gel-filled toy is colliding with real-world safety
A New Mexico teenager was rushed for emergency treatment after a NeeDoh squishy toy left in a hot car for hours exploded when she squeezed it—an event her mother described as terrifyingly public, and fast-moving enough to end with a hospital run.
Katie Spence told local media outlet KRQE that on June 6 she was in West Texas with her 13-year-old daughter when temperatures climbed to 94 degrees Fahrenheit. During the day, the NeeDoh stayed in the car while the gel material inside grew increasingly hot. After more than four hours, the girl squeezed the toy. It exploded, causing third-degree burns on her arms and legs.
“She jumps out of the car and she’s like screaming at the top of her lungs like. ‘Please momma get it off. ‘” Spence said in the interview with KRQE. “There was people all around. We were trying to get it off and they said don’t take it off because it will rip her skin off. So then I rush her to the nearest children’s hospital.”.
The incident was documented in a Snapchat video, the outlet reported. The clip begins with Spence’s daughter saying the toy was hot before it exploded.
NeeDoh, the colorful, mushy toy that has become a must-have in some viral waves, is a gel-filled stress and fidget product. The broader concern is that kids and families have been sharing online attempts to heat or otherwise treat these toys—an approach that, in real cases, can lead to severe burns.
In one of the most recent patterns tied to the toy, the story follows a spate of headlines about children trying to microwave NeeDoh and other squishy gel-filled products. Those reports describe children ending up with third-degree burns from molten material inside.
Schylling, NeeDoh’s parent company, responded in a statement shared with USA TODAY. The company said it was “saddened to hear about the reported incident and hope the child is recovering,” adding that the “safety of children and families is a top priority.”
The company said it added safety warnings to all its packaging after a viral social media trend encouraged children to microwave NeeDoh toys. The warnings include directions about leaving the toys in a hot car or direct sunlight, and they also warn against microwaving, heating, or freezing them.
Spence’s account is not being treated as an isolated moment. She also wasn’t the first parent to describe a squishy toy exploding after it was left in a vehicle.
In May. a mom warned others in a local Facebook group that her daughter’s friend’s squishy toy—shaped like a dumpling—exploded after being left in a car due to heat. The mother wrote: “My younger daughter picked it up today in the car. it exploded because of heat in the car and went all over her. … She is OK, thank goodness. However, the screaming that came out of her will be something I will never forget.”.
The issue has also appeared in viral video posts. In August 2025, another mom posted to TikTok the aftermath of a squishy toy that exploded in her car.
The sequence that emerges across these accounts is simple and brutal: heat builds inside a gel-filled toy. and the consequences show up in the exact moment a child squeezes it. In each retelling. the setting is the same—extreme warmth from cars—and the result is severe enough that families end up talking about burns that go far beyond ordinary irritation.
For now. the key fact for families is the same one companies are trying to emphasize on packaging and the one Spence said she learned the hard way in a West Texas summer. A toy that feels soft at first can turn dangerous after hours of heat. and the warning—don’t microwave. don’t heat. and don’t leave these toys in hot cars or direct sunlight—sits at the center of the latest efforts to keep the next incident from happening.
NeeDoh Schylling squishy toy gel-filled stress toy third-degree burns hot car viral toy trend child safety emergency treatment packaging warnings United States news
Hot car plus squishy toy = why are we shocked.
Kids doing TikTok/Snapchat trends in 94 degree weather… and then it burns them. Like just keep it out of the car. Third-degree burns is insane.
Not trying to be that guy but if it exploded when she squeezed it, wouldn’t it be the toy’s fault? Like it sounds like they made it too pressurized or something. Also people around saying don’t take it off so it will rip skin off… that sounds backwards? I don’t know, just hate seeing kids hurt.
My cousin heated one of these in the microwave once (yeah I know, don’t ask) and it was all fine until it wasn’t. But I feel like parents keep getting told “it’s safe” and then it’s suddenly not. Also “viral trend around heating” like seriously, when will people stop putting gel toys in hot cars? The video part makes it worse too, like everyone’s watching instead of helping.