Squishmallows have become an absolute sensation. These super soft, squishy plush toys have captured the hearts of kids and adults alike with their cute designs and irresistible squish factor. But what exactly are Squishmallows, and why have they taken the toy world by storm? This in-depth guide will uncover everything you need to know about the Squishmallows craze.
What Are Squishmallows?
Squishmallows are round, oversized plush toys made by the company KellyToy. They come in a massive variety of designs, ranging from whimsical creatures like dragons and unicorns to food items like pineapples and hamburgers.
The defining features of Squishmallows are:
- Incredibly soft plush material – the ultra silky texture makes them satisfyingly squishy to hold and hug
- Round, chubby shape – the rotund bodies and large heads are super cute
- Range of designs – with new and limited collections frequently released
The first Squishmallows launched in 2017 to almost instant popularity. Thanks to their addictively squishy texture and cute appeal, it didn’t take long for them to reach viral sensation status.
These days Squishmallows have expanded into a huge brand, with a variety of sizes available and even spin-off merchandise like clothing and accessories. But at their core, the squishy plushies that started it all continue to be coveted and collected by fans of all ages.
Why Are Squishmallows So Popular?
So what exactly caused the Squishmallows craze? There are a few key reasons these plush toys have made such an impression:
- Sensory appeal – the soft, squeezable texture is soothing and extremely satisfying
- Cute, cheerful designs that inspire smiles
- Collectibility – with new limited editions constantly being released
- Viral popularity on social media – unboxing videos, photos, memes etc.
There’s just something about the tactile, squishy fabric that people find deeply comforting and addictive. The cute faces and cheerful themes exude pure joy. It’s an instant mood boost to cuddle a smiling pineapple or dragon plushie!
Plus, with hundreds of different Squishmallows available, it’s tempting to try and collect them all! Spotting a rare or limited edition release sparks excitement.
And in the era of Instagram and TikTok, anything cute and collectible is prime to go viral. Squishmallow videos rack up millions of views, further fueling the trend.
Overall the emotional comfort, cuteness, collectibility and social media fame have created the perfect storm of popularity for Squishmallows.
Why Peanut Butter and Jelly Squishmallows Caused a Frenzy
One of the most buzzed about limited edition Squishmallow ranges has been the peanut butter and jelly duo. These two round plushies resemble utter adorableness in the form of classic PB&J sandwiches – peanut butter on white bread for one, grape jelly on wheat bread for the other.
Fans immediately went crazy over this creative food concept for Squishmallows. The peanut butter and jelly theme represents the ultimate comfort and nostalgia, reminding people of being lovingly taken care of as a child. It’s an emotional, universal concept that brilliantly translates into soft huggable plushie form.
The charm and innocence of pretending snuggly plush sandwiches are your best friends is pure magic for both children and whimsical adults alike. It’s little surprise the PB&J Squishmallows caused such hysteria!
Why the London Edition Created Such a Frenzy
Shortly after the peanut butter and jelly release came another highly coveted limited range: the London edition Squishmallows!
Featuring classic London imagery like double decker buses, Beefeater guards and Shakespeare, these regal plushies put British elegance on full display. Squishmallow collectors, Anglophiles and London lovers couldn’t get their hands on them fast enough before stores sold out almost instantly.
Much like the PB&J range, the London edition tapped perfectly into themes close to people’s hearts – comforting classicism, royal British culture, and romanticized nostalgia of old England. Owning an adorable piece of London history as an ultra soft plush evidently creates incredible demand and scarcity in the market.
This London series and the peanut butter and jelly edition represent strokes of genius in the marketers playbook. By honing in on comforting, emotional themes and adeptly translating them into irresistibly cute plushie form, demand goes through the roof. Pair that psychological tactic with strategic underproduction and you have marketing magic.
The supply and demand effect goes into overdrive thanks to lines like the PB&J and London ranges. Hungry collectors become even more fanatical trying desperately to “catch ’em all” before they sell out online or in stores. And so the vicious collectability cycle continues, fueled by viral social media hype.
Squishmallows marketing team sure know what they’re doing when tapping into the human psyche to drive business performance!
The Psychology Behind Collecting Squishmallows
On the topic of psychology, let’s delve further into Squishmallows collector mentality. What causes people to become so utterly obsessed with hunting down plushies? It’s rather fascinating from a behavioral perspective!
The Desire to Collect “Sets”
Humans have an innate desire for completeness and order – finishing collections satisfies that yearning. It provides a sense of achievement, control and stability. Owning full series like the London or peanut butter and jelly editions delivers feelings of satisfaction and competence.
Even the overall act of hunting down Squishmallows taps into Collector mentality, by continually adding to one’s existing herd. Building expansive collections activates the brain’s reward system by allowing us to indulge our evolutionary need to gather and store. Perhaps we aren’t stashing meat for winter anymore, but collecting limited plushies provokes the same neural satisfaction.
The Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
When supplies are deliberately limited, as most special edition Squishmallows are, it ignites consumer anxiety. No one wants to miss out on cute plushies their friends own or see plastered over social media. This sparks competitive panic buying, generating exponential demand.
Limited availability combined with far-reaching viral marketing creates a potent fear of missing out that leaves collectors desperate to keep up.
Personality Appeal
Let’s not overlook that core Squishmallow appeal lies in their delightful personalities conveyed through charming facial expressions and whimsical themes. Owning multiple Squishmallows allows collectors to enjoy an array of delightful characters to lift their mood, like snuggling their own personal soft bubble of joy.
Building vast plushie families generates feelings of love and power. Ultimately, collectors don’t just crave completeness – they want to nurture and love their Squishmallow companions.
Why Are Squishmallows So Hard to Get?
Now that we’ve covered the psychological drivers behind Squishmallows collector culture, let’s talk about what fuels their frenzy: deliberate scarcity.
The master marketers behind the Squishmallows empire know exactly how to engineer viral hype and demand. By frequently releasing tempting new limited edition ranges with relatively small production runs, they leave hungry fans constantly battling over supplies.
This manufactured rarity tactic stimulates a constant buzz in online communities as people clamor over the latest releases. That social media chatter and anxiety over essentially “keeping up with the Joneses” converts into very real sales spikes once new collections do drop.
Of course once they sell out almost immediately, secondary market prices skyrocket which only intensifies demand for the next launch.
What we end up with is a form of burstiness that feeds off consumer anxieties – a volatile boom-bust cycle dictated by strategic marketing. Supply and demand ebbs and flows in extreme peaks and troughs, handing full control to the Squishmallows producers.
For collectors frustratingly trying to catch ’em all, it certainly feels like an endless game of cat and mouse dictated by the marketers. Every new release turns into a frantic battle royale to get your hands on before stocks plummet.
How Social Media Drives the Squishmallows Craze
Another key strategy that fuels the viral popularity of Squishmallows is leveraging social media influencers. The art of the unboxing video provides exponential marketing clout for brands, especially youth-skewing ones like Squishmallows.
Videos of enthusiasts excitedly revealing surprise Squishmallow packages offers a vicarious thrill for viewers. When influencers squeal over the latest limited release, it subconsciously trains audiences to deeply crave those same products through emotional contagion.
Watching someone marvel over a rare London edition plushie you also yearn for activates FOMO anxiety, while also providing enjoyment. This makes unboxing videos mutually beneficial for audiences and brands – win-win psychology.
Squishmallows further taps into influencer marketing by sending PR packages to prominent reviewers in the community. The brand relationships and free products convert into millions of impressions, amplifying the viral word-of-mouth contagion.
User-generated reviews and recommendations hold massive sway in today’s social-proof oriented world. Outside of unboxing hype, in-depth evaluations detailing texture, size and quality guides purchase decisions. If influential collectors give a new range the thumbs up, followers will scrabble to order.
So between leveraging FOMO psychology through unboxings, and mobilizing reviewers to spread organic endorsements, social media hands brands like Squishmallows endless free marketing possibilities.
Navigating the Limited Edition Squishmallow Hunt
For wannabe collectors determined to score their own limited edition plushies without paying outrageous resale rates, here are some top tips for securing the Squishmallows you crave:
- Sign up for newsletters and email lists – stay in the loop on new releases
- Follow official social accounts – for restock announcements
- Join Squishmallow groups – people often post intel on local store stocks
- Turn on notifications – be the first to snap up new drops as they come online
- Set calendar reminders for specific launch times
- Check retailers daily for surprise restocks
- Be prepared to shop quickly – limited supplies sell out in minutes
- Don’t give up hope if you miss out initially – persistence is key with restocks
While thehunt can be thrilling at times, the competition is undoubtedly fierce when rare Squishmallows hit the scene. Super fans utilize all tools possible to help catch drops in time – turning on post notifications, joining collector Telegram groups, following hashtags like #squishmallowhunt.
Intense? Absolutely. But for passionate collectors, no effort is too great for the plushies they love!
Why You Should Join the Squishmallows Community
Beyond just enjoying soft snuggly plushies, being part of the greater Squishmallows community offers a sense of belonging. Diehard fans can connect over their shared joy and collections through:
- In-person meetups – LOCAL EVENTS arranged through Facebook groups and Eventbrite
- Conferences – large CONVENTIONS like SquishCon allowing collectors to mingle
- Online forums – platforms like Reddit and Discords to DISCUSS releases
- Social media groups – follow HASHTAGS and join brand fan accounts
In a modern world grappling with increased disconnection and atomization, joining interests-based communities can provide meaningful social bonds. Friendships form as Squishmallows enthusiasts share their passion.
Even without in-person events, online spaces allow members to trade tips, show off hauls, enter giveaways and generally revel in their mutual appreciation. Shared emotional experiences – whether collective excitement when a rare plushie drops or commiserating over site crashes and sold out stocks – brings the community closer together.
At the end of the day, the ability to geek out over beloved mallow squishiness with likeminded folks across digital platforms or conventions is priceless.
Behind the Scenes: How Squishmallows Get Designed
Ever wonder what goes into designing these sensationally popular plushies? What’s the secret formula for creating cute plushie patterns that send consumers into a frenzy? Turns out extensive consumer research underpins the success.
The Squishmallows team isn’t just talented creatively – they leverage in-depth analytics to determine exactly what themes and textures customers crave most.
By amplifying the characteristics that rating data indicates consumers love and dialing down less favorable traits, they constantly refine and optimize new products to cater to target audiences.
Ongoing beta testing through focus groups and surveying diehard fans allows Squishmallows designers to have their fingers perfectly on the pulse. Concept iteration using crowdsourced opinions combined with leveraging trends predicted by predictive AI gives this plushie brand a proven blueprint for crafting coveted collections.
Yet despite all the high-tech consumer analytics, Squishmallows never lose sight of that special X-factor that initially skyrocketed them to fame – the whimsical cuteness embodied in every lusciously soft plush. Maintaining their signature sweet style in facial expressions and textures shows how they artfully blend consumer science with their original charm.
It just goes to show even viral sensations boiling over with hype still require meticulous iteration and testing behind the scenes!
Spin-Off Squishmallows Merchandise
Beyond just selling the signature round plushies, the runaway success of Squishmallows has seen the brand expand into almost every merchandising avenue imaginable! This includes:
- Apparel – t-shirts, hoodies, hats etc.
- Accessories – backpacks, mugs, tech cases
- Bedding – blankets, pillows, sheets
- Stationery – pens, notepads, stickers
- Homewares – lamps, keychains, laundry bags
Cashing in on the viral craze, the product diversification makes perfect business sense to boost revenue. Superfans keen to showcase their love for Squishmallows in every aspect of life are more than happy to emblazon their passions across clothing, bedroom décor, school gear and more.
Interestingly, the inflated demand for core plushie stock has led to occasional product scarcity even impacting peripheral lines like apparel. When purchasing mascot hoodies becomes just as competitive as hunting limited edition plushes, you know this brand has achieved pinch-yourself levels of fame! They’ve secured their status as not just a toy company, but a cultural phenomenon.
What Does the Future Hold for Squishmallows?
Looking ahead, what can we expect in terms of Squishmallows future trends and longevity? Well, thanks to the psychology of nostalgia, this cuddly brand boasts strong prospects for retaining popularity even through consumer trend cycles.
The plushies have already secured distinctly Millennial and Gen Z appeal, permeating schoolyards and dorm rooms globally as the “it” soft toy for youngsters.
Yet they simultaneously appeal to older consumers through their ability to tap into childhood joy and sentimentality. Interest spans generations due to the innate comfort we all crave. Just like viewers rate comfort shows like Friends so highly thanks to its familiarity, Squishmallows too feel like snuggly friends to call on whenever you need a mood lift.
That means even once the initial mania stabilizes from its current fever pitch, Squishmallows will likely remain a cultural mainstay.
Much like enduring brands like Care Bears and Beanie Babies that are still adored thanks to nostalgia, perhaps in 5 to 10 years time Millennials will be gifting Squishmallows to their own kids!
Sentiment aside, the masterminds steering Squishmallows marketing seem highly adept at keeping their fingers on the pulse of consumer psychology and predicting trends. With continually optimized product design based on tested formulas for cute appeal and tactile comfort, the product will undoubtedly have longevity.
However to prolong peak popularity as collectibles, exclusive ranges must continue stimulating viral chatter through manufactured scarcity. The product designers cook up cute concepts, while sales teams strategically dictate dilute availability. As long as the marketing sustains this cause-effect imbalance, the brand can likely ride both the highs and lows of trend cycles smoothly.
If they play their consumer manipulation strategy right, Squishmallows may just have the power to span multiple generation’s childhood memories!
Key Takeaways: Quick Summary
- Squishmallows are round ultra-soft plushies by KellyToy that have become a global viral sensation
- Their squishy texture, cute facial expressions and vast designs make them highly coveted
- Special limited editions like London and peanut butter and jelly themes cause particular FOMO hype
- Their deliberately strategic underproduction stimulates viral chatter and secondary market profits
- Social media unboxings and reviews by influencers further fuels Squishmallows mania
- Collectors obsess over gathering full sets, tapping into completionist psychology
- By optimizing designs using market research data, Squishmallows has mastered product-market fit
- Strong community bonds form with other fans sharing excitement and tips online
- Nostalgia for plushie brands means Squishmallows will likely retain sentimental longevity
Squishmallows FAQs
Still have some burning questions about all things Squishmallows? Below are answers to some frequently asked questions:
Where can I buy Squishmallows?
Popular retailers stocking Squishmallows include Target, Walgreens, Claire’s, Five Below, Costco, Kroger, Amazon third party sellers and the official Squishmallows website.
What sizes are available?
They come in 5″, 7″, 12″, 16″, 20″ and even giant 24″ options! The typical size is 12 inches.
How much do Squishmallows cost?
Regular Squishmallows retail between $15-$50 depending on the size and retailer. Limited editions can sell for upwards of $100+ resale.
How many Squishmallows exist?
There are untold hundreds of different Squishmallows plushies if you count retired/seasonal ranges! Given their viral status since 2017, many editions have come and gone.