The History of Squishmallows

Squishmallows are oval-shaped plush toys made from a very soft, stretchy material. They were designed in the mid-2010s by Sunny Cho, who worked for KellyToys. The first batch of Squishmallows was released in 2017 and included eight plushes: Cam the Cat, Wendy the Frog, Fifi the Fox, Hans the Hedgehog, Piper the Penguin, Puff the Penguin, Hoot the Owl, and Holly the Owl. The toys were originally only sold at amusement parks and in specialty shops, making them hard to find. Then in 2019, the toy maker Jazwares bought KellyToys and Squishmallows were sold at more retailers. When the pandemic hit in 2020, Squishmallows exploded in popularity and became sought-after comfort items for people of all ages. Squishmallows are also often collected by enthusiasts and discussed on social media. The rarest Squishmallow is Jack the Black Cat. Today, there are over 1,000 different Squishmallows that are sold in multiple countries around the world.