![[Science Olympiad members at Princeton Invitational (in no particular order): Insuh (Sarah) Baek, Edmond Hod, Joe Kuwama, Seiichiro Takayama, Dominick Miller, Ganghyun (Tony) Yoo, Kiran Muttiah, Noah Jackson, Yuval Amitai, Adir Shatldryd, Edward Wang, Hillary Xie, Henry Lee, Ananjay Anchillia, and Jehee Nam]](https://thetenaflyecho.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/THS-SCIOLY-Team-2025-1200x675.jpg)
Do you recall how popular Fidget Spinners were? Back when we would bring them to school and hold contests to see whose spinner could spin the longest? And what about Pop Its? Do you remember the rapid rise of those during quarantine? A new toy designed to help people “self-regulate” and focus takes over every few years. The current trend is the NeeDoh. It’s just a tiny, simple cube filled with a slimy substance, a non-toxic PVA glue compound. So what makes this toy the latest obsession?
According to Bigjigs Toys, the NeeDoh was developed by a US toy company named Schylling as a “soothing sensory toy.” It is available in various sizes and colors to accommodate everyone’s preferences.
So, if the NeeDoh is just a block, what makes it so fun? Unlike the typical mushy stress balls, the Needoh differentiates itself with its dense texture. With just a squeeze, the fidget molds into your grip. It starts hard, and as you continue to knead, it gets softer and warmer. No matter what shape you mold it in, it will always return to its original form.
The NeeDoh craze started on TikTok when ASMR videos and reviews went viral. “I saw them all over TikTok and wanted to play with them,” Isabella Cheng (’26) said. “Watching all the videos of people playing with them made them look super appealing, so the more videos I saw, the more I wanted one.”
Not only are NeeDohs fun to play with, they also have benefits that attract students. According to Brown University Health, fidget tools like the NeeDoh “can help anyone, but they can be especially beneficial for individuals with diagnoses such as anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). These tools help build coping skills for individuals with such diagnoses, as they may often impact sustained attention, sensory processing or regulation skills.”
“I now have a few NeeDohs and play with them all day,” Cheng said. “Instead of being on my phone during class, I spend time squishing the toy, which helps me stay focused and is ultimately a great stress reliever.”
The mystery of how long the NeeDoh will remain popular stands. Will it slowly fade like the Pop It and Fidget Spinner did, or will it stay around for the long run?
