NeeDohs. They’ve been everywhere recently. It seems like in every class, there’s always someone in a corner somewhere squishing their blue rubber cubes. In the Target toy aisle, the shelf that’s supposed to be fully stocked with various squishes is usually quite barren. But NeeDohs are far from the first fidget toy that has captured the attention of the SA.
Over the years, there have been many waves of fidget toys that have captured our generation. We have played with homemade slime of all different variations: butter, cloud or clear to name a few. Then we moved on to fidget spinners, and after that, foam unicorn squishies. I’ve seen many stress balls at the lunch table in my day, and no one could forget the great Pop-It epidemic of 2021.
2026 is all about 2016. The 2016 Coachella style is back, and jeans are starting to get skinny again. 2016 was also one of the most important years in fidget toy history–it had fidget spinners and slime. In 2016, Ava Abate (‘27) had a galaxy print fidget spinner. She told me, “My babysitter at the time said, if I did whatever, I don’t remember what I did, but if I did it, I could have anything I wanted in the world. And I said that I wanted this galaxy fidget spinner.”
Abate takes her fidget toys seriously. Throughout the years, what toys are popular changes, but she has been a strong participant in every trend. She told me that she was a “full on slime kid.” She even received the ultimate badge of honor for any slime-obsessed 8 year old: running a slime business so successfully that you are the one to get slime banned from your school.
Many people who play with fidget toys are doing it for the fidgeting. Layla Zekarias (‘26), explained, “From a young age, I’ve always liked doing things with my hands. When I’m working I just don’t like being in a classroom environment, sitting around and not being able to fidget, because I have ADHD.” For Zekarias, being able to fidget helps her concentrate and deal with energy during times where it’s necessary to focus. Zekarias has also used NeeDohs to help her with hand injuries during basketball season.
Interestingly, Abate and Zekarias have totally different reasons for their obsessions. What Abate likes is the act of collecting. She started collecting different toys at 5 years old, when she discovered Shopkins. For her, what matters most about collecting toys is the connections made along the way. “When everyone can bond over the fidget toy they’re currently obsessed with, I just feel like it’s a fun way to make friends. I made friends with Thea last year through her NeeDohs. I just really feel like my obsession has built me a real community.”
All the fun to be had in playing with and collecting fidget toys comes from so many varied places. It begs the question: what makes a fidget toy good or bad? Are all of them equally good?
Ivanna Barssé (‘26) thinks she has the answer. Barssé bought a couple of knock-off NeeDohs from Amazon, but they all broke within a couple of days. Despite being a lover of slime, she actually skipped out on squishies when they were all the rage. She theorized, “Maybe it’s because once I broke them, I couldn’t put them back together… I love digging into them, but once you do, they’re like, all dead and broken and horrible.”
She brings up an interesting point. Some fidgets, like slime, have had staying power over time even after their main period of cultural relevance ended. On the other hand, I haven’t seen a unicorn squishy since fifth grade.
We all have our own reasons for obsessing over the latest fidget trends.
Personally, I love making slime the most. There’s nothing like the feeling of buying a whole bunch of glue and borax from Target, and then setting out at the kitchen table to make your new creation. It was tough living in a pod detergent household when I desperately needed liquid tide to make my creations.
I also really like playing with squishies because it keeps me from biting my nails. When I’m nervous or stressed, I tend to bite my fingernails, and it’s a really bad habit. If I have something to fidget with in my hands, then it soothes my stress and keeps them busy, so I don’t bite them.
Maybe the reason why fidgets have continued to be so popular amongst our generation is because everybody likes different ones and for their own reasons. If only one type blew up once, and people only liked it for one thing, then it surely would have faded into obscurity by now.
