DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.
A seven-year-old girl was left in a coma after copying a trend she seen online involving a squishy toy.
Scarlett Selby was ‘copying a TikTok video’ she had seen in October 2024 by putting a NeeDoh Nice cube into the freezer and then putting it in the microwave.
According to the trend, the squishy toy was supposed to become more flexible after these steps were taken. However, immediately after taking the toy out of the microwave, it exploded in her hands.
The hot gel inside the cube went all over her face, hands and chest – causing her to cry out in a ‘blood-curdling scream’, according to her father.
Josh Shelby shared: “My first thought was to try and wipe it off her,”,
“Whenever I touched her, my hand stuck to her. It was really thick and sticky.”
She was rushed to the emergency room. Her mother, Amanda Blakenship, shared: “She was still screaming when we got to the hospital and it’s a good 30-minute drive from where we live.”
“It was terrible how scared she was and how much that hurt her.”
The child was put into a medically induced coma. Doctors were concerned that the severe burns to her mouth would cause her airways to swell, cutting off her air supply.
The parents have since told other parents to get rid of their NeeDoh cubes.
“If something can explode like that, it definitely shouldn’t be frozen,” Josh shared.
NeeDoh Nice cube, owned by Schylling, shared: “Ensuring the safety of our consumers is fundamental for Schylling,”, “We were disappointed to see there had been a trend on social media demonstrating product misuse of our NeeDoh® brand.”
“Misusing a NeeDoh product by microwaving, heating, or freezing is dangerous and may cause injury. Schylling has partnered with social media companies, such as TikTok, to remove influential content containing NeeDoh product misuse.
“Additionally, Schylling has added a product warning to NeeDoh packaging and our website to help combat product misuse. Schylling has made the Consumer Product Safety Commission aware and will continue to cooperate with them.”
The company previously had a warning on their website that read: ‘Do NOT heat, freeze, or microwave, may cause personal injury’.
The child was given a feeding tube for her stay in hospital due to the severe burns on her mouth. She remained under care for one week, before being released without needing skin grafts.
Her parents worry she may need grafts in the future due to the ‘profound’ scarring.