Fresno stores can’t keep these viral squishy toys in stock. Here’s why
Inside Dollar Paradise in Fresno, aisles of colorful produce, blocks of cheese, chicken legs and sticks of butter line the shelves.
Look closer, though, and none of it is real.
They’re “squishy” toys, the latest viral toy trend that is prompting stores across Fresno to stock their inventory with a section of these novelties.
Dollar Paradise is one of the family-owned stores in Fresno customers are flocking to buy sensory toys. In the four years Dollar Paradise has been open, one of the owners, Kyle Schneider, has seen the trends evolve and change. It started with Hello Kitty branded items, then Labubus and blind boxes – which customers buy without knowing what’s inside – and finally landed on squishy toys.
Eighty percent of customers coming into Dollar Paradise recently have been looking for sensory toys, Schneider estimated.
NeeDoh was first produced by toy company Schylling in 2017. Palm-sized, squeezable, and available in a variety of colors, NeeDoh products exploded in popularity in early 2026, prompting stock shortages at stores across the nation.
Schneider says Dollar Paradise receives calls about NeeDoh toys multiple times a day, and they are the toy hardest to keep in stock.
Some of the bestsellers at the store are squishy toys filled with a viscous syrup-like gel, inspired by NeeDoh “Nice Cubes.” Another popular purchase is Dumplings, dumpling-shaped sensory toys with smiling faces, sold in a plastic steamer basket.
Jumbo Dumplings can sell for up to $34.99, while some smaller squishy toys can be as low as $1.99, Schneider said. When Dollar Paradise is able to secure a shipment of NeeDohs, the classic cubes sell for around $14.99, although prices can vary, he said.
“It’s made its own little market where some cost more than others,” Schneider said.
All three owners of Dollar Paradise, Schneider, Ben Benjamin, and Hussain Alfarh, have daughters. Schneider says the girls keep the store up to date on the trends.
Another Fresno business whose foot traffic has been dominated by the squishy toy craze is Fresno Treasures, located within the Hmong Mini Mall.
Owned by Sai Xiong, Fresno Treasures sells Hmong accessories, jewelry and blind boxes — but the bulk of their business, 90% according to Xiong, is from squishy toy sales.
Prior to opening Fresno Treasures, which has been operating out of the Hmong Mini Mall for about a year, Xiong sold toys at various pop-ups across Fresno. When squishy toys became popular, Xiong decided to bring the trend to her store.
Some of the bestsellers at Fresno Treasures include NeeDohs, shaving cream-filled squishy toys, and the classic foam toys priced anywhere from $5 to $20.
“As long as it’s anything squishy, they love it all,” Xiong said.
This story was originally published July 17, 2026 at 11:24 AM with the headline "Fresno stores can’t keep these viral squishy toys in stock. Here’s why."
