User:Mstew27/Squishmallows

Squishmallows are plush toys created by manufacturer Kellytoy, first released in 2017. Marketed as each having their own unique personality, Squishmallows are based off of animals, fantasy creatures, and occasionally inanimate objects, like food or planets. As of 2021, over 50 million units have been sold in stores all over the world.

Types
Squishmallows are manufactured in several sizes, including 3.5 inch clip ons, 5 inch, 7 inch, 8 inch, 12 inch, 16 inch, 20 inch, and the largest size being 24 inches. They are made of a woven spandex material, and filled with polyester stuffing. This results in a unique, extremely soft and squishy texture and feeling when squeezed or hugged. Squishmallows also have a very simplistic designs, lacking limbs or even mouths for the most part. Certain squishmallows have either tails, horns, or manes, dependant on their characters. Each character comes with a name and biography, listing either their hobbies, likes and dislikes, or fun facts. Squishmallows are separated into themed 'squads', usually based on types of animals, foods, or other related themes.

Products
Despite being primarily stuffed animals, Kellytoy has branched out with the Squishmallows IP to create many other types of Squishmallows and products. Some of these include 'Flip-A-Mallows', Squishmallows with two different characters in one, 'Stackables' which are flat character pillows that can be stacked on top of each other, Squishadoo's, Squishmallows marketed as having fun hairstyles, and finally 'Mircomallows' and 'Squishville', petite, plush versions of characters that also come with play-sets, similar to toys like Littlest Pet Shop and Calico Critters. Other than plush products, the Squishmallow brand has branded food (cookies and gummies), clothing (slippers, hats, and gloves), and pet toys (pet beds and plush dog/cat toys).

Collaborations
Kellytoy and the Squishmallows brand have repeatedly collaborated with other popular brands with successful IP's, such as Disney, Sanrio, and Hersheys. Some of these products based on their characters include toys based off of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story,Hello Kitty, and Hershey chocolates and candy. Squishmallows also manufacture exclusive toys for Cedar Fair theme parks, based off of their roller coasters and attractions. Some of these parks include Canada's Wonderland, King's Island, and Cedar Point.

United States
Squishmallows are sold around in several places around the world, but are most popular in the United States. Some places they are sold there include:


 * Walmart
 * Amazon
 * Party City
 * Learning Express
 * Target
 * Claires
 * Costco
 * Five Below   Many of these retailers also carry exclusive characters and sizes.

International Availability
Some other countries where Squishmallows are sold include Canada, Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Canada

 * Giant Tiger
 * Indigo
 * Costco
 * Shopper's Drug Mart
 * Showcase
 * Winners

United Kingdom

 * Asda
 * Tesco
 * B&M
 * Toymaster

Others

 * Costco (in Spain, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan)
 * Pricesmart Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama)
 * Toys R Us (in South Africa)

Social Media
The Squishmallows brand is currently active on many forms of social media, such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok with a combined following of 739,268 users across each platform.

Target Audience
Squishmallows are primarily marketed to children and infants, but have found increasing popularity among teenagers and adults. Squishmallows are often bought for resembling favourite animals, or given as gifts.

Popularity
Due to the introduction of Squishmallows on social media sites, such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, they have become one of the most popular and sought out toys in the market. Squishmallows are most commonly compared to the 'Beanie Baby' boom of the 1990's. Due to their being so many characters, retailers, and areas where they are sold, many Squishmallows are rare or difficult to find. Jack, a black cat Squishmallow that was made in small quantities, was recorded being resold for $2000 USD.

Scammers and Resellers
Because of their insane popularity around the globe, Squishmallows, like any other collectible, are often the target of resellers and hackers. Since most Squishmallows are manufactured and then discontinued to make room for other styles, many buyers will buy large quantities and resell on Amazon, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace. These Squishmallows are usually marked up to higher amounts than originally sold for.