A 7-year-old Missouri girl, Scarlett Selby, slipped into a coma after a popular toy exploded during her participation in a viral TikTok challenge. The incident unfolded as Scarlett attempted to mimic a challenge she had seen on TikTok and YouTube, involving a squishy stress cube called NeeDoh. The challenge required the toy, made of rubber and filled with polyvinyl alcohol, to be frozen and then microwaved to make it more flexible.
Josh Selby, 44, Scarlett’s father, recounted the horrifying incident. He explained that Scarlett had frozen the NeeDoh cube the previous night and was playing with it the following day. As she microwaved it and checked its temperature, the toy exploded, splattering her face and chest with hot, sticky substance.
Selby immediately rushed to his daughter’s side, struggling to remove the burning substance from her skin and clothes. The substance was thick and sticky, making it challenging to remove. Scarlett’s parents, Josh Selby and Amanda Blankenship, 35, transported her to the St. Louis Children’s Hospital, a 30-minute drive during which Scarlett was in extreme pain.
Upon reaching the hospital, doctors put Scarlett into a medically induced coma due to fears that the burns on her mouth might cause her airways to swell and close. The burns were so severe that she had to be fed through a tube during her weeklong hospital stay.
Doctors opted not to perform a skin graft on Scarlett during her hospitalization, but her mother is concerned that she may require one in the future due to the severity of her scarring. Blankenship, a hairdresser, stated they would wait a few years to see how Scarlett’s body develops and how the scar matures before making a decision.
The scars have also left emotional wounds. Blankenship revealed that Scarlett often cries when she sees her reflection and attempts to conceal her scar in public. Despite the traumatic experience and the physical scars, Blankenship reassures her daughter that she is still beautiful and that her scars are part of her identity.
In response to the incident, Selby is encouraging other parents to dispose of any NeeDoh products they might have. He likened the substance inside the toy to glue, making it extremely hazardous when heated. The manufacturer, Schylling Toys, has a warning on their website against heating, freezing, or microwaving the toy as it may result in personal injury.
Despite TikTok’s warnings against promoting dangerous activities and challenges, incidents like this continue to happen. In April 2024, a 12-year-old boy from Arizona sustained severe burns when he attempted to ignite rubbing alcohol as part of a TikTok challenge.