The injury followed a viral challenge involving freezing and microwaving a squishy toy.
BRISTOL, England — A 10-year-old girl was hospitalized after a NeeDoh squishy toy burst during a social media challenge, spraying hot gel onto her face and leaving burns that doctors said may affect her for years.
The child, identified by her mother as Bella, was hurt at a friend’s house in Hartcliffe, Bristol, after children tried a viral trick meant to make the toy softer and more stretchy. Her mother, Charlotte, 42, said the toy had been placed in a freezer and then heated in a microwave before it burst. The case renewed concern about online challenges involving common household items and toys, especially after similar burn injuries were reported in the United States.
Bella’s mother said the children were copying videos that showed people freezing and microwaving NeeDoh toys. The toys are soft, colorful fidget products that are often squeezed, stretched or shaped by hand. In this case, Charlotte said the toy’s outer layer hid how hot the filling had become. When another child squeezed it, the toy split open and the heated gel hit Bella’s face. Charlotte said Bella came home crying and visibly burned. “It looked like she’d been whacked in the face,” she said. She said she saw redness, missing skin and blisters soon after the accident.
Bella was taken for medical care and later referred to a burns unit, her mother said. Doctors told the family she may need to keep her face out of the sun for at least two summers. Charlotte said doctors were not yet sure whether the burns would scar. She said the gel did not get into Bella’s eye, which she described as a lucky break. The family did not release Bella’s full name. No public agency had announced an investigation into the Bristol injury by Monday, and there was no public report of a product recall tied to the case.
NeeDoh toys are made by Schylling, a Massachusetts-based toy company. The company’s safety warning says the products should not be heated, frozen or microwaved because misuse may cause personal injury. The NeeDoh line includes squishy toys with gel-like fillings, and the company has said some products contain materials such as polyvinyl alcohol or maltose-based filling. The products are sold as tactile toys for squeezing and sensory play. The challenge changed that normal use by putting the toys through temperature changes the manufacturer says they are not made to handle.
The Bristol injury was not the first serious burn linked to a microwaved NeeDoh toy. In 2025, 7-year-old Scarlett Selby of Festus, Missouri, was placed in a medically induced coma after a NeeDoh toy exploded and burned her face and chest. Her family said she had frozen the toy overnight, then microwaved it after seeing videos online. Doctors were concerned that swelling near her mouth could affect her breathing. She later faced scarring and possible future skin grafts. Her parents said the hot filling stuck to her skin and clothing after the toy burst.
Reports of similar injuries continued into 2026. In Illinois, 9-year-old Caleb Chabolla of Plainfield suffered second-degree burns to his face, ear and hands on Jan. 20 after microwaving a NeeDoh Nice Cube before school. His mother, Whitney Grubb, said she first thought he was warming breakfast until she heard him scream. The toy burst when he opened the microwave, and the thick gel stuck to his skin. Caleb was treated at Loyola University Medical Center’s Burn Center in Maywood, Illinois, where staff said he was the fourth child they had treated that year for injuries tied to the trend.
Loyola burn outreach coordinator Kelly McElligott said the gel can cause deeper injury because it stays hot and sticks to skin. “The people who are getting hurt don’t necessarily post the TikToks,” McElligott said. “You’re just seeing the fun ones where it looks cool.” Caleb’s mother said his vision was not damaged, though one eye had swollen shut. He was released after hospital treatment and later returned to school. His case was shared during National Burn Awareness Week as hospitals and families tried to draw attention to the pattern.
Another case was reported in Cleveland in April, when a 10-year-old girl suffered second-degree burns to her hands and fingers after trying what local officials called the “Microwave NeeDoh TikTok Challenge.” John Kearns of the Cleveland Fire Department said the injury could have been worse if the burns had reached the child’s face. The Ohio School Safety Center had issued a warning in March that the trend could lead to burns, fires and equipment damage. Local reports said the Cleveland child had placed the toy in a microwave to make it softer.
TikTok has said its rules do not allow content that promotes dangerous activities, stunts or challenges that could cause serious harm. Reports on the challenge said the platform redirects some related searches to safety information and removes violating content when it finds it. Still, families and doctors said the videos can spread through reposts, private messages and word of mouth before they are removed. In Caleb’s case, his mother said he heard about the idea from a friend rather than directly from a video.
Consumer Reports has also raised concerns about squishy fidget toys more broadly, citing complaints that some products can split open and expose children to sticky gel. The group previously urged the Consumer Product Safety Commission to examine the NeeDoh Nice Cube and similar toys after reports of burns, blisters and irritation. Schylling has said it added product warnings and made the CPSC aware of the issue. The company has also said it worked with social media platforms to remove content showing product misuse.
Charlotte said she shared Bella’s injuries publicly because she wanted other families to know about the trend. She said parents contacted her after the accident and pointed out that the same challenge had injured other children. Bella remained under medical follow-up after the burns, and her family was waiting to learn whether the wounds would leave lasting scars.
Author note: Last updated May 4, 2026.