Slow Rising Squishy Guide, Why the Foam Takes Its Time
A slow rising squishy is made of soft PU foam that keeps your thumbprint for a few seconds before it climbs back, and that slow climb is the whole point. Squash our milk carton flat and it needs about 5 to 7 seconds to stand up again. A fast rising squishy made of rubbery TPR is back in shape almost as soon as you let go.
Quick answer
Slow rising squishies are made of PU foam, a light plastic foam full of tiny air pockets that fill up again slowly. Fast rising ones are usually TPR, a soft rubber-like plastic that springs straight back. If yours suddenly rises faster or slower than before, check the room temperature first. Worn-out foam can't be repaired.
Most pieces in our slow rising collection are this kind of foam, from bread rolls to animals. Each product text names the material wherever the maker gives one.
What makes squishies slow rising?
PU is short for polyurethane. It is the same family of plastic foam you find in kitchen sponges and memory foam pillows. Squishy makers use a soft version with very little bounce. They often call it slow rebound foam.
Two things slow it down. The foam itself reacts sluggishly, a bit like cold honey. On top of that, every squeeze pushes air out of thousands of tiny pockets, and the air needs a moment to find its way back in.
TPR stands for thermoplastic rubber. It is a solid, stretchy plastic without air pockets, so there is nothing to refill and it snaps back. The exception is maltose style TPR, named after sticky malt candy. It is thick and chewy and also eases back slowly, but it feels like dough rather than foam.
| Squishy | Material | How fast it comes back | Age, per maker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jumbo milk carton | PU foam | about 5 to 7 seconds | not stated |
| Unicorn donut | PU foam | "super slowly" | 6 and up |
| Cat with ice cream | PU foam | "super slowly" | 6 and up |
| Kawaii toast with face | PU foam | slowly, bit by bit | 14 and up |
| Cat paw bread bun | PU foam | slowly | not under 3 |
| Lying panda | TPR | pops right back | not stated |
| Muscle pig | TPR | bounces back | not stated |
Everything in this table comes from the makers' own product pages. Only the milk carton comes with a time in seconds. "Super slowly" is the maker's phrase for the unicorn donut, and nobody gives a number for it.
Slow rising or fast rising, which one suits you?
Pick slow rising if you like to watch. You press a deep dent into the jumbo milk carton and put it down. The face comes back while you finish a sentence.
Pick fast rising if your hands never stop. In class or on a long call you squeeze again and again, and a slow riser is still half flat when you reach for it. The lying panda made of TPR pops back into its round shape when you let go, so every squeeze feels the same.
Weight changes the feel as well. The muscle pig is made of TPR and weighs about 295 g, while foam squishies of a similar size are a lot lighter. A heavy squishy pushes back against your fist. A foam one gives way without a fight.
For a gift where you don't know the person's taste, slow rising foam is the classic choice. It is what most people picture when they hear the word squishy.
Why is my squishy not slow rising anymore?
Rising faster than it used to? Then it is most likely just warmer than usual. Foam from the memory foam family goes soft and quick when it is warm and stiff and sluggish when it is cold.
In summer or next to a heater it bounces back faster and feels floppier, while one from a cold windowsill takes its time. That is general knowledge about this kind of foam, not something we measured ourselves.
One maker even prints a temperature of 22 to 28 °C on the photos of a maltose glitter heart, probably the range where it feels best. For foam, normal room temperature is enough. Never warm a squishy on a radiator, with a hair dryer or in the microwave.
Try it yourself
Grab the timer on your phone. Press the squishy flat with your thumb for three seconds and time it from the moment you let go until the dent is gone. Hold it in your warm hands for a minute and time it again. Then pop it in a zip bag in the fridge for ten minutes and try a third time. If the times change a lot, temperature is doing most of the work on your squishy.
If it is still much quicker than when it was new after a few hours at room temperature, wear may be the reason. Every hard squeeze stretches the thin walls between the air pockets, and after many months some of them tear. The foam then usually turns softer and flatter. How much that changes the speed, and after how many squeezes, has never been measured properly.
A new squishy that spent its trip squashed in a parcel may also look a little flat at first. Give it a day at room temperature before you judge it. We ship to most EU countries and to Australia and New Zealand, and the shipping page has the costs and details. If it arrives torn or you got the wrong item, send photos within 14 days to support@squishyvault.com.
Cold foam comes back to normal once it is warm again. Worn foam doesn't, and no trick will bring the slow rise back. For cleaning and small tears, read our squishy care and repair guide.
Which slow rising squishies suit kids?
The makers' age labels differ a lot. The unicorn donut is recommended from 6 and the kawaii toast from 14. The cat paw bread bun only says "not suitable for children under 3". Where no age is given, keep it away from children under 3.
Careful
Don't let children bite or chew foam squishies, and take a torn one away because torn foam crumbles. A few squishies in the slow rising range have gel inside, like the apple with fruit pieces. Those are not for small children. Never bite or heat them, and don't cut them open.
Jumbo Strawberry Cake Squishy, Slow RisingView
Round Bun Squishy, Small Bread Roll 6 cmView
Capybara Squishy, Slow Rising with Turtle or Strawberry HoodView
FAQ
How long does a slow rising squishy take to rise?
Usually a few seconds, but most makers don't give a number. Our jumbo milk carton is the exception at about 5 to 7 seconds. Words like "super slow" have no fixed meaning, so the stopwatch test above tells you more than any product title.
Why does a new slow rising squishy smell?
Fresh foam often smells of solvents. The Dutch safety authority NVWA looked at 19 squishies in September 2026 and found small amounts of such substances, NL Times reported on 24 September 2026. The NVWA advises airing them out. Leave a new squishy in a ventilated room until the smell is gone.
Is a mochi squishy slow rising?
No. Mochi squishies are small and made of TPR or silicone, so they feel rubbery and spring back quickly. Only maltose style pieces feel similarly slow, and even those are chewy rather than foamy. Our types of squishies guide sorts every kind by what it is made of.
Does the fridge fix a squishy that rises too fast?
Probably only for a while. Cold foam rises more slowly, but it goes back to how it was once it warms up again. Cold won't make worn foam new either. Nobody has shown this properly, so try it yourself with the timer test above.
