Squishy Glossary, 29 Words from ASMR to Wax Cracking

This squishy glossary explains 29 words, from ASMR to wax cracking, in one to three sentences each. Most of them turn up in shop titles and squishy videos. Strip away the hype and nearly all of them describe one of two things. What the squishy is made of, and what it does when you press it.

Squishy materials at a glance

Almost every word below points back to one of five materials. Foam is where most squishies start, and you'll find plenty of it among our slow rising squishies.

All sizes and times in this glossary are maker's specs for products we stock.

A to C: ASMR to crunchy

ASMR

Videos built around quiet sounds recorded up close. With squishies that's mostly the crackle and crunch of a squeeze, which is why crunchy squishies are made for it.

Blind box

A sealed pack where you only find out which squishy you got once it's open. Collectors swap the doubles. Our squishy mystery box guide weighs a surprise pack against a set you pick yourself.

Butter

A squishy shaped like a block or stick of butter. It can be foam or a skin with gel inside, so the name only tells you the look. Our butter squishy guide covers the trend behind it.

CE mark

The maker puts the CE mark on a toy and says with it that the toy meets the EU toy rules. It is not a test seal from an independent lab.

Coconut oil

Clear, glossy squishies that look like a boiled sweet about to melt. The name is about the shine. For our coconut oil squishies the maker lists a petroleum jelly type gel inside, not actual coconut oil.

Crunchy

A squishy that makes a noise when you squeeze it. Some have tiny pieces in the filling that crackle every time, others a thin wax shell that cracks once. Our crunchy squishy guide explains both builds.

D to F: dumpling to fast rising

Dumpling

A squishy shaped like a filled dumpling or steamed bun, often sitting in a tiny bamboo steamer. It's a shape, not a material.

Cheap gel dumplings were behind several recalls in 2026. In the UK it was benzene in the skin. In the US the filling held water beads that were too big (CPSC).

Dumplings also come in plain foam with no filling at all. Our steamed bun is one of those and rises back slowly after a squeeze.

Steamed Bun Squishy, Slow Rising PU, 9 cmView

EN 71

The European safety standard for toys. Its parts run from small parts all the way to limits for heavy metals.

Fast rising

The opposite of slow rising. Let go and the squishy pops straight back. That's typical for TPR and mochi.

H to K: hunting to kawaii

Hunting

Squishy hunting means you go after one particular squishy and check one shop after another until you find it. So many fans do it that some US shops limit how many each customer can buy.

Jelly

Jelly describes the look. Clear and glossy with a little wobble, like a gummy sweet. Underneath it's usually TPR.

Jumbo

Jumbo and XXL both just mean big. Our jumbo squishies go from a carton that fits one hand to a cow that needs two.

Kawaii

Japanese for cute. On a squishy that means a little face with rosy cheeks on a round body, like our toast squishies with faces.

M and N: maltose to NeeDoh-style

Maltose

Named after malt sugar syrup. A maltose squishy has a clear TPR skin with a thick, syrupy mass inside. Solid TPR like a mochi springs straight back, but that mass puts the brakes on. So our maltose gel ball squeezes into any shape and only slowly finds its way back to round.

Mochi

Named after the Japanese rice cake. Mochi squishies are small and made of TPR, so they bounce back instead of rising slowly. Our mochi rice cake is just 4 cm (1.6 in) and stretches a long way.

NeeDoh-style

NeeDoh is a US brand of squishy cubes and balls with a chewy filling, and NeeDoh-style means anything built the same way. The originals sell out a lot, which is why so many fakes turn up. Our mini jelly ice cube is no NeeDoh, just a clear TPR cube of 2.5 cm (1 in).

P to R: PU foam to rebound

PU foam

Polyurethane foam is the light, airy stuff inside every slow rising squishy. New foam often smells a bit chemical. In September 2026 the Dutch authority NVWA found only small amounts of volatile chemicals in 19 squishies and advised airing new ones out (NL Times).

Rare and secret

Words from blind box series. A rare turns up less often than the other designs. A secret isn't pictured on the box at all, so you only learn it exists when someone opens one.

Rebound

How fast a squishy gets back into shape. Slow rebound is the same as slow rising. Non-rebound means it stays exactly the way you squeezed it, like a lump of clay.

S: Safety Gate to squish

Safety Gate

The EU's warning system for dangerous products, where authorities post recalls and warnings that anyone can search. Our guide are squishies safe collects the 2026 squishy warnings in one place.

Scented

Scented means a fragrance was added. Mostly it's sweet or milky. Our unicorn donut smells sweet and the maker recommends it from age 6. How long a scent lasts before it fades, nobody has properly measured.

Slow rising

Foam that comes back slowly after a squeeze. Our jumbo milk carton takes 5 to 7 seconds and weighs 59 g, about the same as an egg. The slow rising squishy guide explains what makes foam so slow.

Jumbo Milk Carton Squishy, Slow RisingView

Squish

The squeeze itself, and the feeling you get from it. Squishy grew out of it as an English word for soft and squashy, and then it became the name of the toy.

T to W: taba to wax cracking

Taba

Soft silicone you can stretch and knead, often shaped like a cat paw. Unlike foam it doesn't spring back. It stays the way you left it. Have a look at our taba squishies.

TPR

Short for thermoplastic rubber, the rubbery plastic behind mochi and many animal squishies. It's denser than foam, so a big TPR squishy feels solid. Our highland cow measures 14.5 × 11.5 × 15 cm (about 5.7 × 4.5 × 5.9 in) and needs two hands.

Trading

Swapping squishies with other collectors. You hand over a double or one you've gone off and get a different one back, on online trading boards or at meetups.

Unboxing

Unboxing means you open a pack on camera. It works best with blind boxes. Market researcher Circana counts unboxing and ASMR videos among the drivers of the 2026 squishy boom in the US.

Vaseline cheese

A see-through cheese cube with a petroleum jelly type gel inside, nicknamed "vaseline cheese" on TikTok. It barely bounces back and keeps every dent until you knead it again. Our jumbo jelly cheese is one of these.

Wax cracking

A thin wax shell around a soft core that cracks on the first squeeze. After that you've got a soft ball to knead, so the crack is a one-off. Sweep up the wax bits straight away.

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