MICHELLE MILLER:
00:00:43
Even celebrities are doing the most online and in person. Simply put, kids of all ages are going gaga for plushables-- the cute and not so cute. [GIGGLES AND FARTS] We're calling this "newstalgic."
MICHELLE MILLER:
00:00:58
Toy insider Adrienne Appell. It's that nostalgic toy, but it has a new twist, and everything old is new again.
MICHELLE MILLER:
00:01:07
What boomers used to call stuffed animals have gotten a whole new makeover and viral upgrade too, branded with names like Squishmallows-- Squish, collect, repeat.
MICHELLE MILLER:
00:01:19
--Labubu-- (SINGING) Labubu.
MICHELLE MILLER:
00:01:22
--Purryfuls-- [PURRING] --Fuglers, and a host of others. I think it's going to continue to grow in popularity. What's great about it is you can customize it. So trends that are happening across the board in fashion and food, that can be translated to the squishy and the plush. We sell three Squishmallows per second. What? Jazwares' Jeremy Padawer gets it. That's crazy. I know.
MICHELLE MILLER:
00:01:47
As chief brand officer for the makers of Squishmallows and other trendsetters like Pokémon and Hello Kitty, he gave us the tour of the company's Culver City headquarters, now ranked as a top-five toy seller in the world. And a brand like Hello Kitty--
MICHELLE MILLER:
00:02:03
Adding to the craze? Brand collaborations with McDonald's, Puma, Crocs, even HarryPotterandStar Wars. It all started with Japan's kawaii style, a pop culture aesthetic that literally translates into cute, tiny, or lovable. Our designers were greatly inspired by the things that they saw in Japan-- ultra plush, ultra soft, stretchy, fun. Designer Yazin DeBeauvoir-- I've been training for this my whole life.
MICHELLE MILLER:
00:02:34
--was an early fan of the brand, on the job now for just under a year. You take inspiration from basically everywhere. You're walking down a grocery aisle. You still have to maintain that squish shape, the eyes, the smile. These guys were trying to take our iconic character, Wendy, and trying to give her a little bit more Easter pizzazz, giving sunglasses, maybe even twerking the belly a little bit.
MICHELLE MILLER:
00:02:58
Twerking the belly. Take me through the process of when an idea hits. So right now, I feel like what's in are these cutesy overalls. You start with just a simple egg shape, and you're like, let's build a skirt on top. So are you thinking popularity? Absolutely. And social media plays a huge role.
MICHELLE MILLER:
00:03:16
Thanks to people like this content creator who goes by the name Dani Squish. So your bedroom is the place where the plushies live. This is the wall, the great wall of plush. This is where it all happens. Wow. Do these have a street value? I probably have anything from $0.01 to probably like $500 or $600. That little pumpkin kitty up there, this one's probably-- actually, this little dude is probably one of my most valuable.
MICHELLE MILLER:
00:03:46
Her childhood obsession began with Build-a-Bear, was suspended in college-- It just wasn't cool.
MICHELLE MILLER:
00:03:53
--and picked up again at a gift shop on vacation. It just had a bunch of Squishmallows. And I got one. And then one turned into five. And five turned into 20. And 20 turned into 300.
MICHELLE MILLER:
00:04:05
That hobby is now a bona fide side hustle. Her social media posts-- I usually kind of turn it around this.
MICHELLE MILLER:
00:04:12
--take brands to another level, earning this part time influencer more money than she and her husband make on their day jobs combined. For kids who need attachment work or anything, it's almost like a womb in here.
MICHELLE MILLER:
00:04:25
Why are we so obsessed? Play therapist Dr. Sheryl Ziegler Denver says it's simple. They're also sometimes using them to help them with sleep, to help them feel comfort, safety, security. It reduces stress. And so just like when they were probably younger and had a favorite stuffy or a favorite blanket that brought them that sense of security, when you fast forward to adulthood, it can do the same thing. Was it a product that met the need of the time? In 2020, Squishmallows was there for the pandemic. And we knew that people needed a community. And it was aging up. When we did all our studies, it was girls, it was men, it was women, and it was 18-plus. And it was a remarkable time for us to develop a brand around that.
MICHELLE MILLER:
00:05:15
For the last five years, Jazwares has donated hundreds of thousands of Squishmallows to those who need it most and this year to hundreds more who fell victim to the Southern California wildfires--
JEREMY PADAWER:
00:05:28
So this is our street.
MICHELLE MILLER:
00:05:30
--among them Jeremy Padawer, who also lost his home in the Palisades fire. With so much to deal with in our brave new world, those leaning into this huggable moment might just be on to something. How do you effectively hug a Squishmallow? Well, to me it's a full-on bear hug. I like to go all the way in, with a large-- like, grab the elbows, and go all the way in and get a big hug because you can feel it. You can feel it all over your body. It gets a lot of tension out. Would you like to try hugging? I would like to try. I'm going to hug him face forward. [SQUEALS] I've never done that before. See, that's what we're looking for. That's what we're looking for. Actually, I'm kind of not wanting to let go. It really had that effect. How does it feel? It's great. By the way, I said to you, just petting them. They're so soft. Oh, they're so soft. They are more huggable and more lovable than your average stuffed animal. See, we started the show with tears, and now here's comfort. I know, comfort. It's the best. And you're never too old. But I can't believe the money. But yeah, no, and I think the irony of the man running the company for this comfort stuffie is now offering him a sigh of relief out of the fires, being a victim, a survivor of the Palisades fires. So I love that part of the story too. Soft and wonderful. Thanks, Michelle.
