Trial and Error: Squishies are taking over slime and fidget spinners

Gracie and Liana were thrilled to relieve their stress with squishies.

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The rise of tactile kids toys began with slime - which you may or may not have totally enjoyed helping your kids make - moved on to blink-and-you'll-miss-them fidget spinners and now it looks like squishies are the must-have toy of the moment.

According to sales data from The Warehouse, in the first week of stocking a new range of the spongy, colourful toys, no less than 5000 flew off the red shed's shelves.

Meanwhile, YouTubers are quickly racking up views with videos about squishies; much like the Instagram accounts dedicated to slime that garnered hundreds of thousands of followers, it seems there's something inexplicably satisfying about just watching a hand manipulate a malleable object, especially when it has a cute face on it.

So our resident toy-testers Gracie and Liana took some time away from their keyboards to sit down with a box of these fragrant, friendly-faced little toys and find out what all the hype's about.

Here are three things they discovered about squishies, the latest craze in kids toys.

The latest trend in toys, squishies retail from $4 at The Warehouse. Photo / The Warehouse

1. Squeezing squishies feels really, really good

Similar to a stress ball, our toy testers discover they're incredibly satisfying to give a good squeeze. Or, as Liana notes, they induce an Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR), otherwise known as "the chills" or a slight tingling sensation.

2. They're worth a whiff

In addition to their tactile delights, squishies also smell divine: The little strawberry squishy smells just like the fruit while the others, from a smiling pie slice to a cheerful cup of coffee also seem to emit a pleasant, sweet fragrance.

3. They're definitely not just for kids

Gracie finds a favourite in a little purple coffee cup and says whenever she's feeling a bit stressed, a squeeze of her squishy brings some momentary relief.

Both Gracie and Liana found the squishy toys to be lots of fun.

The final verdict

Both Gracie and Liana found the toys incredibly satisfying. They gave the squishy trend the Trial and Error tick of approval.