There’s no doubt that the fuel crisis is causing some Australians to turn to desperate and questionable measures, like petrol stockpiling and drive-offs.
But ask any parent of a tween or teen, and they’ll tell you there’s another product in dire supply, and according to their children, it’s just as problematic.
Welcome to the great NeeDoh shortage of 2026.
But for those who have been living in a NeeDoh-free bubble and have no idea what I’m talking about, let me welcome you inside this squishy new reality.
What are NeeDohs?
NeeDohs are a brand of sensory squishy toys by toy manufacturer Schylling that, according to a recent article in New York Magazine, are known as the “king” of squishy toys and fidgets.
Launched in 2017, they come in different shapes, colours, and price points (but most are relatively cheap) and are known for their durability and quality.
Initially popular among adults and children with autism, ADHD and anxiety to relieve stress, NeeDohs found their way onto social media, where they quickly went viral.
They continue to trend on both Instagram and TikTok, with hundreds of thousands of ASMR and unboxing posts dedicated to the heart, cube, cat and sphere-shaped blobs the world over.
Paul Weingard, chief executive of Schylling, told Business Insider, “Literally, within the first nine weeks of the year, we’d sold through the whole year’s inventory.
“No company can plan for that. It’s been fantastic, overwhelming demand that just well outstrips our ability to replenish.”
The Australian NeeDoh shortage
This demand has caused shortages not only in the US but here in Australia too.
“I believe the NeeDoh Advent Calendar last year was responsible for the huge surge,” says Ewan McArthur, owner of Melbourne sensory store Sensory Connect.
“It went viral on TikTok and other platforms around the world. I had around a six-month stock holding which cleared out in 10 days.”
Matt Donkin, owner of Olivia and Grace Giftware in Mount Lawley, Western Australia, says demand remains high even after Christmas, and over the past few weeks, the store has sold nearly 2500 units, generating revenue of close to $30,000.
“We have almost $140,000 (at retail value) of stock on order, with shipments due between mid-May and September,” he says. “We saw the trend emerge and ordered up big, but even at the quantities we ordered, we couldn’t keep up.”
Spend a few minutes on social media and you will see why, with footage capturing queues usually reserved for the likes of Taylor Swift concert ticket sales or a new iPhone release, where adults and kids alike wait for hours outside stores before they open just to get their hands on a NeeDoh.
There are also Reddit threads dedicated to finding stores that stock NeeDohs, while TikTok and Instagram are filled with videos of people hunting down a NeeDoh, then sharing this information for the greater good.
A personal NeeDoh search
I can attest to the high demand, after being lured onto a NeeDoh hunt by my 13-year-old daughter. However, I quickly realised that I could personally use all of Australia’s remaining fuel supplies to help her desperate search for one, because every toy, novelty or gift store NeeDoh shelf was empty.
We received the same response everywhere we went: “We are out of stock, we won’t have more for months.”
After several hours, we returned home NeeDoh-less. Now desperate, we turned to what I’d hoped to avoid, which is what can only be described as the Wild West of online NeeDoh sellers.
There are NeeDoh bootleggers selling the squishies at far greater prices than retail – sometimes triple the cost – and inferior products that appear just like NeeDohs, but aren’t quite right.
Finding a genuine NeeDoh – which wouldn’t involve me selling a kidney to afford – was a long process.
Then finally, after hours of visiting every online gift store, reseller and marketplace possible, we found one. A hot-pink glow cube NeeDoh, for $14.95 (not including delivery), the last in stock on the site.
Upon my confirmation email, I took a deep breath and thought, “I’m in desperate need of something to help me de-stress”.
Now, maybe I need a NeeDoh?
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