3 Seconds, 1 Crunch: China's Latest Stress-Relief Toy Craze

A squeeze, a sharp crack and the shell breaks apart. For buyers of "crunchy squishies," that moment – sometimes lasting just 3 seconds – is what they are paying for.

The crunchy squishy have become popular on social media, where videos show people crushing models of tomatoes, chocolate bars and sticks of butter. Fans say the combination of sound, texture and the sight of the shell breaking helps them relax.

Unlike conventional squishy toys, which regain their shape after being squeezed, the crunchy coating cannot be restored. Some versions have a soft core that can still be kneaded, but the initial crunch happens only once.

Chinese celebrities including singer and actor Wang Junkai and actress Sun Yi have also joined the craze. Related topics on Douyin have drawn more than 2.4 billion views, according to Shanghai Morning Post.

The cost has given some buyers pause.

Basic versions sold online for a few yuan to around 30 yuan, while elaborate handmade designs could reach 100 yuan (US$14.98), Lanjing News reported. Overseas prices commonly ranged from US$5 to US$15.

"I wanted to buy a few to relieve stress," one comment cited by Lanjing News read. "Then I saw the price and felt more stressed.

Video creators sometimes spend hundreds or thousands of yuan buying toys to crush on camera. Popular livestream shops also make customers queue for a chance to buy particular designs. One shopper described waiting from 2pm until 7pm.

For manufacturers, the challenge is producing something that breaks easily in a customer's hands but survives the journey there.

Zou Wenjie, whose factory makes conventional and crunchy squishies, said that workers apply the coating by hand, leave it to dry and add protective foam for shipping.

His factory could produce 10,000 to 20,000 crunchy toys a day, compared with up to 200,000 conventional polyurethane squishies across three production lines.

"Customers were waiting at the factory to grab stock," he said, describing the summer rush.

Yiwu shopkeeper Zhu He said a batch stocked for the National Day holiday had sold down to a few display samples. His crunchy designs retailed for between 10 and 80 yuan, depending on size.

Demand has since eased from its summer peak. The outlet also described a customer seeking a refund on quality grounds after crushing more than 800 yuan's worth of products. It did not report how the dispute was resolved.

Safety is another concern, although tests of older squishy toys should not be taken as findings about every crunchy-shell product.

In July 2025, China Central Television reported that laboratory tests on 11 squishy toys detected volatile organic compounds, including formaldehyde and toluene. Two samples contained phthalate plasticisers above national limits. Those tests were not specifically focused on crunchy squishies.