After Nassau child suffers serious burns from NeeDoh toy, fire marshal warns parents about dangerous trend

A dangerous trend of putting squishy NeeDoh toys in a microwave is sending children to the hospital, the Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office warns.

The "NeeDoh Microwave Trend" or the "NeeDoh Challenge" involves putting the toy in a microwave to make it stretchier and softer. The gel inside the NeeDohs begins boiling within seconds of turning on the microwave. Once removed, the toy can explode, causing severe burns to the hands, chest and face.

"Toys are intended to be played with, as described on the label," said Michael Uttaro, Nassau's chief fire marshal, in a news release. "Accidents can happen to an adult in the kitchen, even if they take precautions, so for a child who doesn’t know any better, the risk is even greater."

NeeDohs are nothing new to Long Island, and parents frequently line up outside toy stores with their children to get a hold of these popular squishy fidgets.

The dangerous internet trend involving the toys has also "sadly now reached Nassau County," Uttaro said in the statement, which explained that a child in Nassau was recently sent to the hospital with second- and third-degree burns from the trend.

Paul Weingard, president of Schylling, the company that created and manufactures NeeDohs, released a statement about the trend.

"We are disappointed to see there has been a trend on social media demonstrating misuse of our NeeDoh products," Weingard said. "Schylling has partnered with social media companies such as TikTok to remove influential content containing NeeDoh product misuse."

Additionally, according to the Schylling release, the company has also included a safety warning in online listings and on physical packaging of its products.

But NeeDohs have caused injuries for the past year or more, with an incident report from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission in August describing a 10-year-old boy suffering chemical burns from twisting a NeeDoh.

"We were in the car when it happened and didn't have access to a sink but had napkins," wrote a parent of the child in the report. "He wiped as much off as he could. ... He complained of it burning. It wasn't obvious immediately, but over the next couple days, chemical burns would reveal themselves all over his hands."

Dr. Elizabeth Murray, of the University of Rochester, is an expert in pediatrics and pediatric emergency medicine. While she has not witnessed a NeeDoh toy injury, she has seen the dangers of the trend online.

"Perfectly innocent toys can be used improperly," Murray said. "These NeeDoh toys are completely safe to play with, but if someone is putting them in a microwave that is where the danger comes from."

Uttaro offered advice for what to do in the event the toy does break open and hot gel gets on a person's skin.

"Speaking as a fire marshal and EMT, you need to stop the burning process. You need to remove the gel and cool the area," he said. "Lay cool towels over the burn. One of the most important things is to not aggressively rub the area. Remove the hot gel, but you don't want anything abrasive or aggressive."

Uttaro’s ultimate recommendation: make sure parents and kids are informed.

"Do not take for granted what people read and hear about on media platforms," he said. "Talk to [your kids] about it. 'Have you heard about this trend? Is this something you think about?' Be in your kids' lives, and if you find a troubling trend, put an end to it before it becomes a trip to the emergency room."