Where Do All the Squishies Go? (Storing a Collection That Actually Gets Played With)
Share
Every squishy collection hits a tipping point.
One day it's a cute little pile on the desk. The next, you're finding squishies in the couch cushions, the car door, the cat's bed and your own coat pocket. How did one get in your coat pocket? Nobody knows. Nobody will ever know.
If that's where you are, good news. A collection that gets played with is going to look played with, and that's fine. Every squishy just needs somewhere to go at the end of the day, and the one your kid is frantically looking for should be findable in under a minute.
A quick honest note. Some of these links go to Amazon. If you buy through them, we earn a little, which helps keep a small family business going, and it doesn't cost you anything extra. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Start by sorting
Before you buy anything, dump it all out and have your kid sort it into three piles.
- Keepers. The favorites. Never for trade.
- Traders. Ones they like but would swap for the right deal.
- Done. The ones nobody plays with anymore. Pass them on to a younger cousin or a friend.
Let your kid make the calls. They're usually way more ruthless than you'd expect.
One note on the Done pile. A dented squishy still counts. If it still squishes and your kid still smiles at it, it stays. The leaky ones can go. That's the only rule.
In our house, the Squeeze Please marshmallows would never make it near the Done pile. They smell like toasted marshmallow and cotton candy, and both kids love them. Neither would my son's Minecraft jelly cubes. Everything else is negotiable. See it on Amazon →
Storage that works
Clear bins with lids
Clear is the important part. Kids won't dig through a bin they can't see into. They'll just dump it on the floor and walk away. Lids keep the dust off, and the bins stack.
An over the door shoe organizer
The kind with clear plastic pockets. It holds an unreasonable number of squishies, takes up zero floor space, and kids can see their whole collection at a glance. If you only get one thing on this list, get this one.
A bead organizer for minis
Little compartments, one mini per slot. Get one with adjustable dividers so you can make room for the bigger ones.
A small acrylic display shelf
For the Keepers. Favorites deserve to be seen, and keeping them apart from the trade stuff saves a lot of "wait, I didn't mean to trade that one."
A card binder or minifigure case
For kids whose collections go beyond squishies.
Labels
A cheap label maker is weirdly fun for kids. They will label things that do not need labels. Masking tape and a marker work too.
Taking them on the road
Squishies go everywhere. School, Grandma's, sleepovers and every trade within driving distance. The trick is getting them there without squashing them or turning them into lint magnets.
Clear hard shell zipper cases
Our top pick for travel. The rigid shell means nothing gets crushed at the bottom of a backpack, the zipper keeps lint and crumbs out, and the clear sides mean nobody has to dump everything out to find one squishy. The set we like comes in eight colors, so each kid gets their own and there's no "that's mine" fight in the car. Only Traders go in the travel case. Keepers stay home.
A hard case with a handle
The same latching cases people use for board game pieces. The Super Satchel is one big compartment with a handle, and it's the budget pick. The Double Deep has eight removable compartments, so minis, jelly cubes and big squishies each get their own spot. Snap it shut and it goes anywhere.
Keeping them (mostly) clean
Squishies pick up lint like it's their job. A few things help.
- Keep them covered. Lidded bins and zipped cases keep dust and pet hair off.
- Give Fuzz Balls their own case. Fuzzy NeeDohs are the biggest lint magnets of all.
- Fix sticky ones with cornstarch. A light dusting takes the tack right off. Brush away the extra.
- Keep them out of the sun. Bright colors fade on a windowsill faster than you'd think.
- Don't leave them squished. Slow rise squishies don't always bounce back after a few days under something heavy.
- Keep goo filled ones away from sharp things. Pencils and squishies in the same backpack pocket is how leaks happen.
- Never heat them. That includes the microwave. There's been a trend online of kids microwaving squishies, and kids have been getting burned.
And if you have cats, assume any squishy that hits the floor is now a cat toy. Our shop is named after our two troublemakers, Storm and Berry (who also goes by Barry), so we're not judging.
A place to trade, too
Once the collection has a home, the next question is where the trading happens. Usually it's the floor, or a table where things keep rolling off the edge. That's what our Swap Spot mats are for. Each kid puts an offer on their own side, and the X, plus and check spots are right there to close the deal.
Send us a photo of your kid's collection on Instagram or TikTok. Organized or not. Especially not.
Still shopping? Here's our full gift guide for squishy kids, and what to get when the NeeDohs are sold out.
✕ + ✓
Share. Connect. Collect.