Every year in Santa Barbara, dozens of vendors flood State Street and De La Guerra Plaza to sell their wares during Fiesta. Usually what’s for sale is typical for the occasion of Fiesta—cascarones, hats and jewelry.
But a new craze hit Fiesta this year: squishies.
The playful stress balls infiltrated many vendor stands on State Street, taking the form of sticks of butter, steamed dumplings or even hyper-realistic food with “do not eat” labels.
A lot of these items have been trending on social media as the newest sensory toy craze. Most of them are made with polyurethane, a soft, squishy substance similar to memory foam that gives the toys their unique “slow-rise” sensation when squeezed.
But what separates squishies from past social media toy trends, like Labubus, are their broader demographic.
The News-Press spoke with one vendor, Guadalupe Santana, owner of the Carpinteria candy shop “Lokomania.” Santana said she first heard about the squishes when her son surprised her with one to help her Carpal tunnel syndrome.
Santana said that seniors, almost as much as kids, are buying them to help with nerve problems like arthritis.
“There’s just something for them to squeeze while they watch TV or something,” Santana said.
While a lot of squishies are sold from online vendors or directly from social media stores like the TikTok Shop or Temu, Santana buys them cheaper wholesale from a vendor in Los Angeles and sells an average of 50 per day at Fiesta.
Most can be bought for under $10.
