Stationery and Toy World in New York City is packed with all kinds of gizmos and gadgets: fidget spinners, plush toys, frisbees, coloring books. What it doesn’t have — and hasn’t had for weeks — is the colorful, squishy, blob-shaped sensory toy known as NeeDoh.It didn’t used to be this way; a Stationery and Toy World employee told Modern Retail that two years ago, it was hard to move NeeDoh advent calendars at all. Store workers ended up putting units in the window to get more eyeballs. However, over the last few months — thanks to, what else, viral videos on TikTok — NeeDoh has become the “it” toy. Now, its manufacturer, Schylling, can’t keep NeeDohs in stock. In fact, it sold through the whole year’s inventory within the first nine weeks of the year. Amazon, meanwhile, lists many units as “currently unavailable.”
Today, eager collectors are flocking to resale sites, ready to snap up whatever NeeDohs they can. But the stretchy toys, like last year’s viral Labubus, are selling for a pretty penny, thanks to supply and demand. Most typically retail for $5-$8, although large NeeDohs, special versions and multi-packs can go up to $30. But, on StockX, NeeDohs are going for a premium of more than 400%. On eBay, sellers are listing NeeDohs for hundreds of dollars.
