Ever wonder how trends come and go? Squishmallows, the new popular stuffed animal, are a big hit all over the world. Squishmallows are to 2021 as Beanie Babies are to 2016. Yes, Squishmallows are that huge.  Many Squishmallows are now considered rare; the high demand for the plushies makes them a diamond in the rough at any of the few retailers that still have them in stock.  When the beanie babies were a trend, people waited for Ty Warner, the creator of beanie babies, to come out with new ones each season. Even like Cabbage Patch Kids which were dolls that were popular when your parents were kids were a huge hit. 

“I have two Squishmallows, one is a 16-inch elephant named Ellie and the other is a small dragon that has yet to be named,” junior Caitlyn Sinagra said. “I got one for Valentine’s Day and the other when I was at Five Below.”  

Junior Jessica Steinberg, on the other hand, owns three Squishmallows, all in different sizes.

“I only wanted one animal, a sloth, because it’s my favorite so I don’t want to buy any more,” Steinberg said. 

Many people have favorite animals so it is very understandable to only buy your favorite toy animal. 

“I own two, I only own two because they are kinda expensive and take up a lot of room and the two I have were bought for me!” junior Gabby Pugliese said. 

As with trends of a similar caliber, many consumers are taking to platforms such as Depop, Marcai and Ebay to sell their Squishmallows at a substantial markup.

“I think it’s totally a rip off for the person buying it but incredibly smart for the people selling it,” Pugliese said.

Similarly, Steinberg felt that such substantial markups were a bit excessive. 

“I think upping the price is smart, but [tripling it] is obnoxious,” Steinberg said. “There’s no need to double your profit. A person buying a smashmallow off of depop and not questioning the price is probably a child, so you’re essentially scamming a child.” 

Squishmallows are the newest thing to go hunt and look for in stores. But be careful of those who sell them for an absurd amount of money on other websites. Will you go out and buy squishmallows? Go hop on the trend and have fun!