Class Action Lawsuit Alleges NeeDoh Sensory Toys Can ‘Explode’ When Exposed to Heat, Posing Risk of Severe Burns

New to ClassAction.org? Read our Newswire Disclaimer

Schylling, Inc. has been hit with a proposed class action lawsuit alleging that the company failed to adequately warn consumers that its NeeDoh squeezable toys may rupture and eject dangerously hot adhesive liquid when heated, posing a significant burn risk.

Get class action lawsuit and class action settlement news sent to your inbox – sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter.

According to the 47-page defective products lawsuit, Schylling’s NeeDoh line of squeezable sensory toys have been the subject of numerous reports in which children suffered second- and third-degree burns, hospitalization, permanent scarring and other serious injuries after the toys’ outer shell ruptured and ejected hot and sticky filling.  

The products at issue in the NeeDoh lawuit, which are promoted to children and adults to help with relaxation, fidgeting, focus and stress relief, include the Nice Cube, Dream Drop, Original Groovy Glob, Super NeeDoh, Teenie NeeDoh, Gumdrop, Groovy Fruit, Color Changing NeeDoh, Shaggy NeeDoh, Dohnut and Jelly Dohnut, Squeezza, Nice-sicle, Press Doh, Color Change Cube and more.

In November 2024, a viral TikTok trend encouraged children to microwave their NeeDoh toys to make them softer and more malleable, with “catastrophic” results, per the complaint. The filing shares that one 11-year-old boy microwaved his toy after viewing a TikTok video, and when he squeezed it, the filling reportedly “burst” onto his body, causing third-degree burns and about four months of treatment, infection, scarring and continuing limitations.

The lawsuit claims Schylling has received various other reports from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) describing cases where NeeDoh toys burst and exploded during regular play, including in situations that did not involve microwaving the products, putting the company on notice that the toys posed a serious safety risk to children.

Per the case, NeeDoh toys differ in size and shape but share the same general construction in which a flexible polymer shell encloses a sticky, gel-like filling of polyvinyl alcohol, maltose or a similar formulation. The complaint says that when the toys are exposed to heat, including from sunlight or being left in a hot car, the filling may change in temperature, volume, pressure or viscosity, which can result in the squishy toys bursting and ejecting dangerously hot filling onto a user’s skin.

Importantly, because the NeeDoh products’ outer shell does not conduct heat well, the exterior of the toy may feel cool even while the contents are hot enough to cause serious burns, the filing says. Additionally, the lawsuit states that the sticky filling may adhere to a person’s skin, trapping heat and compounding the severity of the burns.

The lawsuit claims Schylling is aware of the danger associated with the alleged NeeDoh defect but has failed to adequately warn consumers, instead choosing “profits over children’s safety.” Per the case, a previous warning on the products’ packaging stated only that the “[c]ontents may become hot” when left in a car or exposed to direct sun, which the suit argues did not fully communicate the extent and severity of the resulting rupture or explosion of scalding adhesive liquid.

The filing conveys that an ordinary toy marketed for everyday life, including for children with sensory needs, would foreseeably be exposed to elevated temperatures in cars, windows, backpacks, outdoor play areas and other common locations.

By March 2025, Schylling allegedly added warnings to the toys’ labels and its website that state “Do NOT heat, freeze, or microwave, may cause personal injury,” which the filing says do not provide enough information to allow a parent, teacher, caregiver or child to understand the nature of the danger.

“Schylling’s continued omission of the known mechanism and severity of the hazard … demonstrates that its failure to provide a complete warning was knowing and deliberate,” the lawsuit argues.

The NeeDoh class action lawsuit looks to cover all individuals in the United States who, during the class period, purchased for personal, family, or household use a NeeDoh Nice Cube or another NeeDoh product containing a materially similar sealed flexible shell, filling and heat-related warning or omission.

Are you owed unclaimed settlement money? Check out our class action rebates page full of open class action settlements.