A seven-year-old girl suffered extensive injuries and was put into a medical coma after copying a dangerous TikTok trend.
In October 2024, Scarlett Selby, 7, put a NeeDoh cube – a soft, squishy toy – into the freezer and then microwaved it for several seconds after seeing people do it on TikTok.
When she tried to take the toy out of the microwave, however, it exploded, covering her face and chest with slimy hot goo.
Her dad, Josh Selby, immediately rushed over after hearing her scream and tried to wipe the goo off her.
When that didn’t work, he rushed her to the hospital, where doctors put her in a medically induced coma over concerns that the burns would close her airway.
The seven-year-old sustained second and third-degree burns on her skin.
Recalling the incident, her dad said she had put the NeeDoh cube in the freezer the night before and had taken it out and shown him the next day when it was rock solid.
He later watched as she put the toy in the microwave.
Josh said, “it all happened so fast”. One second, she was touching the toy in the microwave to check its temperature, and the next second, there was a blood-curdling scream.
The red-hot squishy toy had exploded all over her face and chest.
When he tried to wipe the substance off her skin, however, his hand stuck to hers.
After being rushed to the hospital, Scarlett spent three days in a coma.
The girl’s mother, Amanda Blakenship, said her daughter had seen videos of people microwaving the squishy toy after putting it in the freezer and had wanted to test it out for herself.
She recalls her screaming in the car in pain as they drove to the hospital, which was 30 minutes away.
Following the incident, the couple has been raising awareness about the dangers of these toys, urging those with them to throw them out to prevent injuries.
Josh explained that the squishy toy is similar to glue so when it explodes, it’s like having hot glue on your skin, which is almost impossible to get off.
He believes the toy should not be marketed the way it is due to its potential dangers.
Upon waking up from her coma, Scarlett was placed on a feeding tube for a week as her mouth was too badly burned from the toy for her to eat.
While her doctors ultimately decided against performing skin grafts, Scarlett’s mother is worried she may need one in the future as the ordeal has left her with significant scars.
