West Virginia teen hospitalized after squishy toy explodes in hot car

A teenager named Natalee from West Virginia was taken to hospital with burns after a popular soft, stretchable "squishy dumpling" toy burst in a car left in the sun. The toy’s silicone material softened and expanded under high temperature, leaking hot liquid onto the girl’s legs. Her mother, Kim Staggs, said the injury could have been far worse and urged other parents to keep such toys out of hot vehicles.

Doctors treated Natalee’s burns with cooling agents and saline solution, and she is now recovering. The incident adds to growing concerns about these toys, which have been linked to other injuries after children heated them on TikTok trends, including a case in the United Kingdom where a girl suffered facial burns. Authorities in Wales and Canada have warned that some of these products may release hazardous vapors.

Staggs hopes the warning will prevent further accidents involving seemingly harmless stress‑relief toys left in overheated cars.