"Don't shake your leg, just touch it"... Is that 'squishy toy' really relieving stress? [Smart Wellness]

[Financial News] Fidget toys, tactile toys that people fiddle with by hand, such as 'malleable toys' and 'wax balls,' are drawing attention. These touch-based toys, which might seem like items sold only at stationery shops near schools, have become a popular way for adults to relax, too.


Cho Hee-ra, 39, from Ilsan, Gyeonggi, who has a 10-year-old child, said on the 4th that she visited the stationery street in Changsin-dong with her child over the weekend and bought a malleable toy. She explained its popularity, saying the street stalls were packed with malleable toys and crowded with visitors, leaving hardly any room to move.
The 'malleable toy' Cho bought is a representative example of a fidget toy, which people enjoy for the sounds and sensations created when they repeatedly handle it. It is made by filling a rubber or silicone shell with a soft material, allowing users to knead and squeeze it. Other fidget toys include the 'wax ball,' which has a hard wax ball inside a silicone shell that can be crushed, and the mini keyboard 'keycap,' designed to let users enjoy the feel of typing in everyday life.

Fidget toys serve as a buffer that helps modern people, accustomed to excessive stimulation, unwind. The stretchy malleable toy, the wax ball that breaks apart with a crackling sound, and the keycap that makes a cheerful clicking noise can all be enjoyed simply by kneading or pressing them, with no special purpose. There is no need to win or lose, and no complex structure to figure out, allowing the brain to rest fully.
For that reason, fidget toys are also popular among adults. Kim Hyo-sun, 40, from Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, who has two children aged 13 and 12, said, "When my children said they were buying a wax ball, I thought they were buying something unnecessary, but I found myself staring blankly at them as they played." She added that she often buys them with her children because she likes the low, repetitive sounds and enjoys watching the wax inside the ball break into small, charming pieces.

Blackpink singer Rosé also appeared on the U.S. YouTube channel 'First We Feast' in November 2024 and expressed her affection for a stress ball, a type of fidget toy. Stress balls are made of rubber or high-density foam and can be kneaded by hand, making them similar to malleable toys, but they are more durable because they do not contain any filling. Rosé described the stress ball as "effective for relieving stress and easing anxiety." The video continues to go viral.
The popularity of fidget toys continues online as well. Content featuring fidget toys is constantly being uploaded on Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms. Posts tagged with '#malleabletoy' on Instagram have reached 110,000, while posts tagged with '#fidget' have reached 659,000.
There are also efforts to connect the popularity of fidget toys with marketing. Beauty brand COSRX introduced a planned set on the Olive Young online mall featuring the 'COSRX The Blue Peptide Glow Serum' and the 'Fairy Ganadi keycap key ring,' a collaboration with the character Ganadi. On the same platform, beauty brand SKIN&LAB is also running a promotion that gives customers one 'Oalmore stress ball,' created in collaboration with the character Oalmore, when they purchase one eligible product.
Park Chan-heum, director of Centum Humming Psychiatry Clinic, said the reason fidget toys are trending is that modern people are choosing easily accessible fidget toys as a way to reduce stress and ease anxiety. He added that fidget toys calm brain arousal through simple, repetitive actions without any purpose, which can help regulate the senses and improve concentration.

kind@fnnews.com Kim Hyun-sun Reporter