ISLANDERS are being warned to watch out for fake versions of the popular “Squishy Dumpling” toys after safety experts raised concerns about some copies.
Officials say children should not play with toys that smell strongly of petrol or chemicals, or do not have proper safety labels.
The soft, squishy toys have become a huge hit with children after videos on TikTok showed people opening basket-shaped containers to see if they had found a rare glitter dumpling.
The trend has also reached Jersey, where the original toys, made by RMS International, have been selling out quickly at The Entertainer in St Helier.
Store staff say every new delivery disappears from the shelves very fast.
But Jersey Trading Standards – a kind of ‘fairness team’ for shops which makes sure businesses play by the rules and people don’t get sold unsafe things and that products are what they claim to be – is warning families to be careful when buying similar toys.
The team says parents should avoid any squishy dumplings that have a strong smell like petrol or solvents. A solvent smell is a strong chemical-like scent which is a bit like nail polish or fresh paint.
They should also check that the packaging has a CE or UKCA safety mark, which shows a product meets important safety rules and includes details of the company that made or imported it.
The warning follows a recall of a toy called Squeezy Dumplings. A recall is when a product is taken off sale because it may not be safe.
Tests found high levels of benzene, a harmful chemical, in the toy’s outer layer.
Officials have told anyone who owns one to stop using it straight away, keep it away from children and return it for a refund.
A Jersey primary school pupil told the JEP they had bought a fake squishy dumpling after seeing the trend online and noticed it smelled like petrol.
The newspaper also bought three imitation toys from local shops and one had a particularly strong chemical smell.
One for Fun, a company that makes Scrunchems Sugar Dumpling toys, said it knows fake versions are being sold.
It says many counterfeits can be spotted because they have a strong petrol-like smell or the packaging is missing the Tobar logo.
However, the toy bought by the newspaper did have the logo and the company said that sometimes new toys can smell stronger when first opened because the packaging has been sealed.
Similar problems have also been found in other parts of the UK, where trading standards officers have discovered harmful chemicals in fake toys and seized thousands of counterfeit squishy dumplings.
