A viral TikTok hack involving a soft, stress-relief toy has sent a 9-year-old boy to the burn unit and prompted doctors to warn parents about the real-world consequences of social media “experiments.”
The product is the NeeDoh Nice Cube — a palm-sized, gel-filled fidget toy built for squeezing, stretching, and sensory play. It’s marketed as a calming desk accessory, but kids online have reportedly been microwaving it.
The idea behind the trend is simple: heat the cube to make it feel softer and more flexible. In practice, the gel inside expands, pressure builds, and the toy can rupture.
According to WGN, that’s exactly what happened to Caleb Chabolla.
After putting the cube in the microwave at home, the toy burst, sending hot gel onto his face and leaving him with serious burns. His family rushed him to a nearby hospital before he was transferred to the burn unit at Loyola Medicine, where specialists treated swelling and facial injuries.
Doctors say he was lucky. Despite significant facial inflammation, Caleb avoided permanent eye damage and is healing without complications.
Hospital staff say the situation isn’t an outlier. Kelly McElligott, burn outreach coordinator at Loyola’s burn center, said everyday household items account for a steady stream of pediatric injuries.
“Whether it’s these toys that clearly have a label that says ‘don’t heat,’ but kids aren’t going to read labels,” she said, “or it’s ramen noodles coming out of the microwave that kids spill on themselves, or little kids pulling hot coffee off the counter. These are injuries we see every year. Thirty percent of our patients are pediatric patients.”
The NeeDoh cube is filled with a dense, maltose-based gel that remains cool and pliable at room temperature. When overheated, the same material can become hazardous quickly.
What makes this case more frustrating: Caleb didn’t even discover the trick firsthand. He reportedly learned about it from friends who saw it circulating on TikTok.
The toy’s manufacturer, Schylling, has not made a public comment about the trend or the injury.
