Boy, 9, severely burned after microwaving NeeDoh sensory toy in resurfaced TikTok trend
A 9-year-old boy in Chicago suffered severe burns after trying a viral TikTok trick that involved microwaving his NeeDoh sensory toy, which exploded in his face.
Caleb Chabolla heated his NeeDoh Nice Cube at home after a friend suggested it would make the rubbery toy more flexible. His mother, Whitney Grubb, told ABC 7 that she heard Caleb scream from the kitchen, crying, “It burns, it burns!”
While the cube’s exterior is made of non-toxic silicone, the interior contains a glue-like substance that expands and bursts when exposed to high heat. When Caleb opened the microwave, the substance splattered across his face. “The right side of his face was kind of melting off, basically,” Grubb told the outlet.
Photos from the hospital show a baseball-sized welt on one side of Caleb’s face and red splotches trailing down to his lip.
Doctors at Loyola University Medical Center treated Caleb for second-degree burns on his face and hands. The jelly-like material caused such deep damage that surgeons had to remove dead skin, though he did not require skin grafts. His doctor said he may develop scarring.
Caleb described the moment as terrifying, saying he “essentially blacked out” as the substance charred his skin. “Just think before you act,” he told ABC 7.
He had not realized the trick was part of a viral TikTok trend. Grubb is calling on social media platforms to better monitor content and protect younger users. “These people don’t know the repercussions of what these challenges and goofy trends can do to kids, especially the younger ones,” she said.
NeeDoh added a warning label to its products last year cautioning users against heating or freezing the sensory toys, after the trend began circulating online.
Caleb is the fourth Chicago-area child treated for burns linked to NeeDoh accidents. In March, a 7-year-old girl was placed in a medically induced coma for three days after attempting the same trend. She required a feeding tube and skin graft due to severe burns to her lips.
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