NeeDohs have been on the shelf for 16 years, yet only this year have they been flying off the shelf faster than they get stocked.
NeeDohs are portable sensory objects varying in size that can be stretched and squeezed. There is scientific evidence that students benefit from Stim toys.
Whether they have Anxiety, ADHD, or are just a antsy person, students really can benefit from having something to fidget with to keep them focused on what the teacher is saying.
“It really depends on the student,” said a Para at NUHS. “Some of them need them, and some of them want to follow a trend.”
It seems nowadays everyone has one in their hand.
“They left for a fire drill, and I peeked into the classroom only to see a NeeDoh in every spot,” said Madison Dauer, a senior at NUHS.
It is different for every teacher. Some teachers, like FACS teacher Mrs. Schneider, are part of the trend and buy them regularly. Other teachers find them a distraction.
“If they need them, then that’s what I buy them for,” Science teacher Mr Lebert said.
He bought a few different kinds of stress toys and kept them in his classroom for his students. They all got stolen by different students throughout the year. However, he did not seem to mind, claiming that the students obviously needed them more.
NeeDohs can easily become a distraction, however, whether it’s comparing who has what one or even throwing them at each other. It is at that point that most teachers seem to find a dislike for the stress toys.
Students agree with Ms. Schneider that the most popular NeeDoh is the Nice Cube. As NeeDohs get more popular, so do their new products, such as the Dream Drop and the NeeDoh Fuzz Ball.
The texture and consistency of the NeeDohs are what made people want to buy them.
NeeDohs first came out in 2017 and only became popular recently, mainly because of online influencers and an increasing need for stress relief. Now, they are commonly sold out and out of stock.
“People should leave some in the stores for the kids who really need them,” Schneider said.
