A seven-year-old from Festus, Missouri, sustained severe third-degree burns and was placed in a coma after a NeeDoh cube, a popular squishy toy, exploded in her face. The terrifying incident happened when she tried to replicate a viral TikTok experiment that involved freezing and microwaving the toy.
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According to Kennedy News, as quoted by New York Post, Scarlett Selby had come across online videos of people altering the texture of NeeDoh cubes by freezing and then heating them. Attempting to replicate the process, she placed the toy in the microwave. However, when she removed it, the cube suddenly exploded, covering her face and chest with scalding hot material.
Her father, Josh Selby, 44, was alerted by her agonising scream.
"It all happened so quickly. I heard her scream, and it was like a blood-curdling scream," he recounted.
Selby rushed to his daughter's aid, desperately trying to remove the sticky, burning substance from her skin and clothes. Scarlett was immediately taken to the hospital, where doctors placed her in a medically induced coma due to concerns that the burns near her mouth could cause dangerous airway swelling.
{{/usCountry}}Selby rushed to his daughter's aid, desperately trying to remove the sticky, burning substance from her skin and clothes. Scarlett was immediately taken to the hospital, where doctors placed her in a medically induced coma due to concerns that the burns near her mouth could cause dangerous airway swelling.
{{/usCountry}}Her mother, Amanda Blakenship, shared how Scarlett's scars have affected her confidence.
"She gets very self-conscious, and I'll see her trying to cover her scar up with her shirt when we're out in public. Or she'll come home from school and say another kid asked her about it," she said.
"We’re still putting creams and silicon ointments on it daily. They’re such profound scars that stick up off of her skin," she added, explaining that doctors have advised waiting until Scarlett is around 12 to assess whether further medical intervention will be necessary.
Father's warning to parents
Following the traumatic incident, Scarlett's father is now urging parents to discard NeeDoh toys altogether.
He warned that the substance inside the toy behaves like hot glue when heated, causing severe burns upon explosion. "Once it comes into contact with the skin, it’s extremely difficult to remove," Selby stressed.
He also expressed concerns about the toy’s safety and marketing, arguing that it should not be sold in its current form.