The first time we opened a box of our bakery-style sensory squishies, the scent caught us off guard before we'd even picked one up. It reminded us of bread, or maybe a pound cake — that warm, familiar bakery smell you don't expect from a toy.
That same moment ended up shaping how we introduced the squishies to people at a recent family fair, and it taught us a little about what actually draws people in.
Opening the Box
There's something genuinely fun about the first few seconds of opening a new box. Before you even touch anything, the scent is already there. It's not something we expected the first time, and it's stuck with us since.
Once you pick one up, the second part of the experience takes over: the texture. The squishy is soft, easy to press down, and instead of springing right back, it slowly returns toward its original shape. That slow rise is simple, but it's the kind of small, satisfying detail that makes you want to squeeze it a second time just to watch it happen again.
Bringing an Open Sample to the Fair
For the fair, we set out an open sample so people could see, smell, and squeeze it for themselves rather than looking at a sealed package from a distance.
What we noticed first was that people were drawn in by how realistic it looked. The bakery-style appearance did a lot of the work — from a few steps away, it genuinely looks like something you'd find at an actual bakery.
Then, once people picked it up and realized it was scented, a number of them seemed pleasantly surprised. That wasn't something everyone immediately expected just from looking at it, and it was clearly part of what made the sample fun to interact with.
Kids in particular seemed interested in picking it up and giving it a squeeze. We didn't track every single reaction, and not everyone responded the same way — some people just glanced and moved on, which is normal for any table at a fair — but the combination of the bakery look and the unexpected scent was a common thread in the interest we saw.
Why the Retail Ones Are Individually Packaged
The sample at our table was left open on purpose, so people could experience the scent directly. Our retail squishies are individually packaged, and the individual packaging is intended to help retain the bakery-like scent until you're ready to open one.
A Quick, Important Reminder
Even though the scent and bakery-style appearance are part of what makes these squishies fun, they are sensory toys, not food. They're meant to be squeezed, displayed, and enjoyed as a soft, sensory object — not eaten, no matter how convincing they look or smell.
What Customers Have Said
One of the best parts of bringing the squishies to the fair was hearing what customers thought after taking one home.
Teresa Pena shared that she bought one for her 17-year-old granddaughter, who was "thrilled with it." She specifically mentioned that her granddaughter loved how soft it was and described the scent as "almost like a pound cake or fresh bread."
That was especially meaningful to us because those are the same things we noticed when we first opened the box ourselves: the soft texture, the slow rise, and that unexpected bakery-like scent.
Another customer, Jan Lutz, wrote:
"They had the best squishy toys around. And other item they are so kind."
We've also received additional five-star feedback from customers, and we're grateful that people took the time to share their experiences with us.
What This Experience Taught Us
Looking back on it, the fair confirmed something simple: at our fair table, the bakery-style look often caught people's attention first, while the scent was one of the things that surprised them once they picked up the sample.
It's a small thing, but it's exactly the kind of small thing that made opening our own first box memorable — and it's why we wanted to share the story rather than just describe the product on its own.
If you're curious about that same "wait, it actually smells like that?" moment, you can find our bakery-style sensory squishies in our shop.
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