Father's urgent warning after his daughter, 10, suffered horrific burns to her face from viral squishy toy trend popular on TikTok

Published: 15:07, 23 June 2026 | Updated: 15:26, 23 June 2026 A young Queensland schoolgirl suffered horrific burns to her face after placing a a viral squishy toy in a microwave to soften it - a trend that is popular on TikTok.  Violet Zerbst was squeezing a cube-shaped Needoh toy she had heated in her home kitchen for just 30 seconds when it exploded and its gel-like contents burst across her face, leaving her red and badly blistered. The 10-year-old said her plan was to heat the stress-relieving toy to make it softer and didn't realise there was a danger it could become superhot and unstable. 'If it (the toy) is really hard, you think... warm it up,' she said. 'So I went to the microwave and I put it in and I was just waiting... and then I got it and I was just squishing it. 'The liquid was like at the bottom and then it went into a sort of ball and it burst onto my face,' she told 7News. Her father Jody Zerbst said 'it literally just exploded', with Violet adding she had been in 'a lot of pain' and that she could 'feel my skin coming off and it (the gel) was in my mouth'. Similar incidents have happened overseas, notably in the US and UK with the toys.  A young Queensland school girl is the latest to suffer horrific burns to her face after copying a viral squishy toy trend she saw on TikTok  The Needoh toy, made by Schylling, has a warning on its packaging Mr Zerbst, who was busy watching the FIFA World Cup when the incident unfolded. He said he called the ambulance while his wife tried to soothe their daughter's pain by holding her face under cold water. 'I was trying to enjoy the soccer,' he said.  'It was Sunday morning and I think Brazil were playing and I felt a little bit guilty actually because I had made the comment that if it (the squishy) was heated up it might be a bit softer - but not thinking that Violet would put it in the microwave. 'It's just quite a horrific for a parent to have to hear their child screaming and know that they'd burnt themselves.' Mr Zerbst recalled how parts of the skin on her face had peeled away.  'The skin sort of all peeled off and as it was in her mouth, she was trying to spit this stuff out,' he said. Paramedics treated the youngster at her home before taking her to Gold Coast University Hospital where she stayed for a week.  Mr Zerbst said he called the ambulance while his wife tried to soothe her daughter's pain by holding her face under cold water (a partially recovered Violet is pictured with her dad) The toys have surged in popularity in recent months courtesy of viral social media posts.  Hurley Burley Toys's Olivia Van Der Neer, said she had her Needoh toys getting sold out because of TikTok specifically. 'We have upwards of 30 calls a day and new ones are almost impossible to track down,' she said. Although the sensory toy has been around for years, the increased popularity is making them increasingly difficult to find, with Ms Van Der Neer saying she has crowds of kids looking for them. 'They've just turned up,' Ms Van Der Neer said.  'I turned up to work this week and there was a line of kids at the door.' There are also now plenty of fakes that are being sold on the internet as a result of the shortage, which can be even more dangerous thanks to a lack of regulation. To figure out if the toy is authentic or not, Ben Halls from distributor William Valentine Collection said it was important to to check the packaging.  'There could be toxic elements in them,' he said.  Although the sensory toy has been around for years, many kids have noticed they have become increasingly difficult to find 'They've been rushed to market, so you'll see the packaging's not always clear.' The Australian incident comes after a US boy and a UK girl burned their face in similar circumstances.  Caleb had heated a Needoh cube which exploded into his hand and face when he opened the microwave door while Bella suffered 'traumatising' burns when she copied the trend.  Alarmingly, another Australian child had also spent time at the Gold Coast Hospital in the same week as Violet for the same reason.  The Needoh toy, made by Schylling, comes with a warning on its packaging.  'Do not leave in hot car or direct sun; contents may become hot. Do NOT heat, freeze or microwave; may cause personal injuries,' it read.  Daily Mail has contacted Schylling for comment.  Queensland Children's Hospital burns specialist Dr Veevek Thankey said it was important to avoid ice when burns occurred.  'First of all, toys should not be going into the microwave,' she said.  'We would want parents to initiate first aid management as soon as the burns happen. 'Whichever body part that's been affected by the burns run under cool running water for at least 20 minutes. 'Make sure that no ice actually put onto the burn because that will actually make the burn worse.' Violet has since made significant progress in her recovery. She fortunately received no eye damage and the burns were superficial and will not leave scarring one she has fully healed. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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