Last weekend, I went on a trip to Washington, D.C. for a college tour with my dad. While we were on a stroll in Georgetown, my father and I stumbled upon a line of (at least) thirty people queued up with anticipation in front of an unopened toy store at 8:59 AM. Most of them didn’t have any children with them. In fact, most of them didn’t have any children at all.
NeeDohs–colorful stress-relieving squishy toys–have become the latest ultra-viral trend. They’re not anything new; in fact, they’re almost a decade old. So why did thirty people line up at nine in the morning for the chance to purchase one for 250% of the MSRP?
Tiktok and Instagram, of course.
While fads have always been prevalent in American society, social media has far exacerbated the demand for futile consumer items, particularly within adolescents.
Simple joys are the rationale for consumer items such as NeeDohs; everyone deserves a treat. But when it comes to thirty adults spending an hour in line waiting for a squishy toy in order to scalp them online, it comes to a breaking point. It becomes an arduous sport, a grueling quest to attempt to obtain a NeeDoh, in the same way it was for the Labubu and the infamous fidget spinner; not to mention the superfluous waste and pollution associated with the overproduction of these otiose goods.
As we continued to walk down the street, another shop caught our eyes. Nuts Factory, a New York City-conceived candy store, had swarms of patrons buzzing around every corner of the Dubai chocolate and Swedish candy-infested shelves.
Trending commodities–such as NeeDohs, Dubai chocolate, Swedish candy, and Labubus–have come to dominate modern American society as millions all over the country yearn for the privilege of being able to enjoy one of these items in real life (thanks to social media).
On the other hand, when the (substantial) flaws of modern American consumerism are disregarded, there’s a potent whimsicality to it all. These cute, fun, colorful, insidious commodities lure all who dare to partake in fun, their charm entices all, no matter whom. For example: I have bought a Labubu; I have a couple NeeDohs, I’ve tried Dubai chocolate, hell, I’ve even tried Dubai chocolate-covered strawberries from Crumbl Cookies… for research purposes.
Nevertheless, the popularity of these viral items showcase the capricious superficiality of the modern American consumer society. As the Labubu trend leads to the NeeDoh trend and the Swedish candy trend leads to the Dubai chocolate trend, we can only assume that another commodity will soon arise to continue the volatile cycle of modern American consumerism.