Soft. Adorable. Squeezable. Cute. These are words that usually pop into people’s heads when they see squishies. Originally from Japan, these toys are available in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and shapes, and feature unique designs --- from palm-size balls and animal keychains to life-size animals and cartoon characters.

Around the world, Squishy toys have become so popular that you can get one at most arcade claw machines, toy stores, and novelty shops. Online, you can buy via the many squishy shop websites today that offer a huge selection of these kawaii toys.

And, if you want to design your own squishy at home, you can always go the DIY route and start a homemade squishy project.

If starting from scratch, you need soft and squeezable materials, like memory foam or sponge, to create a squishy base. But, if you have old squishies bought from a squishy shop, you can use these instead and proceed to the next step.

You also need different arts and crafts supplies, like fabric paint, paintbrushes, markers, strings, beads, glue, and tape.

With a pair of scissors, you can cut and shape the memory foam or sponge according to your desired pattern. You might want to prepare a template on a piece of paper or cardboard to make the tracing and cutting more smooth and seamless.