A seven-year-old girl from Missouri has suffered life-altering injuries after copying a trend she saw online involving a popular squishy toy.
Scarlett Selby had been playing with a NeeDoh Nice Cube, a stress-relief toy filled with gel, when a horrific accident unfolded at home.
She had placed the toy in the freezer overnight and then microwaved it the next day, mimicking a viral hack she’d seen on TikTok and YouTube.
Her father, Josh Selby, recalled hearing a terrifying scream moments before finding his daughter covered in a sticky, steaming substance.
“It had exploded all over her chest, mouth and chin,” he said. “Whenever I touched her, my hand stuck to her. It was really thick and sticky.”
“I ripped her shirt off of her because it was stuck to her shirt as well. I took her as quickly as I could to the hospital.” (Kennedy News & Media)
Scarlett was placed in a medically induced coma over concerns the burns near her mouth might cause her airways to swell shut.
She remained unconscious for three days and spent seven days in the hospital while receiving treatment and feeding assistance through a tube.
Her mother, Amanda Blakenship, recalled the horror as they raced to the hospital, saying Scarlett screamed for the entire 30-minute drive.
“She was still screaming when we got to the hospital and it’s a good 30-minute drive from where we live,” Amanda said.
“It was terrible how scared she was and how much that hurt her.”
“I was panicked, devastated, terrified and heartbroken.”
“It was [something] she followed that she’d seen on TikTok and YouTube.” (Kennedy News & Media)
Doctors decided not to perform a skin graft at that time, but her mother fears she may eventually need one due to what she called “profound” scars.
Josh Selby says the experience has forever changed his family and now warns others to avoid the toy altogether.
“For that to happen to my daughter was the hardest thing that I’ve gone through,”
he said.
“I’ve told absolutely everyone to throw them out if they have them.”
“It should not be sold like it is and it definitely should not be marketed the way it is.”
Scarlett has been left emotionally scarred as well, now covering her face in public and struggling with her self-image due to the burns.
She continues to undergo daily treatment using medicated creams and silicone ointments in hopes of reducing the raised and painful scars.
The manufacturer, Schylling Toys, includes a warning on its website which reads:
“Do NOT heat, freeze, or microwave, may cause personal injury.”
But for Scarlett’s parents, the warning came far too late.
Featured image Credit: (The Sun)
