Pimple Popping Squishy Toys With Needles: OPSS Report

Pimple popping squishy toys sold with needles or syringes have been flagged by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) in a run of reports published on 9 October 2026. The reports say the toys came with a sharp needle or syringe that could puncture the skin and cause injury, and that they do not meet the Toys Safety Regulations 2011. The marketplaces named in the reports have removed the listings. If one of these toys is already in your home, GOV.UK says to stop using it, not to handle the needle and to keep it out of children's reach until it can be disposed of safely.

This is a different problem from the one in our earlier piece on squishy toys and water beads. Here the hazard is a sharp, not a choking risk. Everything below comes from the OPSS reports on GOV.UK, linked in the sources at the foot of the page.

What did the OPSS report?

OPSS published near-identical product safety reports on 9 October 2026, one for each online marketplace where the toy was found. We read the Amazon and eBay reports in full and checked the titles of the others.

Marketplace	Report reference	What happened
Amazon	2610-0037	Six listings identified by ASIN; Amazon removed them
eBay	2610-0032	Four listings identified; eBay removed them
Fruugo	2610-0031	Separate report published the same day
OnBuy	2610-0030	Separate report published the same day
AliExpress, Alibaba, Wish	2610-0049, 2610-0052, 2610-0056	Separate reports published the same day

The Amazon and eBay reports describe squishy toys with raised "pimples" sold alongside syringes or needles. They give the hazard as a sharp point that could puncture the skin and present a risk of injury, and say the product does not meet the Toys Safety Regulations 2011. The reports do not give a risk level, and they do not mention a consumer refund or a formal recall: the corrective action recorded is the marketplace removing the listings.

Why does it matter if you have a baby or toddler?

These toys are sold as fidget or "pop" toys, so they are most likely to be bought for older children and teens. The Amazon report does not give an age grade for most listings, although one listing title includes "Age15+Teens". That is exactly why they matter in a family home: an older sibling's toy, with a loose needle or syringe, ends up on a sofa, in a bag or on the floor where a crawling baby or a curious toddler can reach it.

The OPSS reports describe the risk as injury from the needle point and the potential for infection. We have not found NHS guidance specific to these toys, so for anything beyond what the reports say, speak to a health professional. If a child is injured by a needle, call NHS 111 or your GP for advice, and call 999 in an emergency.

What to do if you have one at home

The OPSS advice in the reports is consistent across marketplaces:

1. Stop using the product immediately.
2. Do not handle the needle. Do not try to put a cap back on or pull it apart.
3. Put the needle in a puncture-resistant container and secure the lid so the point cannot protrude.
4. Keep it out of children's reach until it can be disposed of safely.
5. Check your local council's guidance on sharps disposal. The reports say some pharmacies or GP surgeries may accept sharps, but check availability first.

Do not put loose needles in the household bin or recycling.

How to spot a risky squishy or sensory toy before you buy

• Be suspicious of any toy that comes with a needle, syringe or other sharp tool as part of the "play". The OPSS reports say these toys fail the Toys Safety Regulations 2011.
• Look for a UK importer or manufacturer address and a UKCA or CE mark. Our toy safety standards explainer covers what the marks do and do not tell you. A mark is not proof of safety on its own.
• Treat marketplace listings as unvetted. The listings in these reports were live until the platforms took them down, as with the Unicorn Pink Busy Board report we covered earlier.
• Check age labels honestly. If you buy for an older child, keep the toy and its parts away from babies and toddlers.

Keeping sharps and sibling toys away from little ones

The simplest habit is a separate high shelf or lidded box for older children's toys with small or sharp parts. Our room-by-room baby-proofing guide has a floor-level checklist you can run through in ten minutes. It is also worth reading our baby first aid kit guide before you need it.

Is this a recall?

Not in the formal sense. These are OPSS product safety reports, and the action recorded in the reports we read is that the online marketplace removed the listings. That means there may be no refund route, so follow the disposal steps above rather than waiting for a recall notice. You can check the latest notices on the GOV.UK product safety alerts, reports and recalls page.

Bottom line

If a squishy toy came with a needle or syringe, stop using it, do not handle the needle, seal it in a puncture-resistant container, keep it away from children and ask your council how to dispose of it. For babies and toddlers, the safest approach is to keep older siblings' sensory toys and any sharps well out of reach.