Line #23 Toys/Squishmallows


1	[[quoteright:233:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/squish_email_logo_min.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:233:[[{{Tagline}} More to squish!]]]]
3
4	Squishmallows are a franchise of stuffed animals produced by Kellytoy, owned by Jazwares, LLC. The toy line began in 2017 with eight characters: Cam the Cat, Fifi the Fox, Hans the Hedgehog, Hoot and Holly the Owls, Wendy the Frog, and Puff and Piper the Penguins. Since then, hundreds of distinct characters have been produced.
5
6	The toys are notable for their egglike shape and being filled with soft polyester stuffing, which allows them to return to their original shape after being squeezed. Their tags contain a short description of the character in question, similar to the poems on the tags of Toys/BeanieBabies.
7
8	While modestly successful for the first few years of their existence, the line exploded in popularity in early 2020.
9	----
10	!!Tropes featured by the Squishmallows include:
11	* AnimalGenderBender: It varies, but several designs for Squishmallows will tend to use pronouns you wouldn't expect with how sexual dimorphism usually plays out for a given species. As a few examples;
12	** Cam the cat uses "he", and is a calico - a breed whose fur pattern is expressed almost exclusively in females.
13	** Cazlan the cardinal uses "she", and is primarily red and black, a pattern usually seen on males to get the attention of mates.
14	** Connor and Ronnie are cows that use "he", and look like otherwise-typical dairy cows rather than bulls.
15	** Lianne the lion used "she", and has a mane. [[note]]While lionesses can grow manes, it is a comparatively rare occurrance related to hormone balances.[[/note]]
16	* ArtisticLicenseMarineBiology:
17	** Eric the Blobfish's design is based on [[https://centerforsurfresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/What-Is-The-Blobfish.jpg what blobfish look like]] after they're subjected to lower atmospheric pressure than they're used to, not as they appear [[https://centerforsurfresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/blobfish_in_natural_habitat_1_625x.png in their natural environment]]. The drop in pressure results in the fish's anatomy distorting and they usually perish not long after.
18	** Easton and Deezo the Anglerfish have lures and are both male. The common image of anglerfish as big ugly fish with a glowing lure is only applicable to ''females'' of the species; male anglerfish are lureless and tiny in comparison.
19	* ArtisticLicenseOrnithology: Calzan the Cardinal is female, but has bright red coat of feathers that are only seen in males.
20	* BigfootSasquatchAndYeti: While there are several Bigfoot characters, Benny's description harks closest to their original appearance in popular culture: he likes running around in the woods and has an interest in photography.
21	* ADogNamedDog: Cherry the Cherry.
22	* DontFearTheReaper: Otto is [[BlackCloak the]] [[SkullForAHead very]] [[SinisterScythe image]] of a classic [[TheGrimReaper Grim Reaper]], but grows pumpkins on a farm and regularly wins "giant pumpkin" contests.
23	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
24	** The earlier characters lack complex patterns and printed fabric, and for the most part are the same color as the animals they represent. Later characters are more likely to invoke AmazingTechnicolorWildlife.
25	** The original squad has birthdates mentioned in their bio tags, similar to Toys/BeanieBabies. This was quickly dropped.
26	* FantasyKitchenSink: There are dragons, Bigfoots, fairies, gnomes, unicorns and pegasi, aliens, witches, and elves, among other fantastical creatures. This isn't even getting into the otherwise regular animals with traits of fantasy beings, like skeleton bunnies or caticorn mermaids.
27	* InformedSpecies: Elda is an ostrich, but doesn't look the part due to her shaggy rainbow feathers and beak that looks like the snout used for horse and cow Squishmallows.
28	* KangaroosRepresentAustralia: Keely the Kangaroo's favorite place to visit is stated to be the Sydney Opera House.
29	* LetterMotif: The witches released in 2020 have names that begin with a W to create alliteration: Wexla, Whitney, Wilma, and Winnie.
30	* MessyPig: Reese the Pig loves playing in the mud, to the point of spring being her favorite season because the rain creates lots of mud puddles for her to play in.
31	* TheMovieBuff: Georgios, a king crab, enjoys watching films both good and bad, and swears against abandoning a film partway through. He thinks that there's something to be had even out of mediocre films, as he can learn a thing or two about filmmaking and storytelling from them.
32	* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Jingles the Cat's tail has stuffing inside, curves around to their front and is sewn on as to be unmovable. All other cats have unstuffed shorter tails that are only sewn on to the plush toy in the back.
33	* OneSteveLimit: Sometimes characters will have names that are only slightly different from those of other characters, like Jingle (a Christmas tree) and Jingles (a cat). There are also cases where multiple Squishmallows share a name.
34	* PinkGirlBlueBoy: The original squad has a pair of penguins named Puff and Piper. Puff, the blue one, is a boy; Piper, the pink one, is a girl.
35	* SantaClaus: Several distinct characters are supposed to represent not only Santa, but Mrs. Claus as well.
36	* ShoutOut:
37	** Hans the Hedgehog shares his name and species with the protagonist of [[Literature/HansTheHedgehog a story collected by the Brothers Grimm]].
38	** The first line of Buzz the Sloth's bio is [[Literature/IfYouGiveAMouseACookie "If you give a sloth a donut, he's sure to want more!"]]
39	* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Subverted. While eyelashes are a possible design variant and are usually seen on girl characters, there are noted exceptions in both the "not all girls have them" and "not all boys lack them" senses.

Context Toys / Squishmallows