In recent years, some internet-famous toys have become popular on short video platforms through novelty, violence, or vulgar content, and then spread among children through e-commerce and offline channels. Recently, a controversial decompression toy named “Natasha” has sparked a debate in mainland China.
According to reports from mainland Chinese media, “Natasha” is a baby-shaped “Pinch and Squeeze” ugly doll toy. Recently, a large amount of video content has surfaced online, showing people pulling, dropping, stepping on, squashing, cutting, or filling it with water to make it burst. Some videos also incorporate bizarre and vulgar gameplay.
Initially, some bloggers created short videos, treating it as a “child” to mock themselves for stress relief. Subsequently, a video of a distorted “Natasha” doll dropping became popular, leading to numerous imitations, and sales of the same toy increased accordingly. Some businesses capitalized on this violent element in their marketing, with some online sellers’ promotional pages seemingly containing suggestive and vulgar elements. The price of this toy on major e-commerce platforms ranges from a few yuan to several tens of yuan, with sales in some stores showing figures exceeding tens of thousands.
Moreover, some supermarkets and stationary shops near schools have started selling such toys. According to the owner of a stationary shop near an elementary school, “Natasha” has been selling very well lately, with at least 30 sold every day, mainly to elementary school students, and parents also buying them for their children.
However, the marketing tactics of the toy have sparked controversy, and there are also concerns about product quality and safety hazards, as many similar toys on the market have a noticeable pungent odor. Some schools have notified students not to bring “Natasha” type toys onto school grounds, with some areas subsequently conducting inspections of stationary and toy shops near schools.
Several experts interviewed by mainland Chinese media expressed concerns, stating that designing a baby image as a stress-relief toy for hitting, poking, and stabbing could have negative effects on minors. Mainland Chinese media cited Associate Professor Yu Xiaoxin from the Shanghai Youth Research Center, who said that children, when viewing related violent videos, could also observe and learn, subconsciously acquiring vulgar or violent behaviors.