Chinese youth squeeze stress away with 'nienie' toys, another rising business for emotional value

As a squishy stress-relief toy, 'nienie' has become one of the fastest-growing toy categories on Taobao in 2023. Searching for 'stress-relief toy/gadget' on e-commerce platforms brings up countless items, ranging from a few yuan to hundreds. Among them, a popular 'Little Milk Dragon' nienien priced at about ￥10 ($1.40) has sold over one million units over the last 365 days on Taobao.

A 'Little Milk Dragon' nienien priced at about ￥10 ($1.4) has sold over one million units over the last 365 days on Taobao. Images: Taobao

@祖拉拉zulala is a handmade blogger on Xiaohongshu. Despite having just 56,000 followers, she is regarded as a top influencer in the nienien community. Her nienien products, described as the 'Hermès version of nienien,' are in high demand and often hard to get. Since Zulala's nienie products are handmade and not mass-produced, some popular items are in short supply. A Zulala Nienien product, priced around ￥100 ($13.8), is resold at a premium on Goofish, China's largest second-hand trade plarform.

Nienie toys handmade by 祖拉拉Zulala. Images: Xiaohongshu

How nienie toys captivate consumers' psyche

The appeal of nienie goes beyond its cute and varied appearances; it's mainly the irresistibly soft and bouncy texture that hooks people. As a stress-relief toy, nienie offers a relaxing and pleasurable experience through simple squeezing and kneading motions. In the fast-paced modern life, many face work and life pressures, and nienien provides a convenient way to relieve stress anytime, anywhere. On Xiaohongshu, the hashtag #nienien has over 1.96 billion views, with nearly a million posts and over 100,000 related products. Some brands have also introduced ‘nienien’ gifts to attract consumers.

Young people share their squishy nienie collections on Xiaohongshu. Images: Xiaohongshu

Wagas, a healthy meal brand, launched its nienie brand gifts to engage with white collars consumers. Images: Xiaohongshu

From a psychological perspective, during childhood, humans explore the world through touch, but this behavior is often interrupted by parents. When this need isn’t fully satisfied, it can create a desire for squeezing and grasping in adulthood. Cute and soft objects can improve people's moods, and nienien toys combine both 'cuteness' and 'squeezability,' making it especially appealing.

Tracing nienie toys' development

Nienie falls under the category of slow rebound toys, pioneered by the Japanese brand iBloom. Founder Kazuhiko Miyamoto used memory foam to create toys that stood out from traditional ones, developing a bean-shaped toy beloved by young women and boosting iBloom's fame. Today, iBloom is more than just a toy; many users enjoy collecting it. iBloom has become Japan's largest and most well-known slow rebound toy developer.

Bean-shaped nienie toy developed by iBloom. Images: Xiaohongshu

The rise of nienie in China has led to a growing trend of intellectual property (IP) in this category. In the local market, several prominent cultural and creative manufacturers have developed slow rebound toys based on authorized IPs. Since 2023, a variety of IPs, including ‘Pigman,’ ‘Little Liu Duck,’ ‘Loopy,’ and ‘Line Dog,’ have showed up in forms of slow rebound products. Unauthorized IP nienie toys come in various forms, featuring plants, food, and quirky characters.

Nienie toys based on authorized IPs like 'Pigman' and 'Little Liu Duck.' Images: Taobao

Nienie toys based on authorized IPs like 'Loopy' and 'Line dogs.' Images: Taobao

In stores like Cool Joy Play(酷乐潮玩) , Miniso, and Sanfu, slow rebound toys are becoming a key category for expansion. They are prominently displayed and shifting from mainly featuring IP derivative products to focusing on original designs.

Nienie toys displayed prominently at Cool Joy Play stores. Images: Xiaohongshu

Safety hazards for nienie toys

Despite the popularity of nienie toys, several issues have emerged. Nienie tends to harden if left unused for a while, reducing its value for money, especially if bought at a high price. The most concerned safey hazard is that some low-end nienie toys are toxic containing excessive formaldehyde.

Among the top search keywords on RED, 'Nienie formaldehyde' and 'Is nienien toxic‘ are big safety concerns. Images: Xiaohongshu

A lot of posts complain that users throw nienie toys away because they smell bad and are skeptical of containing excessive formaldehyde. Images: Xiaohongshu

Wrapping up

The popularity of nienie among young people is not accidental. It provides emotional value and reflects their outlook on life. With young people increasingly focusing on their own inner needs, we can expect more businesses to emerge that cater to emotional value. However, we must not overlook the safety risks to physical health, especially for children, posed by nienie toys.