A long line snakes through a famous shopping mall in Seoul.
[I guess this is the line.]
It is an event where visitors can experience and purchase various sensory toys called slime, wax-based dough, and squishies, which are enjoyed by kneading and crushing them with one's hands.
Pre-registrations alone drew 60,000 applicants.
[Kim Jong-kwang / Ansan, Gyeonggi Province: I pre-registered and came from Ansan, Gyeonggi Province.]
As shoppers individually touch various new sensory toys that come in diverse shapes and unique textures not seen before, baskets quickly fill up while searching for the texture that suits their taste.
[Ju Hong-ji / Gangbuk-gu, Seoul: The textures all differ depending on the clay ratio, so I wanted to touch various ones...]
[So Jae-hee / Seodaemun-gu, Seoul: I think there is a bit of dopamine released from crushing them.]
Seoul Changsin-dong Stationery Street has recently gained fame as a hotspot for squishies among people in their 20s and 30s, breathing new life into a once-slumping commercial district.
[Oh, look, that is pretty too. That is a 'wax-based dough'.]
While sales were once centered around children's toys, adult consumers in their 20s, 30s, and older now account for a large portion.
[Chae Yong-jae / Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province: My wife is into it too, and you can easily relieve stress by touching them.]
[Song Jung-hoon / Stationery Store Owner: There are 120 stores distributed here, and all the merchants are having a tough time yet feeling very happy. That is because overall sales have increased a lot and the market has received a lot of promotion...]
According to an actual online shopping platform, search volume for sensory toys surged up to 486 times over the past 6 months, and transaction values also increased nearly 60-fold.
[Lim Myung-ho / Professor of Psychology at Dankook University: Engaging a lot in sensory stimulation play has the effect of somewhat stabilizing brain emotions. This kind of play is increasing a lot, especially among young people. There are many members of society who are quite exhausted and stressed...]
Experts forecast that sensory consumption, which offers fun and tension relief to modern individuals driven by anxiety and fatigue, will continue in various forms.
"Let's Heal," Search Volume Surges 486x…'Hotspots' Buzzing (August 9, 2026, 8 News)
Reported by Chae Hee-sun | Produced by Bae Jun-hwi | Video by Kim Jong-min | Graphics by Jeon Yu-geun | VJ: Jung Han-wook | Produced by SBS Digital News
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