Don’t know which contemporary toy is the best one to buy for everybody on your list this holiday season? While many toys make great gifts, some toys will be collectibles of the future.

As an expert who reviews and researches the patterns of collecting in the art, antiques, and collectibles markets, I have my picks of the toys to buy and keep for the long run.

What is my pick for the holiday toy of choice in 2021? Squishmallows.

I think the soft plush toys that second for cuddly pillows with cutesy and culturally significant names, complex backstories, and strong designs are highly collectible and will hold their value with collectors for the long term. Squishmallows are to the 2020s what Beanie Babies were to the 1990s.

Squishmallows are not only the next big toy craze, they are the current big toy craze.

Only a few years since their introduction in the autumn of 2017, the collectible Squishmallows toys in their many versions have achieved the type of widespread interest that was enjoyed by Boyd’s Bears, Cabbage Patch Kids and Ty Inc. Beanie Babies.

Squishmallows are organized and marketed differently than most plush toys. For example, Squishmallows debuted in thematic squads like the Fantasy squad, Prehistoric squad, Buddy squad, etc. with certain items included within a category or squad.

Each Squishmallow has its own character name; squishdate, which is likened to a birthdate; collector number; character backstory; and of course, the all-important — and God forbid you remove it — printed tag.

The fun plush toys are available in four sizes: 5 inches tall, 8 inches tall, 12 inches tall and 16 inches tall, and range in price from approximately $5 to $20 each. The cost is attractive to all ages. Kids can afford their low price in order to make additions to their Squishmallows collections.

Adults collect them too. In fact, I was interviewed about appraising collectible Squishmallows recently and the 20-something reporter admitted that she and her friends are wild about collecting the cuddly creature toys, too. That didn’t surprise me, as young adults are enthusiastic plush toy collectors for many reasons. One reason is that the age group grew up with the 1990s collectible toy crazes.

Kellytoy, the California plush toy manufacturer that makes and markets Squishmallows, introduced the brand in 2017 and enjoys widespread interest and sales — more than $55 million to date. The complete Squishmallows Squad includes more than 800 plush characters in various sizes. The plush toys are simple in their design and feature colorful and textural attributes that make the toys attract to the collecting public.

Squishmallows are made from super soft spandex EF and polyester stuffing. Each toy is washable.

Collectors look for some of the same elements in a Squishmallow as Ty Inc. Beanie Babies. Tags are important to authentication and value since there are fakes out there trying to imitate the toys.

To an appraiser and market analyst like me, Squishmallows have all the stuff that will make them a mainstay in the collectible toy market for many years to come.

Get yours now while you can. All the kids and adults on your holiday shopping list will thank you for it.

Ph.D. antiques appraiser, author, and award-winning TV personality, Dr. Lori appears on The Curse of Oak Island on History channel. She gives appraisal value information at www.DrLoriV.com, www.Youtube.com/DrLoriV or call (888) 431-1010.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Dr. Lori Verderame: Squishmallows are the collectibles of the future

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