Squish Test

What is a Squish Test?

A squish test is the community practice of squeezing, compressing, or bouncing a silicone toy on camera or in photos to visually demonstrate its firmness level for potential buyers.

Why Do Words Fail to Describe Firmness?

Words like "soft" and "firm" mean different things to different people. What one person considers squishy, another might call medium. That subjectivity is exactly why the squish test became one of the most important community rituals in the fantasy toy world. Instead of trying to describe firmness in words, collectors simply show it on camera. Squeeze the toy, watch it compress, watch it spring back. Now you know exactly how soft or firm it is.

A typical squish test involves pressing fingers into the silicone shaft, squeezing the widest point between thumb and forefinger, bending the toy to show flexibility, and sometimes dropping or bouncing it on a surface. The viewer can immediately gauge the Shore hardness level by watching how the material responds to pressure. Does it compress easily and hold the dent momentarily? That is extra soft. Does it resist compression and snap back instantly? That is firm.

How Are Squish Tests Used in Reviews?

Squish tests have become a staple of toy review content across every platform where the community gathers. On video platforms, dedicated reviewers include squish test segments as a standard part of their review format. The camera focuses tightly on the toy while the reviewer methodically works through compression, bending, and bounce tests. These segments are often the most watched and rewatched portions of a review, because firmness is the single most difficult attribute to judge from product photos alone.

Photo-based squish tests are equally popular on forums and social media. A sequence of images showing the toy at rest, being squeezed, and then released tells the firmness story clearly. Some community members have standardized their squish test photography with consistent lighting, backgrounds, and compression angles so their tests are directly comparable across different toys and makers.

Why Should Buyers Watch Squish Tests?

If you are deciding between firmness options for a made-to-order piece, watching squish tests of the same model in different firmnesses is invaluable. You can see exactly how the toy's shape changes at each level and make an informed decision rather than guessing. This is especially important when choosing between extra soft and split firmness, where the difference in structural behavior is dramatic.

Squish tests also help identify firmness inconsistencies. If a toy advertised as medium feels much softer in a squish test than other medium toys from the same maker, that information helps the community calibrate expectations. Makers benefit too, as squish test feedback helps them maintain consistent firmness across production runs. The transparency that squish tests provide is one of the healthiest aspects of the fantasy toy community's review culture.