Shanghai's Squishy Cake (RMB299) sells out; tourists resell double. Not edible/washable, TikTok viral with 1.2B views.
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Foreigners Fly to Shanghai with Empty Suitcases, Resell at Double the Price Back Home
A birthday cake that smells like real baking, feels impossibly soft, and costs RMB 299. It cannot be eaten. It cannot be washed. And people cannot get enough of it.
This is the "Molynk Squishy Cake" — a premium stress-relief toy made by a Shanghai startup that's barely two years old. And it's become an unlikely global phenomenon.
The numbers are staggering:
1.2 billion views on TikTok and counting
Over 10,000 units sold in a single month
Monthly revenue exceeding 3 million yuan (over $400,000)
Global sell-out — both online and offline
Visitors from Southeast Asia have been arriving in Shanghai with empty suitcases specifically to buy as many as possible, clearing out entire display counters before flying home to resell them at double the price or more.
"I think they cleared out all the Shanghai stock last month," founder and CEO Li Weiqing told reporters.
What exactly is it?
The product falls into the category of squishy stress toys — soft, squeezable objects designed to be calming and satisfying to hold. This particular version takes the format upmarket: it comes in an elegant gift box styled like a real cake, uses an ultra-soft slow-rebound material, and releases a convincing baked-goods scent. It is less "cheap novelty toy" and more "luxury desk object."
Tourists are hunting it down in Shanghai
When a reporter visited the brand's pop-up store in Xujiahui, the counter was surrounded by Russian visitors. No shared language, just translation apps and enthusiasm. One woman asked if it could be washed. She was told no. She kept shopping anyway.
The brand's founder says the customer mix is broader than you might expect — beyond young women and children, older shoppers buy them as gifts for grandchildren. The store also draws a significant number of tourists who specifically seek it out while visiting Shanghai.
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Born global
Unlike many Chinese toy brands that started domestically and expanded outward, this company was built for international markets from day one. It launched with subsidiaries in the US, Japan, and Spain before it had even established a track record in China, with Shanghai as its global headquarters. Products are sold across Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, SHEIN, Shopee, and other major cross-border platforms.
The founder draws an explicit contrast with Pop Mart, which built its domestic fanbase first before going global. This brand skipped that step entirely.
The market behind the toy
The squishy toy trend is not a passing fad. The global stress toy market is currently valued at USD 6.26 billion and is projected to exceed USD 8.96 billion by 2030. The high-end slow-rebound segment is growing fastest, at around 15% annually, with Gen Z — who make up over 78% of buyers — driving demand across Europe, North America, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
A birthday cake you squeeze instead of eat. Somehow, the world cannot get enough.
Source: 新闻坊
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