The Needoh craze at Bishop Gorman has quietly become one of the biggest trends of the school year, as more and more students are squishing, squeezing, and tossing the colorful stress balls throughout their day. 

“I first saw a couple kids in my Algebra 2 class using them, and then they started popping up everywhere,” Michael Iniquez ‘27 said. “My friend let me try hers, and I was hooked.”

Students at Gorman are increasingly using Needohs, small squishy stress balls, as their go-to way to deal with anxiety and to stay on track in class.  What was once a simple fad has turned into a campus-wide obsession. The trend has gained steam this school year, particularly in the past few months.

“It started as a fun trend, but for me it’s actually really helpful,” Emily Slakes ‘27 said.

Although fidget toys have been around for several years, Needohs have become popular among teens recently. According to students, the popularity of Needohs has spread rapidly in the past few months as more and more people witness their friends using them and want to give them a try. It is not uncommon to find a few students in a class quietly fidgeting with their Needohs while taking notes or working on stressful assignments

“It kind of gives me something to focus on that isn’t my stress,” Slakes said. “When I’m using it, I feel a lot less stressed out. 

Needohs are different to other stress relieving mechanisms that students can utilize in class. It gives them a way to keep busy and not be distracted, like students could be with listening to music or drawing/writing. They are different from other fidget toys, such as fidget cubes or bike chains, as they do not make noise. They aid students in the perfect balance of distraction from stress and focus on school.  

“Needohs help me focus better because it stops me from zoning out or fidgeting with random stuff,” Michael Iniquez said. “It distracts me from being constantly stressed out, and that’s already a great help.”