What Are Squishies Made Of? Skin, Filling and Why They Feel Different
Short answer: a squishy is an outer skin wrapped around a filling. The skin is a soft, stretchy material — commonly TPR (thermoplastic rubber) or a silicone-type material — and the filling is a base material plus, in many squishies, small decorative pieces suspended inside. The skin decides how the ball feels on the outside; the filling decides how it squeezes, how it sounds, and how fast it comes back to shape.
That is the whole structure. Everything else — the crunch, the slow rise, the difference between a ball that feels firm and one that feels like dough — comes from how those two parts are chosen and combined.
The two parts of every squishy
| Part | What it is | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
| Skin | The outer stretchy shell you touch | Surface feel, transparency, how much the ball stretches, and how well it holds its shape |
| Filling | Base material + optional pieces | Squeeze resistance, sound, weight, and rebound speed |
A clear skin lets you see the filling, which is why so many squishies are sold as a visible design — the pieces inside are part of the product, not packaging. An opaque or shaped skin hides the filling and puts the visual focus on the outer form instead.
What the skin is made of
Most squishies you will find, including ours, use one of two families:
- TPR (thermoplastic rubber) — a rubbery, skin-like material. It stretches, holds its shape well, and gives a smooth surface. It is the material behind most realistic food-shaped squishies, and it is what "Eco-TPR" refers to on our product pages.
- Silicone-type materials — softer and more matte, often used where a doughy or powdery surface is wanted.
Both are chosen for how they feel in the hand rather than for any claim about what they contain. We do not describe our squishies as non-toxic, food-grade or certified, because those are claims that need testing evidence attached to a specific item — and we would rather you check the material label on the exact product page than take a general statement from a blog post.
What the filling is made of
The filling is where squishies differ most, and it has two layers:
1. A base material. This is the body of the ball — the part that compresses when you squeeze. In our own range the base is named on each product page, for example:
| Base name | The feel it gives |
|---|---|
| Rice Cake Base | A dense, soft squeeze that holds shape |
| Silky Balm Gel | A smooth, silky, slower feel |
| Crystal Clear Slime Base | Clear and jelly-like, usually paired with visible pieces |
| Firm Tough Putty Base | The firmest option — more resistance, less give |
| Coconut Oil | A softer, more yielding mix often used with putty bases |
| Milk Paste Base | A soft, creamy, dough-adjacent feel |
Some squishies combine two bases — our listings show this as two names together, for example a rice cake base paired with a clear slime base, which gives a dense body with a visible, jelly-like surface around it.
2. Optional pieces. These are the small shapes suspended in the base: tiny building blocks, sequins, beads, shells, rings, stars, resin accents, fruit slices. They change three things:
- Sound. Harder pieces moving against each other create the crunch. A base with no pieces stays quiet.
- Look. With a clear skin, the pieces are the design.
- Density. More pieces means a heavier, firmer-feeling ball.
Why some squishies crunch and others are silent
The sound does not come from the skin — it comes from the pieces in the filling, and from how much air and give the base has.
- Crunchy / crackly: the base is packed with rigid pieces that shift against each other when compressed. The more pieces and the stiffer they are, the louder it gets.
- Snow-crunch: a dense fill of small, hard grains that compress together — it reads as a tighter, higher-pitched crunch.
- Silent or near-silent: either no pieces at all, or a filling soft and thick enough that the pieces cannot knock together.
This is why two squishies that look identical can sound completely different. On our product pages we list the sound as a rating for that specific item, because you cannot tell from a photo.
Why some are firm and some feel like dough
Resistance comes down to how densely the base is packed and which base it is. A "firm tough putty" base at high density barely moves; a balm gel base at lower density moves like soft dough. Our listings give each item a resistance rating for this reason.
The same applies to rebound — how quickly the ball returns to its round shape after you let go:
- Slow rebound is the classic squishy feel: it rises back gradually, which many people find more satisfying to squeeze repeatedly.
- Quick rebound springs back almost immediately, and suits people who squeeze fast and hard rather than slowly.
What is actually inside a stress ball?
A stress ball is the same structure with a different emphasis. Instead of decorative pieces, the filling is often a dense, uniform material — foam, gel, putty or a packed base — chosen to give steady resistance without any sound. Decorative pieces are optional and, in a plain stress ball, usually absent.
So the difference between a "stress ball" and a "squishy" is mostly intent, not structure: a stress ball is built for resistance, a squishy is built for the feel, the look and often the sound.
Common questions about materials
Is the filling liquid?
No. In our squishies the filling is a soft solid — a base material, sometimes with pieces — not a liquid. If a ball is leaking a liquid, the skin has failed and it should not be used.
Why does my squishy look different from the photo?
Because the pieces are placed by hand, the arrangement, colour and density vary slightly from ball to ball. Lighting and screen settings also change how colours read.
Are all squishies made the same way?
No. Materials and construction vary a lot between makers. Everything on this page describes the structure and the labels we use on our own products; check the individual product page for the exact material and base of the item you are buying.
Can I see the material and base before buying?
Yes — every Marshkiky product page names the base and, where relevant, the material. If a listing does not state it, ask us before ordering rather than assuming.
Browse the full range by material and squeeze style in our squishy collections, or start with the DIY supplies if you want to build the inside yourself.