Inside the squishy nightmare: Explosions, burns, and thousands of calls to poison control

Jim Franco/Albany Times Union via Getty Images; Rebecca Zisser/BI Warning: Some of the images you may see are graphic.

For questions or if you suspect a poisoning, contact Poison Help at PoisonHelp.org or call 1-800-222-1222.

Katie Zerbst was doing laundry on a Sunday morning in June when she heard a "guttural" moan.

"It was the sound that makes you just drop everything and run," the 45-year-old mother told Business Insider.

Rushing into the kitchen, Zerbst found her 10-year-old daughter, Violet, covered in steaming hot, sparkly goo.

Burns seared across her face, and skin from her top lip was flapping down into her mouth.

Moments earlier, Violet had popped a squishy toy into the microwave for 30 seconds.

She wanted to make the glittery cube more malleable so she could squish it more easily.

When she pulled it out, it erupted like a volcano.

Violet ended up in the emergency room, and she isn't the only child to visit the hospital after playing with a squishy.

Violet Zerbst, 10, suffered burns on her face and body after a squishy toy exploded.

Katie Zerbst Business Insider reviewed dozens of incident reports, spoke to parents, and consulted doctors and regulators about the risks behind this year's biggest toy craze.

Despite a spike in reports of burns and concerns about toxic exposure, oversight of squishies — slime-filled toys shaped like dumplings, fruit, ice cubes, and other cute characters — falls into a regulatory gray area, and the market is teeming with counterfeits and knockoffs.

Have a squishy story to share? Reach out to Business Insider correspondent Jane Ridley: [email protected].