10 best Squishmallows that kids will love to cuddle

Despite the fact it’s been more than two decades since the movie Lilo and Stitch was released, the Disney character Stitch has grown hugely in popularity over recent years. As such, it’s unsurprising this fun design proved to be the most popular Squishmallow with our young testers.

Along with Stitch’s familiar floppy ears and loveable expression, this delightful toy makes the perfect bedtime companion, thanks to his adorable pyjama set, complete with bobble nightcap.

Super soft and squishy, he’s just the right size for a comforting and reassuring cuddle before drifting off to the land of nod. It’s worth mentioning he’s one of four engaging Stitch designs, so, be warned – your child may want to collect them all.

If you’ve got multiple children to buy for but don’t want to spend a fortune, these 2.5in micromallows make a budget-friendly choice. Although you can pick them up individually (in capsules aptly shaped like a giant marshmallow), the multipacks provide the best overall value for money, with a pack of six retailing at £17 or a pack of four for just £12 (Argos.co.uk). Ideal for sharing between siblings and friends, these packs come in handy for party bags, too – a great alternative to plastic toys.

Living up to their tagline of “tiny but mighty”, these miniature Squishmallows were a big hit with our mini testers. Characters include Danny the green dinosaur, Dane the periwinkle dragon, Malcolm the red-and-white mushroom, Lena the guava fruit slice, Noah the blue-striped seal and our testers’ personal favourite: Leonard the rainbow lion (with a gorgeous fluffy ombre mane).

With 230 styles in the range and compatible accessory sets, such as the micromallows ferris wheel, these small soft toys are great fun to collect and display in your kid’s bedroom or playroom.

Thanks to their portable size and affordable price point, the 7.5in Squishmallows are some of the best-selling styles in the entire range. Small enough to carry along with you, pack in your hand luggage or cuddle just before bed, each character has a unique design and fun personality that oozes gift appeal for recipients of all ages.

Our mini reviewers met some adorable 7.5in Squishmallows during testing, from Ellie the purple penguin (£9, Argos.co.uk) to Lancaster the yellow triceratops (£7.99, Amazon.co.uk), but one character, Cordea, really stood out.

It’s almost impossible not to break out into a smile when you set sight of Cordea the pink lobster. In a striking vivid pink shade with a cute and loveable smile, this toy’s unique shape, along with the tactile feel of its pincers, legs and antennae, had our testers hooked.

This adorable 12in Squishmallow was another of the biggest hits with our young testers. No ordinary bigfoot, this large and fluffy character is Shasta, the general manager of a popular beach hotel. We loved reading Shasta’s bio on her tag and learning all about her peachy attitude, which spreads positive vibes to everyone she meets.

The substantial size of this Squishmallow makes her the perfect friend for kids to snuggle up with while reading or to rest on while relaxing with their tablets. With a vivid orange colour scheme and unique two-texture design, Shasta comes complete with long fluffy ears that proved very strokable, while her lower half felt super soft, like a cushion. For an extra layer of cuteness, her feet even stick out when she’s placed on a sofa or bed, making it look like she’s sitting – utterly adorable.

They may set you back a little more money but the larger size 14in Squishmallows make great travel companions – whether little ones are snuggling on long car journeys, taking train trips or need something on which to rest their head and catch 40 winks while travelling by plane.  

While this sturdy design is a little firmer and less squishy than some of the other larger Squishmallows we tested, our youngsters really rated this giant Pikachu, which is officially licensed by Pokémon Company International.

With a winking expression, big pointy ears and rosy red cheeks, this Pikachu design makes a fun addition to a bedroom or playroom. The “lightning bolt” tail is attached by a small thread to Pikachu’s back but could easily be snipped, to let it hang free, if you prefer.

Space to go a little bigger? If you want something to cuddle up with while watching your favourite movie, 16in Natnat the alien is worlds apart from your average pillow.

Large enough to rest on or use as a cushion, Natnat is a dream to cuddle. While her back is a relatively blank canvas, our mini testers loved her overall aesthetic, with long eyelashes, grey speckles, unique sunflower headband and a cute expression.

As tempting as it may be to do so, we did have to remind our younger tester not to pick up Natnat by the antennae.

The largest Squishmallows in the range, the 20in designs are pretty impressive – our mini testers labelled them as being “absolutely ginormous”. It’s fair to say they don’t come cheap, however, they make a great treat for any avid Squishmallows fans keen to expand their collections. 

You may need to encourage the kids to tidy their room up first to make room for your new addition, but, once some space has been cleared, Maudie the pink donkey makes the perfect pillow for relaxing, reading, chilling on the tablet or watching TV, creating a super soft and bouncy cushion on which to place your head.

Our young testers really warmed to Maudie, with his multiple textures. As well as long, pink, fluffy ears with white on the inside, he has a smooth main body, soft and fluffy tummy and adorable mohawk-style mane. Of course, no donkey would be complete without a tail with a little tuft at the end.

With so many Squishmallows to choose from, selecting one character to take home can be a really tough decision, even for grown-ups. If you’re struggling to make up your mind, flip-a-mallows could be just the solution, as the 5in designs offer two adorable characters in one. 

Our mini testers loved switching each flip-a-mallow between characters, taking it in turns to push the fabric to turn it inside out and reveal the second character hidden inside. If you fancy a change, you simply switch the character back, it couldn’t be easier.

While the characters are often chosen at random when ordering online, our testers fell in love with the Conrad and Arnel double act. First, you meet super cute Conrad the corn on the cob with an adorable smile and white tuft of hair. Switch him inside out and he transforms into Arnel the tub of popcorn – the perfect pal for movie nights.

Other combinations include Delita the dragonfruit, Baiden the red dragon, Kachina the kiwi, Sevada the green boba, Kelen the rainbow frappe and Rease the cinnamon roll with rainbow frosting.

From Goofy (£22.99, Amazon.co.uk) to Tigger (£21.99, Amazon.co.uk) and Buzz Lightyear (£22.98, Amazon.co.uk), Squishmallows have a wide range of Disney- and Pixar-themed characters that you’ll be desperate to add to your collection. However, if there’s one classic character who is always going to be well received, it’s Mickey Mouse.

A substantial 14in Squishmallow, this Mickey design features the character’s classic red shorts and will make a great gift to announce a trip to Disneyland.

Super squishy and soft to cuddle, his recognisable circular ears are large and slightly more structured, standing completely upright at all times.

While you’ll pay a little more for a licensed design, this Harry Potter Squishmallow makes a great gift for Potterheads, muggles, wannabe wizards and witches alike. Sitting at 10in tall, this ultra-squeezable Harry Potter character is not only soft and cuddly but also comes with fantastic attention to detail. From the circular spectacles to the embroidered Gryffindor emblem on Harry’s cloak and, of course, his lightning bolt scar, he makes the ideal friend to snuggle down with when re-reading the books or working through movie marathons.

Other Squishmallows in the Harry Potter range include a fluffy maned Gryffindor lion (£31.99, Amazon.co.uk), and Hedwig (£13, Argos.co.uk), Harry’s loyal owl.