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Customers line up for NeeDohs at Unkel Joe’s Woodshed

Dozens descend on Unkel Joe’s Woodshed to buy popular toys

A line of customers snaked through the aisles inside Unkel Joe's Woodshed on Wednesday afternoon, all on the same quest -- to get their hands on 2026's hottest fad, NeeDohs.

A few hours prior to the NeeDoh drop, Unkel Joe's Woodshed shared a post on their Facebook page, announcing the date and time the toys were available for purchase. With Christmas around the corner, customers were prepared to snag a few NeeDohs for under the tree.

"My daughter has a big collection of NeeDohs and we're just adding to it for Christmas," Jennifer Ferrucci said while waiting in line. "If you want to get Christmas gifts, you got to get here and wait in line or you're not getting it."

At 2 p.m., General Manager Tim Baker rolled out a cart full of NeeDohs, with the variety ranging from Cool Cats, Funky Pups and Nice-Sicles to Fuzz Balls, Mello Mallos, Color Changing Cubes, Jelly Squishes and more. The store limited each customer to a total of four NeeDohs in an attempt to ensure fairness for all.

For the last eight years, Baker said Unkel Joe's Woodshed has been stocking their shelves with NeeDohs, but within the last year, it's been hard to keep them in stock. Twice a month the store receives about 10 to 12 different types of NeeDohs and every time, the store is packed with customers who buy out the collection.

"It's crazy," Baker said. "We get about 50 phone calls a day asking if we have them."

In early 2026, the popular sensory and fidget toy became the nationwide item that no one could get a hold of, despite being on the market for nearly a decade. With their popularity, consumers took their excitement and passion to find the toy to social media, making videos about going on a "NeeDoh or squishy hunt."

During the squishy drop, NeeDoh-obsessed individuals of all ages filled the store, from kids to teenagers, parents and grandparents, he said.

A group of Penn State Altoona students -- Lexi Green, Macy Cherry and Mia Blake -- stood their ground in line, hoping to get the Nice-Sicle NeeDoh. Taking a break in between classes, the girls knew they had to make their way to Unkel Joe's Woodshed because "you can never buy NeeDohs anywhere else," Cherry said.

While the store had about $3,000 worth of NeeDohs, Lacey Swarm only wanted to purchase one for her nephew for Christmas, which was the NeeDoh Nice-Sicle, a toy shaped like a popsicle. She waited in her car for half an hour and was in line in the store for about 10 minutes before the toys hit the shelf.

"NeeDohs are like the modern Cabbage Patch Kids," Ferrucci said. Her daughter is obsessed with them and so are kids all over the country.

Baker doesn't know when the next NeeDoh drop will be, but said everyone should pay attention to their Facebook page as they announce their arrival typically the morning of drop.

Mirror staff writer Jayla Nartatez is at 814-946-7535.