Guide

Squishy Fidget Glossary: Chase, Grail, Blind Box & More

Squishy collecting and resale have their own vocabulary. Here is what the terms you will see in listings, trades, and value guides actually mean.

Chase

A rare variant intentionally produced in small numbers within a release — the hardest to pull from a blind box and usually the most valuable. The Mystery Dumpling "chase" colorways are the classic example.

Grail

A collector’s most-wanted, hardest-to-find item — often a discontinued or extremely limited squishy that commands the highest resale prices.

Blind box

Packaging that hides which variant is inside until you open it, so you do not know whether you got a common or a chase until after purchase.

Slow rise

How slowly a squishy returns to shape after being squeezed — a signature trait of quality squishies. An off or fast "rise" can signal a bootleg.

Variant

A specific version of a squishy within a line — a particular color, scent, size, or edition. Each variant has its own resale value.

NIB / MIP

"New in box" / "Mint in package" — an item still sealed in its original packaging, generally worth more than a loose one.

Retail / MSRP

The original store price set by the maker. Most chase squishies sell out at retail and trade far above it on the resale market.

Resale value

What an item actually sells for on the secondary market right now — what SquishyTrade tracks, distinct from retail/MSRP.

Secondary market

Resale between collectors (eBay, StockX, Mercari, trades) rather than buying new from a store — where sold-out squishies live.

Restock

When a sold-out item is made available again at retail. Restocks can temporarily push resale prices down.

Bootleg / fake

An unauthorized knockoff of a popular squishy. Bootlegs have no collector value — see our guide on how to spot a fake squishy.

Premium

How much above retail an item resells for, often expressed as a multiple (e.g. "10x retail"). A core demand signal.