A seven-year-old girl was put into a coma and suffered horrific burns after she innocently 'copied' a video she'd seen online.
Scarlett Selby watched TikTok and YouTube video clips of people microwaving a a NeeDoh cube and wanted to try it out herself, according to her mum Amanda Blakenship.
In October last year, the young girl put the toy into the freezer and microwaved it afterwards for a few seconds after allegedly seeing other people doing it.
Unfortunately, this intended playtime didn't go to plan as the toy exploded in the microwave, covering Scarlett's face and chest with the red-hot goo contents inside the cube.
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As you can imagine, Scarlett’s dad Josh Selby was horrified by the incident.
He sprinted over to his daughter when he heard her 'blood-curdling scream' and tried to remove the sticky substance from her skin and clothes.
Detailing the ordeal, Josh, from Festus, Missouri, explained: "She'd frozen the NeeDoh cube the night before and the next day she showed me it was rock solid and was playing with it.
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"She stuck it in the microwave. I was watching her and saw her touch it to check it wasn't too hot when she pulled it out.
“It all happened so quickly. I heard her scream and it was like a blood-curdling scream. It had exploded all over her chest, mouth and chin.”
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The dad added: "My first thought was to try and wipe it off her. Whenever I touched her, my hand stuck to her. It was really thick and sticky.
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"I ripped her shirt off of her because it was stuck to her shirt as well. I took her as quickly as I could to the hospital."
The school girl was rushed to St Louis Children's Hospital after the incident and placed into an induced coma by doctors in the hope that it would prevent her airways from swelling up and closing.
Mum Amanda said: "She was still screaming when we got to the hospital and it's a good 30-minute drive from where we live. It was terrible how scared she was and how much that hurt her.
"I was panicked, devastated, terrified and heartbroken."
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While Scarlett’s father admitted: "I was a complete mess. She spent a week in the hospital and for three days of that she was in the coma. I don't think I could speak to anybody without crying the entire time."
The intensity of the incident left Scarlett with second and third-degree burns. It's now been months since the ordeal and the family are awaiting the verdict on whether the child will need skin grafts.
Amanda said: "The scarring is just so bad. We're still putting creams and silicon ointments on it daily - they're such profound scars that stick up off of her skin.
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"She does get upset about it sometimes. I'll catch her looking in the mirror after the bath and she'll just cry.
"She gets very self conscious and I'll see her trying to cover her scar up with her shirt when we're out in public sometimes, or she'll come home from school and say another kid asked her about it.
"I tell her she doesn't need to be embarrassed about it. She went through a lot and it was a terrible, terrible accident.
"She came out of it and she's so strong. She's still beautiful and those scars make her who she is."
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Following the incident, Scarlett’s parents are raising awareness about the potential dangers of these toys and have encouraged people to throw them away in case the same thing happens again.
The manufacturer of the toy, Schylling Toys, has a warning on its website that reads: "Do NOT heat, freeze, or microwave, may cause personal injury."
TikTok has said it does not allow content that shows or promotes dangerous behaviour. Meanwhile, YouTube said it is a '13+ platform' and the safety of users is an 'utmost priority', adding it 'vigorously removes this type of content'.
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Schylling told LADbible Group: "Ensuring the safety of our consumers is fundamental for Schylling. We were disappointed to see there had been a trend on social media demonstrating product misuse of our NeeDoh® brand.
"Misusing a NeeDoh product by microwaving, heating, or freezing is dangerous and may cause injury. Schylling has partnered with social media companies, such as TikTok, to remove influential content containing NeeDoh product misuse.
"Additionally, Schylling has added a product warning to NeeDoh packaging and our website to help combat product misuse.
"Schylling has made the Consumer Product Safety Commission aware and will continue to cooperate with them."
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UNILAD has contacted Schylling Toys for further comment.
Maxine Harrison