Hundreds of fake squishy dumpling toys filled with flammable liquid have been seized from souvenir and candy shops on Oxford Street, Westminster Times has reported. The "Rainbow Mystery" toys, a TikTok craze packaged in plastic imitations of Chinese steam baskets with an elusive "golden glitter dumpling" advertised as a rare find, were on sale near the front of nearly every souvenir store on the street. The toys were found to be potentially hazardous after a mother and daughter reported a foul smell, having purchased one for £8.
Around 200 of the toys have since been seized by enforcement officers, some of which posed as products from well-known brands including Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper and McDonald's, but were found to be unlicensed fakes containing a harmful flammable liquid.
Cllr Caroline Sargent, Cabinet Member for Enforcement, said:
"You may know that this is a popular craze at the moment that's often featured on TikTok. We've got well known brands on all of these that would be very appealing to children. Turns out these are filled with flammable liquids. That's why, here at Westminster, we are taking action to take these off the streets and to warn families about the dangers with some of these products that really are not what they seem."
Fake products have repeatedly been found in the West End's souvenir shops, some of which have closed and reopened under new names shortly before business rates or taxes fall due, including a store that secured a 10-year lease on Oxford Street by presenting itself as a Japanese toy store to its landlord, before breaching the agreement, closing, and being briefly replaced by a "Fuel" mini market selling similar merchandise, which has since also shut down.
Read Ryan Prosser's article for The Westminster Times via their website here.
