It started as innocent fun — a seven-year-old girl copying a popular TikTok trend. Moments later, her world turned into horror.

Little Scarlett Selby from Missouri had been playing with a $9 NeeDoh squishy toy when tragedy struck. After freezing it overnight and putting it in the microwave — just like she’d seen online — it exploded in her face. “I heard a blood-curdling scream,” her father, Josh, said. “I was a complete mess.”

The blast left Scarlett with severe burns to her chest, mouth, and chin. Doctors placed her in a medically induced coma for three days, fearing her swollen airways might close. “She was terrified,” recalled her mom, Amanda. “It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.”

Now, her parents are begging others to throw these toys away. “It shouldn’t be sold like that,” Josh warned. “No child should go through this.”

Scarlett’s once bright smile now bears deep scars — a heartbreaking reminder of how one innocent online trend nearly cost her life.

As her family prays for healing, one haunting question lingers: how many more children will get hurt before these dangerous fads finally stop?