Share and Follow
CHICAGO — A local hospital in the suburbs is reporting that at least four individuals have required medical attention this year due to injuries associated with a viral TikTok challenge.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Whitney Grubb recounted the moment she heard her 9-year-old son, Caleb, switch on the microwave one morning as he prepared for school.
Initially assuming Caleb was simply heating up his breakfast, Grubb was alarmed when she was jolted by a terrifying scream.
Caleb had placed a Needoh cube, a widely popular sensory toy filled with a gelatin-like substance, into the microwave, causing it to explode upon his face and hands.
According to Grubb, Caleb had been imitating a TikTok video he watched, which suggested microwaving the toy to make it softer.
“He told me that a friend at school told him about putting it in the microwave,” Grubb said. “It wasn’t anything malicious, it was just kids sharing stories, and unfortunately, he decided to try it.”
Caleb was treated at Loyola Medicine’s Burn Center. Although the burns were very close to his eye, Loyola Medicine said his vision will be OK.
“Unfortunately, Caleb’s is the fourth case we have seen this year with Needoh cubes,” said burn center Advanced Practice Nurse Paula Petersen. “Caleb is very lucky he didn’t sustain greater injuries. These trends can be extremely dangerous for young people who are less likely to consider or unable to understand the serious consequences.”
Loyola said it was sharing Caleb’s story amid National Burn Awareness Week.
Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.