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👍 I had this💔 I wanted this1980s · toys
Koosh Ball
A ball made of rubber strings that felt like holding a tiny sea creature. Great for tossing indoors where baseballs were banned.
- Era
- 80s
- Released
- 1987
- Category
- toys
- Availability checked
- 7/17/2026
From the archive
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The pitch
Koosh Ball is soft, spiky, and impossible to put down! Toss it, catch it, juggle it, or just run your fingers through those rubbery strings. It's the weird little ball that showed up on every desk in the nineties.
Why people remember it
- Soft enough to whip at siblings without getting grounded for long.
- The center had a satisfying weight compared to the floppy outside.
- Desk toys and gym class substitutes loved these in the late 80s.
Did you know?
- Engineer Scott Stillinger invented Koosh because he wanted a ball his kids could catch easily.
- The name comes from the sound the rubber filaments make when they smack together.
- Hasbro acquired OddzOn Products, the original maker, in 1997.
- Over 50 million Koosh balls sold in the first three years after launch.
How people search for it
“rubber string ball”, “spiky soft ball”, “90s desk toy ball”
Tags
Questions people ask
- Is the Koosh Ball still available?
- Hasbro revived it. Third-party string balls exist too if you want the same feel cheaper.
- Why did they disappear for a while?
- Trend cycles. They were huge, then quiet, then nostalgia brought them back.
