Alright, so let me tell you about my little adventure with these nfl squeezymates 2024 things. I first saw some chatter about them online, you know, the usual forums and a couple of collector groups I peek into. Being a bit of an NFL fan, and hey, who doesn’t like a good squishy toy now and then, I figured, “Okay, this could be fun.” I pictured getting a few for my desk, maybe my favorite team, something to fiddle with during those long conference calls.
The Hunt Begins
So, I started looking around. My first thought was, “This’ll be easy, they’ll be everywhere.” Boy, was I wrong. I went to a couple of my usual spots, the big box stores, you know. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. The shelves were either empty or just had the same old stuff from last year. I asked a store guy, and he just shrugged, said something about them coming in “sometime.” Real helpful.
Then I tried online. That was a whole other mess. Some places said “coming soon,” others were already showing “sold out.” And the prices on those auction sites? Forget about it. People were asking crazy money, and I wasn’t about to pay triple for a little foam figure. It started to feel less like a fun little pickup and more like a mission, you know?
Getting My Hands on a Few
After a couple of weeks of casual looking, I almost gave up. Then, one afternoon, I was just browsing on my phone, and bam! One of the big retailers suddenly had a few listed. Not a huge selection, mind you, and definitely not all the teams I was hoping for. But they had a couple, so I quickly added them to my cart and checked out before they disappeared. It felt like a small victory, honestly.
When the package finally arrived, I was actually a bit excited. I tore it open, and there they were. I got a quarterback from one team and a lineman from another – not my top choices, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers, right?
The Squeeze Test and Reality
So, the first thing I did, naturally, was give them a good squeeze. They’re… well, they’re squishy. The paint job was decent, I guess. You could tell which players they were supposed to be, mostly. The material felt okay, not super cheap, but not exactly premium either. Just sort of standard for these kinds of things.
I put them on my desk. My kid saw them and immediately wanted to play. And this is where things got a bit, let’s say, revealing. After about an hour of what I’d call “gentle play” – mostly just lining them up and, yes, squeezing them – one of them started to show a bit of wear already. A tiny bit of paint flaked off the helmet. Not a huge deal, but I was a bit surprised it happened so quickly.
- Finding them: More trouble than I expected.
- Quality: It’s alright, pretty much what you’d think for a novelty squishy.
- Durability: Maybe not for rough play, definitely more of a display or light-squeeze item.
So, yeah, that was my little journey with the nfl squeezymates 2024. They’re a neat little novelty if you can find them without too much hassle or paying a fortune. I guess if you’re a die-hard fan or a serious collector, you’ll go the extra mile. For me, it was an interesting experience, but I’m not sure I’ll be scrambling for the next series. I’ll just enjoy the couple I managed to snag, as long as they last!