‘Where was this when I was young’: These fidget toys are making everyone want to cook

Is it normal to want a cooking toy set as an adult? Many TikTok users are asking that question when they thanks to user @yerimong_.

There’s something oddly satisfying about squish toys, especially if they’re in food format. TikTok’s @yerimong_, though, takes it to the next level by “cooking” them in small toy sets. Her TikToks show fake food being prepared with some satisfying cooking noises. The best way to describe it is seeing someone successfully cook Play-Doh. You’ll see her make fake ramen out of shoelaces. The end result is so adorable, you’d actually feel your stomach rumble over shoelaces.

She can make sandwiches out of felt, and you’ll want to take a bite out of cloth. If people aren’t feeling hungry over her colorful creations, many of her viewers are begging to play with her miniature cooking sets and toys. Her videos are a comfort to people’s inner children from all over the world. While she never really teaches us how to cook, hearing her boil, fry, and chop fake food is oddly satisfying. By the time I finish watching her TikToks, I could’ve cooked some rice myself—but that’s not the point. These toys bring out an idle kind of fun that we all crave to have from beyond our phones.

It seems that many who watch her videos agree. Comments read, “If you want to get me off my phone, get me these types of toys.” Many more asked, “Where was this when I was young?”

The only downside to her videos is that we’ll probably never be able to play with her cooking set. Yerimong has never posted product descriptions about her tiny food or mini cooking sets. Nonetheless, some sharp-eyed viewers found out that Yerimong uses cooking sets from a popular toy brand in Japan named Mell Chan. While some of the food she “cooks” is pre-made from an assortment of brands, most of them look like they’re made of clay or cloth. If you want to recreate anything from Yerimong, this is your sign to get some clay to play with.

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Vanessa Esguerra

Vanessa Esguerra (She/They) has been a Contributing Writer for The Mary Sue since 2023. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy, she (happily) rejected law school in 2021 and has been a full-time content writer since. Vanessa is currently taking her Master's degree in Japanese Studies in hopes of deepening her understanding of the country's media culture in relation to pop culture, women, and queer people like herself. She speaks three languages but still manages to get lost in the subways of Tokyo with her clunky Japanese. Fueled by iced coffee brewed from local cafés in Metro Manila, she also regularly covers anime and video games while queuing for her next match in League of Legends.

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