MY DAUGHTER IS IN PAIN… THEY’RE JUST BRUTAL. – A heartbroken father says his family has been targeted by cruel online trolls after his daughter suffered serious burns when a toy reportedly exploded.
Dad slammed by trolls after daughter burned by exploding toy
After urging other parents to be cautious of a popular kids toy, an Aussie dad has been met with the full toxic force of the internet. Warning: Graphic
Earlier this week, Jody Zerbst’s daughter made headlines, all because childhood curiosity got the better of her.
The 10-year-old schoolgirl, Violet, microwaved a popular toy, a knock-off NeeDoh, causing it to explode and severely burn her face.
But when her Queensland father chose to warn other parents, he was met with a brutal online wave so toxic that some claimed his child “deserves to burn.”
“There’s thousands of comments, and they’re just brutal,” Mr Zerbst told news.com.au.
“They’re ranging from … how stupid the parents are to like, ‘oh, that kid deserves to burn. How dumb can you be’ and just really twisted sort of mean stuff.”
It’s certainly not how he expected his week to pan out, after starting his Sunday as many Aussies did – watching the World Cup.
“I got up, and I put the soccer on. It was just this is perfect… just a nice, perfect Sunday morning,” he recalled.
Within the blink of an eye, the household was thrown into chaos.
Violet had been playing with her fidget when she decided she wanted to attempt to soften it.
She placed the toy in the microwave for 30 seconds.
10-year-old, Violet, microwaved a NeeDoh knock-off not realising the dangers. Picture: 7News
The youngster’s father says people have left horrible messages on reports about the story. Picture: Supplied
“As she grabbed it, she could see in the middle that it was a liquid, and it was kind of bubbling … she was compressing it … and was looking at it and then the outer silicon shell just gave way and exploded.”
The fidget is filled with a gel-like material and is used to promote focus and relieve stress when squeezed, which, once heated becomes a pressurised, boiling liquid.
The father recalled his daughter letting out a “ghastly, horrifying shriek”, which caused him and his wife Kate to launch into action.
In the midst of her initial pain, Violet’s concerns were innocent. She asked the question on every 10-year-old’s mind during an emergency: “Does this mean I don’t have to go to school?”
Official versions of the NeeDoh come with clear instructions not to microwave the product; cheaper knock-offs often fail to include the caution.
Violet had been playing with a knock-off version at the time of the incident, which Mr Zerbst says had a smaller, discreet warning that was easily missed.
“I don’t think warnings are the solution. I think it’s awareness,” he pointed out.
Which is why he decided to share the story in the first place.
He “committed really early to telling the story”, but never anticipated how far word would travel.
NeeDoh is a popular fidget toy used to relieve anxiety and promote focus. Picture: Supplied
International media has been in contact with the family, three TV stations have asked for interviews and a news package of the story has over 1.5 million views on Facebook.
It’s led to negative comments on social media, with trolls slamming the Aussie parents rather than heeding the warning.
“Parental neglect not teaching kids about hot liquids and the dangers,” one user wrote.
Another commented: “So, no parental supervision was happening. Got it.”
“I mean, it’s kinda common sense isn’t it really,” a third added.
The criticism has not swayed the family at all, who have decided to approach the backlash with a glass half full approach.
“All Violet’s older sisters just thought it was hilarious. That was kind of a good entertainment for a few hours”.
Mr Zerbst even added that one of his kids joined in: “One of my daughters got on and said ‘throw him in jail.’”
If you scroll past the nasty comments, you can notice the impact Violet has been making.
“A lot of people were sharing with their partners or other people, saying ‘make sure you know, show the kids this,’” he said.
While an online trend has emerged over recent months inspiring kids to microwave or freeze their NeeDoh, he believes the knowledge is essential.
News.com.au is not suggesting Schylling, the original creator and brand behind NeeDoh, has any association with the trend circulating on social media.
Mr Zerbst clarified to news.com.au that his daughter “didn’t see it on TikTok”, claiming the impromptu science project was “really just a sort of an experiment.”
The father, who has a science teaching background, believes he may have unwillingly planted the seed himself after she complained about the toy being hard.
The original branded toy includes warnings against microwaving. Picture eBay
Violet and her family hope others learn from her painful lesson. Picture: 7News
“I said to her ‘oh wow, you know if you heated that up it would probably get softer.’ I didn’t even sort of think that she might go and do it. [It] was just an observation or a passing comment… but that obviously put the idea in her mind,” he recounted.
The father credited his “champion” wife, Kate, for making sure their daughter was comforted, even if it meant discomfort for herself.
“She had to sleep in the little bed with Violet, who had to keep her arms down because she’d wake up in the night and try to sort of scratch herself,” the father shared.
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He also reflected on how lucky Australians are to have such amazing health care workers.
“Everybody from the ambos, to the nurses… they were just amazing and compassionate and expert and thorough,” he praised.
“I just thought, my god we are so privileged here.”
