Squishy Headquarters: Viral madness reaches IDF bases
The hit by children's star Maiki has conquered soldiers and led to a series of volunteer performances on bases. However, the IDF discovered that these were approved only by field commanders, without the approval of the Manpower Directorate. Despite the demand and additional performances already planned, the army has yet to decide whether to officially regulate her arrival.
If you are a parent or even if you just left the house in recent weeks, it is likely that you could not ignore the madness of the squishy party, which is gaining momentum day by day. For those who somehow managed to avoid the details: this is the viral song by children's star Maiki the Bespectacled, who released the song "Squishy Party" — featuring those soft and colorful squeeze toys — which has recently spread across the internet. The squishy madness has not bypassed the IDF; a quick scroll through social media shows soldiers dancing happily to the sounds of the song, including combat troops, cooks, Intelligence Directorate personnel, and even military band musicians.
"After a long maneuver, we would be happy to have a squishy party." Soon, the viral trend crossed internet boundaries, and countless requests from soldiers accumulated on the star's official pages, asking her to come and cheer them up at their bases. "We are soldiers after a long maneuver in Lebanon and are organizing a party," one request stated, "and we would be happy to turn it into a squishy party." Others wrote that squishies were their favorite thing, and soldiers from the Glilot base expressed their desire for a visit.
At some point, the children's star began visiting various IDF bases, including those in the West Bank, to perform on a volunteer basis after receiving approval from local base commanders. However, the IDF realized in recent days that Maiki's performances were not approved through the standard channels, but only by field commanders — bypassing the Manpower Directorate, which is responsible for granting permission to artists and celebrities to perform before IDF service members.
As of now, the IDF is not prepared to say whether they will begin to officially approve the arrival of the children's star due to the demand, even though several performances by Maiki are already planned for next week at various bases across the country. Nevertheless, sources familiar with the details told "Ha-Yom" that an idea has arisen within the system to produce a larger performance for career IDF service members.
Maiki responded:
"The phone is full of messages from soldiers asking me to come to their bases. I do it with love and from my heart, and unfortunately, I don't have time to get to everyone. This thing does so much good for the soldiers, I hand them squishies and sing the song, and see how much it lifts their morale."
No response was received from the IDF Spokesperson's Unit.
