Gloucestershire Trading Standards is warning parents, carers and retailers to take care when buying popular squishy toys.
Officers seized 1,968 toys during inspections over the past three months.
The products included copies of “squishy dumpling” and “NeeDoh” toys, with some NeeDoh items suspected to be counterfeit.
Trading Standards says issues included strong chemical smells, missing safety labelling, and a lack of required UKCA or CE markings, manufacturer details and safety warnings.
The council is also warning against online trends encouraging children to microwave the toys, saying the gel inside can become extremely hot and burst.
Anyone concerned about unsafe toys being sold is being advised to report it through the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline.