This is what you need to know about the scary hug Huggy Wuggy

A huggable variant of Huggy Wuggy. Image: Getty Images

You may have already come across the creep and if not, at least it’s good to know: the ‘cuddly’ character Huggy Wuggy isn’t as sweet as he looks. The doll even incites violence. We explain it to you…

Huggy Wuggy is a blue furry stuffed animal with sharp teeth and lanky long arms and legs. At first it looks like a sweet doll, but he is a character in the online horror game ‘Poppy Playtime’. As the player of the game, you are a former employee of a closed toy factory: Playtime Co. Ten years ago, all the staff mysteriously disappeared. In the game you have to solve puzzles while avoiding toy figures that have come to life, such as Huggy Wuggy.

What does Huggy Wuggy do?

If Huggy Wuggy catches you in the game, he will hug you to death. For example, Huggy whispers in your ear: ‘My name is Huggy Wuggy, sharp teeth leavy you bloody. Don’t you ever call me ugly, hug me ’til you die. Not really a nice figure so…

How will my child see this?

Huggy Wuggy is very popular worldwide. The figure sings songs on YouTube, where the videos are nice and colorful and have a catchy melody. Huggy is especially a trend on TikTok, where he has a large fan base. Many fans run off with the character and make their own movies and they go from innocent to very scary.

Also in the popular game Roblox Huggy and the other characters from the game pass by. Videos and memes of Huggy are circulated via Whatsapp. There are even videos of Peppa Pig featuring Huggy.

What makes Huggy attractive?

The cheerful appearance of the doll in combination with the initially cheerful-looking videos online make it attract the attention of children. The stories that hang around this figure also make it extra interesting.

What are the risks?

The Poppy Playtime game has a PEGI rating of 12 years and older. For that group, the game can be a fun and challenging game to play. Is your child younger? Then be careful, because they can be quite scared of Huggy. They make it more difficult to distinguish between real and fake and can lie awake at night with the scary figure.

Cases have been reported in England and Curacao in which children imitate Huggy Wuggy and thus hug each other violently and whisper scary things in each other’s ear.

Here’s what you can do:

Watch and explain: this is a good idea anyway, because unfortunately Huggy Wuggy isn’t the only scary character going around online. Does your child run into Huggy? Then explain that he is part of a game and that it is all not real. And look for cheerful and fun videos together, so that your algorithm quickly puts Huggy aside.

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