'Huggy Wuggy' craze warning from police has recently alarmed parents. Children entertain themselves with terrifying Titktok videos of a creepy killer teddy bear named Huggy Wuggy.
In this article, you'll read:
- Huggy Wuggy: Parents and Schools Are Concerned About the Terrifying Videos
- The 2019 Momo Challenge Resembles the Huggy Wuggy
- Huggy Wuggy warnings
- What actions can adults do to help their children?
Parents and Schools Alarmed Of ‘Huggy Wuggy’ Craze Warning
The technology of the recent era allows children to have access to phones, tablets, and other devices. However, their open access to these gadgets has created fear amongst parents about age-appropriate content for their children. One of the contents which parents are worried about is 'Huggy Wuggy.'
Who is Huggy Wuggy?
Huggy Wuggy is a horror game character from the game Poppy Playtime. It is a first-person survival horror game. On it, the user plays as a former employee who is revisiting an abandoned toy factory.
The sharp-toothed animated bear is one of the game's most popular and visually disturbing characters. It is illustrated as a giant blue bear-like creature with bulging eyes, red lips, and long limbs. He actively follows you around as you try to complete the game.
'I could hug you forever until you breathe your last breath'
Parental groups on social media warn parents about the content Huggy Wuggy produces. For instance, a lyric from the song "Free Hugs" includes,
"I could hug you forever until you breathe your last breath."
This prompted children to reenact the video by hugging each other tightly while whispering the line. The clips garnered more fame that made 'Huggy Wuggy' more famous online. It eventually made the creepy figure encourage its young viewers to kill their parents. The line continues with the following disturbing content:
"I could hug you forever until you breathe your last breath. My teeth sharp and ready, in my grasp, yeah, they're deadly."
Upon hearing this line, parents become worried about hearing the alarming words from their children. A concerned parent in the UK shared an email from her child's school to warn them about the videos. A school's safeguarding lead describes the character as,
"The character can be easily viewed on Youtube channels and is a teddy bear with razor-sharp teeth that sings worrying songs about hugging and killing."
They warn parents about one of its videos where the bear asks viewers to "take their last breath." In addition, they said that the character easily deceives its young viewers. It makes seen as something other than an act of kindness and love.
"I just wanted to inform parents so you are aware and can be vigilant around what your children could be watching," they added.
The 2019 Momo Challenge Resembles 'Huggy Wuggy'
In 2019, the Momo Challenge went viral as it led to warnings that children were encouraged to kill themselves. It also prompted kids to commit violent acts after receiving messages on Whatsapp. They receive twisted instructions from users with a profile picture showing a distorted image of a woman with bulging eyes.
Justine Brown, the headteacher at Deal Parochial Church of England Primary School in Walmer, Kent, warned parents to stay vigilant.
"We are seeing children recreating a game on the playground with hugging and whispering nasty things," they said. "It is a very deceiving character, as hugs should be seen as something kind and loving, and because of its cute name, it can infiltrate firewalls and filters." "Please be vigilant about what your children are watching," they added.
Huggy Wuggy Craze Warning
Huggy Wuggy reignited safeguarding concerns due to reports of online challenges and disturbing content featuring the character. Poppy Playtime was released back in October 2021. Because of this, the surge of Huggy Wuggy related content emerged in the early months of 2022.
Meanwhile, the Dorset Police Cyber Protection Officer released a statement regarding the issue. In it, they warned parents that children may be viewing graphic fan-made videos. Fan-made 'Huggy Wuggy' clips pop up on different social media platforms such as Youtube and Tiktok.
Along with this, some created videos feature songs alongside animation, designed to be upsetting and 'creepy'. Others feature jump-scare animations.Recently, the hashtag '#huggywuggy' has over 2.9B views on TikTok.
What actions can adults do to help their children?
As a parent, here are the things that you can do to help your children. These are the things you can do so that your child will no longer be involved in potentially harmful trends on social media:
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Educate yourself
Experts share it's important to know what your child is using.
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Get their opinions
Ask your child about the things they know about a game. It is essential that you know their thoughts. In that way, you may have a glimpse into their thought process and help you shape the conversation.
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Communicate with your child
It can be alarming to discover that your child may be watching or imitating Huggy Wuggy. However, you can use it as a prompt to communicate with your child and help them learn.
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Let them know you are there
It is essential that they know and feel that you understand them. They must know that you are always available whenever they want to talk about it.
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