Why do kids love Huggy Wuggy and other scary monsters so much?
If adult people find zombies, mutants and all kinds of horrible monsters distasteful, children often, on the contrary, choose some scary or evil characters as their favorites. Just among them Huggi Vuggi is the hero of a computer game in the genre of horror, a cuddly toy is a killer, which most kids under 12 years old are crazy about. And as is so often the case in our digital age, where trends change at an incredible speed, no one heard of this shaggy, shaggy animal just half a year ago.
We tell what a new character Huggy Wuggy is, why he and other monsters like children and whether you should be afraid of the bad influence of such “horror stories» on your psyche.
Contents:
- Who is Huggy Wuggy and where is he from?
- Who is Kissy Missy?
- How did Huggy Wuggy become a kid’s favorite and meme hero?
- If Huggy Wuggy is blue and Kissy Missy is pink, where do the other colored toys come from?
- What other monster and horror games are popular with kids? TOP scary characters-idols of youth
- Why do children like monsters, how harmful is it for the psyche and should the child’s interest in horror films be curtailed?
Who is Huggy Wuggy and where is he from?
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Huggy Wuggy is an antagonist, a character of the computer game Poppy Playtime by MOB Games, which was released in October 2021. Appears like a giant anthropomorphic being of very tall stature, with blue fur, long arms and legs, a triangular head, round eyes, and large red lips. He has a characteristic facial expression – he smiles broadly and reveals several rows of sharp teeth. It is noteworthy that Huggy Wuggy has a different mouth, which is also full of teeth. His appearance is similar to the Sesame Street hero cake, but whether the creators of the game were inspired in this way is certainly not known.
In the story, a former Playtime Co toy factory employee goes to an abandoned factory to investigate the mysterious disappearance of all the workers and recreate the events of the disaster that occurred there. To do this, he must solve puzzles, collect VHS tapes, and end up finding a Poppy doll. Inside the building, he begins chasing Huggy Wuggy, once the company’s most popular toy. Originally, the model was developed so that children could fall asleep with her in a hug, hence the name Huggy: from the English to hug – «to hug». However, after the mysterious events in the Haggi factory, Waggi, who at first glance has a rather cute appearance, turns into a bloodthirsty monster that tries to catch and eat the player.
Who is Kissy Missy?
Credit: youtube.com
If it’s very simple, Kissy Missy is a female version of Huggy Wuggy, a toy of the same type, only pink and with a bow around her neck. This character will appear in the game indirectly – on the walls of an abandoned factory you can only see the picture Kissy Missy, so it’s not entirely clear whether her name kisses (in English to kiss – «kissing») and in what respect it consists of Huggy Wuggy. Some fans are sure that they are connected by love, according to other theories these heroes are brother and sister or mother and son.
It is expected that Kissy Missy will appear in the second part of the game, the premiere of which is scheduled for 2022, and then her role in the plot will become clearer, although the trailer that was released does not shed any light on future events. There the nature of the Poppy doll should also reveal itself.
How did Huggy Wuggy become a kid’s favorite and meme hero?
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The game, which can be downloaded on both mobile and PC, quickly gained popularity thanks to reviews from Youtube bloggers. The toothy blue doll was meant to scare and invoke horror in players, but users thought Huggy Wuggy was cute.
Through the efforts of streamers and letsplayers plush monsters, an army of fans began to speculate that Huggy Wuggy could turn into a monster, told stories about his past life, family, relationships with Kissy Missy, clip arts, etc. There it’s quite serious work: for example, Community GameToons makes cartoons about the characters of various games, including Huggy Wuggy and Kissy Missy.
They don’t have a direct connection to the game «Poppy Playtime». «Zoomers» — mostly teenagers from 10 to 12 years old — use the first two sentences in the joke videos to indicate the age difference, and the third to express frustration to show failure or incident.The roots of these memes go back to the same letsples on youtube.
Due to the increasing popularity of the game, products with the image of Huggy Wuggy and Kissy Missy filled stores and marketplaces: these are toys, clothes, mugs, posters and much more.
Children’s folklore is an integral part of children’s lives. Each of us can remember several notes, fairy tales and teasers that were popular in the yard. Horror stories are also part of children’s creativity, which is passed from generation to generation.
The advent of the Internet made it possible to introduce new characters into children’s stories very quickly. So ten years ago Slenderman came out of nothing, now we have Huggy-Wuggy, Slenderina, Cartoon Cat and other characters. And if earlier children told scary stories about red hands and a coffin on wheels around the campfire with a flashlight, now their horror story can be told in TikTok and in a few days it will become the property of all the children of the planet. Is not that great? Of course, this fascinates the children.
If Huggy Wuggy is blue and Kissy Missy is pink, where do the other colored toys come from?
Credit: youtube.com
In fact, you can find Huggy Wuggy toys and souvenir products with him not only in blue, but also in other colors. Green, red, yellow, purple and white Huggy Huggy meet for the first time in video blogger Skorti on Youtube, which played in GTA V with the modification (or «Hacking», «Mou» — side supplement, created by another developer or enthusiast and adds something new to the storyline of the original game), adds colorful model character to the space. Then there were «mods» for the Poppy Playtime game itself, adding new locations and different dolls from Huggy Wuggy than the original.
A copy of the game also appeared on the Roblox online platform. Since it allows users not only to play the games created by others, but also to create their own, the story of the toy factory and its residents will continue there.
What other monster and horror games are popular with kids? TOP scary characters-idols of youth
The situation with «Poppy Playtime» is not unique. Different scares are often trending, and they don’t always come from games.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Credit: youtube.com
The video game franchise created by game developer Scott Couton was released back in 2014 and it still enjoys great popularity. Also known as Five Nights at Freddy’s, FNAF or FNaF. It is available on PC, Android, iOS and game consoles.
At the heart of the action are animated mechanical puppets, robotic animators at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Pizzeria who get out of control at night. The player acts on behalf of the Guardian, his task is to survive the night and repel the attacks of the animatronics. Just four of them: a brown bear in a top hat Freddy, a yellow chicken with a pink biscuit Chica, a blue rabbit with guitar bonuses and a fox with a paw hook, like a pirate named FOXY. The characters are catchy and visually well designed.
Granny and Slendrina
Credit: apkpure.com
Another series of mobile games with a similar story that was loved by young people. Slendrina is a horror series developed by the Swedish company DEVeloper in 2013. Despite the fact that the peak of popularity has passed, it is considered a classic of the genre.
In the plot, the player needs to collect some artifacts, and behind him a ghost girl is chased through the building (in different parts it is a basement labyrinth, an abandoned hotel, etc.). She is quite elegant, but with bulging eyes and a terrible mouth, she looks like a girl from the movie «Call» and a masked killer from the movie «Scream» at the same time. Slendrina drains a player’s life energy by looking at her. The individual stories are dedicated to Slenderman – the father of the ghost girl.
The spin-off to the series about Slendrina is Granny. The game was released in 2017, initially only in mobile format, but later the developers released a PC version, refining the plot and revealing the introductory part of the story. Granny is a wicked lonely old woman, Slendrina’s grandmother, who lives in an abandoned house. She is blind but has good hearing and is armed with a bat which she uses to attempt to kill the player. He came to her house and now has to go out in 5 days to solve various puzzles.
Cartoon Cat and Siren Head
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These fantastical creatures were created by Canadian illustrator artist Trevor Henderson in 2018.
Cartoon Cat is a black, white-gloved human cat, three meters tall, with a mouth full of sharp teeth with an evil grin. His super ability is to stretch limbs to any length, and the purpose of life is to hunt people down, which he pursues in abandoned buildings and sometimes right at their homes.
The cartoon cat resembles Felix the cat, the hero of 1930’s American silent cartoons, and the «rubber tube» style animation (the endlessly extending arms or legs) references the trends of the 1930’s-40’s animated series.
The Siren Head is a 12 meter tall human being with long and slender arms and legs. The body is covered with dried skin and instead of the head there is a trumpet with two loudspeakers, from which incoherent conversations and music are constantly blaring.
Initially, they did not appear in any games, but with the increasing popularity of 3D models of these characters, they began to appear in videos on Youtube and in Tik-Tok, toys and souvenir products appeared on the marketplaces, the Internet filled memes and all the negative The background of the cartoon cat and the siren’s head somehow disappeared by itself. Now they are perceived at most as horror stories for modern children, similar to a black hand and a coffin on wheels that scared their parents.
Modern children even try to «conjure up» a cartoon cat, as they were «called» by older generations as a devil or a top lady. But now a video is also being shot in Tik-Tok.
Killy Willy
Credit: i.ytimg.com
It’s Huggy’s brother who isn’t in the original game (and not the fact that he’ll appear there). His story was created in the form of a cartoon in the GameToons community. According to fanfic, Killy Willy was envisioned as a toy helper for kids named Killy Willy that looked like Huggy Wuggy, but something went wrong during production and a green creature with five eyes, clawed paws, and large fangs appeared on the conveyor belt.
The factory workers laughed at the creation, calling it ugly when they greatly offended him, and then the defective toy was thrown into a garbage incinerator. There she charred and turned black, but did not die and became an evil and injured monster. Then Killy Willy was locked in the basement but he managed to escape. It is believed that one of his species should be scary, but it seems that he will repeat the fate of Huggy Wuggy and become a child’s favorite.
Although the story of this monster was published only on December 1, 2021, Killy Willy is already a popular character on Youtube and Tik-Tok, mods with him appeared for GTA V and Maynkrafta, as well as for the game Friday Night Funkin, where the hero put him in a must fight a musical duel.
Why do children like monsters, how harmful is it for the psyche and should the child’s interest in horror films be curtailed?
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In children over the age of three, active development of imagination and emotional intelligence begins. By doing this, they not only learn to understand the world around them, but also to protect themselves from the negativity they experience in one way or another. Therefore, various horror stories act as a kind of study stress, on the one hand, they help to identify and overcome fear, and on the other hand, they give bright emotions, therefore they attract them.
In addition, contacts with unnatural, strange and terrible creatures develop imagination in children. And also monsters and other unpleasant characters, the antagonists like them because they:
- they are bright, stand out from the crowd and attract attention;
- breaking boundaries and letting bans be ignored;
- strong and determined even when angry;
- they often have a tragic history and cause compassion.
That is, in the interests of the so-called negative heroes, nothing is wrong. However, you must ensure that the stories are appropriate for the child’s age and character, familiarize yourself with them before showing them off.
Kids under the age of three are contraindicated in various horror stories — young children do not yet fully distinguish reality from fiction, good from bad, so at this age it is very easy to break only beginners to form the psyche and personality.
A 4-6 year old child, provided he is not very frail and nervous, can learn about horror stories — games, cartoons, books, videos — in the presence of an adult he loves and trusts. It is important that these horror films are not naturalistic and appropriate to the age and the environment is comfortable and does not create additional tension.
It is also necessary to discuss the plot with the child, ask how he understood what is happening on the screen or in the book, explain to him that life is not like that. This will help reduce the anxiety levels.
Prostock-studio/Shutterstock.com
From the age of 6-7 years, children’s psyche becomes more stable, self-control and emotional regulation skills develop, and the brain is ready to perceive more complex plots. The child can already play with all, even the most uncomfortable and ugly adult toys, and within reason, watch videos or play mobile / computer games that are age appropriate.
Why do children and young people like horror stories? It is the legalization and working off of hidden fears. Children rarely admit out loud that they are afraid to obey their mother or to go to bed in a dark room. And when they hear a terrible story, they can be afraid «of their own accord», that is, to control their fear. That’s what makes the kids so happy.
Imagine a roller coaster. Visitors to the park fly down at high speed – it’s exciting and frightening. But because everyone knows they are held in place by seat belts and the cars have brakes, everyone eventually realizes that they are not in a situation of mortal danger. The children decide for themselves whether they want to tell each other scary stories or not. You can stop the game at any time. There are people nearby who can «protect», and the fear is not entirely real – training. Of course, it’s better if the horror story is defeated and the protagonist has found a way to escape – this brings emotional relief to the child. The same applies to «scarecrow» games. The child controls his or her fears and emerges victorious from a stressful situation.
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«My son learned from streamers who are called Huggy Wuggy. Then they went through this game all the way along with their dad. She’s small and actually not that bad. There are just a few scary moments where Haggy has a bloody mouth and has almost no screamers. In the end we now have a toy from Huggy Wuggy.
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For «Five Nights’ ‘ we also tapped on Youtube, they appear in the recommendations when you watch something about Huggy Wuggy because both games are horror movies. In the FNAF there are more screamers, there is stimulating music that beats the fear even more, there are all kinds of unpleasant noises like TV interference. Also, these animatronics have a sort of human appearance. It seems to me that the Dark Valley effect works there. The son was very afraid of them at first, but then laughed at them. Now he sculpts them all out of plasticine and is no longer afraid.
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It seems to me that it is common for boys to love horror stories. Especially in a few months it will become a new hobby for her», – said Jane, the mother of seven-year-old Andrew, about her experiences with popular children’s horror films.
It turns out that horror films, subject to compliance with age restrictions, are not as dangerous for the children’s psyche as is commonly believed. However, if you notice that after consuming such content, the child was able to sleep worse, become more moody and concentrate worse, then the information was too scary for him. It is necessary to completely stop being acquainted with such plots or choose softer options. The main thing is in no case to scold the child for the fear he experiences. This applies not only to horror films, but also to real life situations.
If you notice that after playing or watching «scary content» the child has become more anxious and is plagued by nightmares – exclude that content and talk to them about their fears. You can ask to draw a horror story on paper and then tell a story about it: why did he become so evil? What happened to him and how? Pity him with your child and draw a good version of the monster. If you don’t do the horror story well (that happens), develop a «defeating the monster» scheme.
If the fears continue to torment the child, do not be afraid to seek help from a psychologist. Perhaps there are deeper problems and experiences behind the fear of a particular monster.
Kid’s tastes are sometimes very specific, causing confusion and many questions in adults. Huggy Wuggy and Kissy Missy are another example of this. However, there is nothing wrong with the child’s interest in such characters, since the children’s psyche learns to work with negativity and fears. The task of parents is to help him understand everything and protect him from content that does not suit his age and character.
The picture on the front page: youtube.com
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