Thursday, March 28 2024

Huggy Wuggy is a blue puppet with red lips and sharp teeth. Seemingly
snuggly and looking for cuddles, this video game protagonist (from the
survival video game “Poppy Playtime,” released in October 2021) is, in
reality, a ruthless killer.

While the name implies that he is used to giving and requesting hugs, after
tricking his victim, he is instead immediately ready to lash out with
lethal attacks.

Brought to the limelight in Italy by Me vs. You (“Me contro Te”)
YouTubers, Luigi Calagna and Sofia Scalia, but widespread in various parts
of the world (starting with the United Kingdom), this stuffed animal has
rightly caused an uproar amongst many parents who are concerned about its
possible harmful effects on young children, so much so that the Italian
state police of communication have sounded an alarm.


A game not suitable for children under the age of 13

The video game’s rating is PG 13, so it is only intended for kids 13 and
up. From the outset, it is easy to understand why it has this rating just
by listening to the accompanying lyric: “Sharp teeth leave you bloody.
Don’t you ever call me ugly. Hug me ’til you die.”

The puppet is the antagonist found in the first level of the video game,
available on various Apple and Android devices. Basically, it is a “horror
escape room.” Huggy Wuggy suddenly appears as the player must solve riddles
to escape from the Playtime & Co. Toy Factory (where the toys are evil
and have a life of their own and of which Huggy is the mascot).

Another thing that has been concerning to parents and educators is the fact
that so many YouTubers who entertain kids (such as Me vs. You)
subtly show images of the characters. It is also easy to find coloring
pages intended for very young children, just like they do with other
age-appropriate cartoons.

Still, the tale of Huggy Wuggy is not for children: it is similar to that
of another horror character, Slender Man, a sinister figure with long limbs
who has no face, who went from being a video game character to quite a
phenomenon. But it is also reminiscent of the Momo Challange or Jonathan
Galindo: all pseudo-characters who share the “evil puppet” persona and who
show up in web videos or games.


Why keep children away from horror content?

First of all, it is good to remember that when we watch a movie or play a
video game, we know—at least we adults—what we are seeing or doing is not
real. Yet, sometimes the scenes are so realistic that we hold our breath
and experience the protagonist’s experiences firsthand. Movies and video
games are fictions, but the emotions we feel and the reactions they trigger
are real. So much so that when faced with horror scenes, as the article

What horror movies do to your brain

points out, “The reaction to what we see on the screen is not limited to
the brain but extends to the whole body, since the brain sends an alarm
signal that activates the autonomic nervous system through increased
production of cortisol and adrenaline, two neurotransmitters that cause
certain changes at the physiological level (your heart rate increases, you
start sweating, your muscles contract).”

Children are unable to rationalize and sharply delineate, in their minds,
the boundary between reality and fiction. And, if it is true that the
presence (and explanations) of a parent while watching a horror scene
reduces the emotional impact and the possibility of trauma, it is also
true, as many pediatricians and psychologists agree, that there is no need
to risk causing anxiety when kids could be entertained in better ways.

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