Police have issued a warning to parents about a disturbing viral character taking social media by storm.
In case you missed it, Huggy Wuggy is a creepy blue bear with razor-sharp teeth and macabre sense of humour.
Originally appearing as the major antagonist in the 2021 horror video game Poppy Playtime, he’s since been doing the rounds on TikTok and YouTube.
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While it’s all meant to be a bit of fictional fun, Huggy Wuggy has been traumatising kids online – so much so that police are now warning parents to be wary.
A Dorset Police spokesperson said: "The blue bear-like character has long arms and rows of razor sharp teeth.
"Set in an abandoned toy factory, Huggy is a villain in the game who stalks the players from vents are unreachable places.
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“Videos of the game are available to watch on YouTube, with other clips dedicated to Huggy in songs.
"One song includes the lyrics 'I could hug you here forever, till you breathe your last breath together'."
Adding to this, Chris Conroy, cyber protection officer for the county’s police force, told Dorset Live: "There are videos people have made, songs people have made, and it's popping up all over YouTube and TikTok using this quite graphic imagery of this bear-like character with razor sharp teeth.
“It's based around jump scares and things you certainly wouldn't want children exposed to.
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"If you were to use even YouTube Kids for example, it may slip through because there is nothing obviously sinister about the name of a video.
“It really comes down to paying attention to what your children are doing and making sure they are not just trusting YouTube Kids videos are safe because unfortunately with videos like this, things do slip through the cracks."
Versions of the Poppy Playtime game are available on YouTube and Roblox, and while developers recommend the original to be for players aged eight and above, there is no official age restriction.
Numerous parents have come forward to express their concern over the character, with one describing it as ‘frightening as a lot of parents will be oblivious to this level of violence our children are being exposed to’.
Another said: "All the children are talking about it and showing each other these videos; it's become a bit of a craze that is getting really popular.
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“It's extremely concerning because this character is really sinister and frankly terrifying. It's almost becoming the online version of that Killer Clown craze.”
Justine Brown, headteacher at Deal Parochial Church of England Primary School in Walmer, Kent, has also warned parents to keep an eye out for Huggy Wuggy chat.
"We are seeing children recreating a game on the playground with hugging and whispering nasty things,” she 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.
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"Please be vigilant about what your children are watching."
Daisy Phillipson