Schools in the UK have issued new warnings over Poppy Playtime‘s Huggy Wuggy as fears grow thanks to the character’s viral presence across the internet. Horror indie game Poppy Playtime includes a host of terrifying characters, but Huggy Wuggy is perhaps the most popular, spawning merchandise, viral TikTok videos, and even playground games based on the fuzzy antagonist.
Poppy Playtime first released in 2021, with a second part, Chapter 2, launching earlier this summer. Players are tasked with escaping the mysterious Playtime Co. factory, hounded and followed by Huggy Wuggy in Chapter 1, and Mommy Long Legs in Chapter 2. Poppy Playtime became a viral sensation, with YouTube and Twitch streams amassing millions of views. In part due to the seemingly-innocent design of the games’ villains, both Chapter 1 and 2 have become popular with younger audiences, sparking fears over whether or not the games are suitable for impressionable players and viewers. Earlier this year, police issued warnings over Poppy Playtime, with the characters being used in various TikTok videos and skits with the aim of scaring young fans.
As reported by Manchester Evening News, some UK schools are now responding to fears over Poppy Playtime and Huggy Wuggy, warning parents and advising them what to do should their child access content deemed too scary for younger audiences. According to the publication, scary Huggy Wuggy content is mistakenly slipping through some parental controls across various devices, likely due to the seemingly family-friendly nature of his design. Schools including Bolton Parish Church C of E Primary School and Rochdale’s St Mary’s CE Primary School have now issued statements to parents, with the latter including an information poster from National Online Safety, reading:
“Creepy characters like Slender Man or Huggy Wuggy. Dangerous online challenges. Songs or videos that aren’t suitable for youngsters. When things like these begin trending online, it can be difficult to prevent children accidentally stumbling across them – especially if they use a range of platforms, like online games, social media, streaming sites or messaging apps.”
Concerned parents can find safeguarding tips and advice via Safer Schools NI.
Is Poppy Playtime Too Scary For Children?
As a mobile and PC game, Poppy Playtime is fairly easy for younger audiences to access, but it seems to be the unofficial content based on the game that is sparking concerns for parents and schools. Huggy Wuggy’s virality across platforms like YouTube and TikTok makes it easy for viewers to stumble across the horror-themed videos by accident, or have them sent to them by friends. Where the game is clearly marketed as a horror title, and can provide context on Huggy Wuggy which might serve to alleviate concerns, content made with the purpose of scaring viewers is a problem, especially among younger children.
It seems Huggy Wuggy is just the latest character to be used in viral videos with the intent of upsetting or scaring users, but he’s far from the first. 2018’s Momo is another notable example of horror content spreading throughout younger audiences, and it’s likely Huggy Wuggy won’t be the last. While Poppy Playtime‘s developer has seen plenty of controversies since the game’s launch, police and schools’ fears over the games’ characters are this time not directly due to content seen in the game, but instead, a viral trend of videos that can be worrying for younger audiences.
