Recently, police have been issuing warnings to parents of young children about Poppy Playtime. Videos prominently featuring Chapter 1's main antagonist, Huggy Wuggy, have been circulating online on such platforms as YouTube and TikTok. These fan-made projects play eerie music and show the signature blue furry monster grinning, with his mouth full of shark-like teeth. The videos have gone viral, leading to a higher chance that unsuspecting children will see the content when looking at popular videos. Despite his toy-like appearance, Huggy Wuggy is not child-friendly, leading to several warnings from authorities.
Poppy Playtime is an indie survival horror game that gives players control of an ex-employee of Playtime Co. In the game, fans explore an abandoned toy factory and solve a multitude of different puzzles, all while escaping the dangers lurking inside the building. Classic toys inspire monsters in Poppy Playtime, leading fans in with a false sense of security when first encountering the threats. Huggy Wuggy is the first enemy met in Chapter 1 and chases the player around the factory. He is a tall and slender monster, that has become extremely popular in the community, forming a trend on TikTok and YouTube.
Poppy Playtime fans have been making content around Huggy Wuggy since the game's release. The controversial videos feature the blue monster, with a toothy smile, and eerie lyrics from the fan-made song "Free Hugs," by YouTuber TryHardNinja. The graphic imagery and gruesome lyrics are generally not suitable for a young audience. In a report from Sky News, the head of a Primary School said they saw children "recreating a game on the playground with hugging and whispering nasty things in the recipient's ear." This, and many other concerns, have led the police to issue warnings about Poppy Playtime to parents, telling them to monitor what media their child consumes. The outwardly friendly appearance of Huggy Wuggy is deceiving, and this has led to some false rumors spreading about the controversial videos.
Poppy Playtime Misleading Rumors
Many reports, however, have gotten details wrong. Some have stated that Huggy Wuggy sings TryHardNinja's "Free Hugs" in the game, but the Poppy Playtime monster does not sing at all, especially not a fan-made song. Rumors have also stated that the videos spread online also appear on Youtube Kids and TikTok for Younger Users. This is believed to be the case because the name Huggy Wuggy would bypass any censorship of the content. However, there are currently no videos about the blue monkey-like monster on either platform. Creators would have to specifically state that the video is for children before uploading and that just doesn't appear to be the case.
Despite the game including a number of toys, Poppy Playtime isn't suitable for children. However, the PC version does not have an official ESRB rating. When previously asked, the CEO of MOB Games stated that the game is suitable for ages eight and up, yet other platforms, such as IOS or Android, have deemed the game suitable for a Teen or 12+ rating. The friendly appearance of Poppy Playtime's frightening monsters is a reminder for parents to monitor what their young children watch online.
Source: TryHardNinja/YouTube, Sky News