Dark blue, hairy, it displays a large and disturbing smile with sharp teeth and a triangular head. This is what Huggy Wuggy looks like.
This plush is from Poppy Playtime, a horrific video game in which this character has a habit of smothering children by squeezing them too tightly. Praised by toddlers, it seriously worried their parents when fiction overtook reality. For example, the government’s dangerous goods reporting site, Drink reminder, had warned on September 9 on Twitter against the dangerousness of this plush, which would indeed present a risk of suffocation. And on November 15, the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) also insisted on the risks posed by these stuffed animals.
Thus, some poorly made seams would leak padding and the presence of small detachable parts (metal rings, plush eyes) on the toy could be easily ingested, which alerted Rappel Conso. “If the eyes are easily detachable and the seams are loose and provide access to stuffing, do not buy this toy,” he advised. 60 million consumers. The specialized site also recommended that parents whose children already owned the plush should no longer use it and bring it back to the place of purchase for a refund.
Huggy Wuggy stuffed animals have been marketed in open-air markets and carnivals, among other things. Only toys supplied by wholesalers Multi Store and Nova Tech were affected by this recall. The toy has been pulled from the shelves and refunds are valid until June 2023.