The name 'Huggy Wuggy' may sound cuddly and endearing, but a senior education expert has warned that children are being left "terrified" by the viral video game character's appearance in social media content.
The fanged monster features in the horror-themed Poppy Playtime, a computer game set in an abandoned toy factory and released last year.
Seemingly targeted at adolescents rather than young children, the game has been officially classified as PG in Australia, and has spawned sequels with higher ratings.
It has also prompted fan-generated spin-offs, such as a song on YouTube.
An Adelaide primary school has written to parents warning that content featuring the "sinister online character" has made its way "into children's mainstream content" on social media and gaming platforms, where it is accompanied by horror-themed imagery including pools of blood.
"Huggy Wuggy, a blue teddy bear who sings songs about hugging and killing people, is appearing across TikTok, Roblox and Minecraft," the letter stated.
"Kids as young as five have been playing games in the playground hugging each other and whispering frightening lyrics such as 'hugging you to death' and 'till you breathe your last breath', leaving many upset."
The school stated that the intention of flagging the trend was not to prompt a knee-jerk concern, but to ensure parents were "aware of the latest harmful trend doing the rounds".
South Australian Primary Principals Association president Angela Falkenberg told ABC Radio Adelaide's Sonya Feldhoff the game had encouraged negative behaviour in the playground.
"One parent commented that it's low on positive role models and high on violence," she said.
"What children have been doing is giving each other hugs but whispering creepy things in their ears, because that's what Huggy Wuggy does.
'Chat it out, don't freak out'
The Huggy Wuggy trend has been likened to previous outbreaks of alarm triggered by shows like Squid Game or the MOMO Challenge.
The ABC has contacted Poppy Playtime's developers for comment.
Some of the objections are not actually against the game but against the spin-offs, such as the YouTube song in which the character threatens potential victims, telling them "sharp teeth leave you bloody".
While the concern over Huggy Wuggy has been dismissed by some on social media and in various online reports as "moral panic", Ms Falkenberg said the most important take-home message for parents was to not overreact.
"Chat it out, don't freak out," she said.
"Huggy Wuggy himself does look pretty scary. You can see his song on YouTube, which is very catchy but has a very unhappy ending.
That point was endorsed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media president, Elizabeth Handsley.
"Parents need to be aware constantly of what's going on with everything in their children's lives, especially younger children at primary school, and that includes what they're seeing and being exposed to," she said.
Professor Handsley said that while parents should not necessarily seek to raise the subject themselves, they should be prepared to discuss it should it arise.
"I would not be planting the seed," she said.
"Maybe try to bring up more generally: 'Do you ever see anything on the media that makes you feel scared? Do you see kids playing games in the playground that are based on things they've seen on YouTube or TikTok?'"
