Girl, 3, choked by Huggy Wuggy toy at playground
A three-year-old girl sustained horrific marks on her neck when an older boy allegedly tried to strangle her with a 'Huggy Wuggy' soft toy in a playground.
The terrifying attack happened when Lisa was on holiday in Italy with her parents, Ilaria Rocca and Stef van Hees, and one-year-old baby sister Charlotte.
She was in a playground below the apartment the family was renting while her parents sat on a nearby bench.
Stef, from Kessel-Lo, Belgium, told Belgian media Lisa is a "happy, social kid who loves to play".
"Lisa was playing with other children on a slide close to us. Unfortunately, we only had to be distracted for a few seconds for a little boy to attempt to strangle her with a Huggy Wuggy soft toy, just as she tried to get off the slide.
"The boy held her so tightly around her neck that Lisa couldn't even call for help. It must have lasted five to 10 seconds, after which the boy had no strength left to hold her.
"We rushed over to her. Her neck was very red. The pain and shock were such that she started crying. It all happened so fast. The little boy's father came to apologise and we quickly went to a doctor."
Huggy Wuggy is one of the antagonists in the horror survival game 'Poppy Playtime' and is depicted as a scary monster with red lips and sharp teeth.
"Huggy Wuggy is appearing more and more frequently on YouTube and TikTok. This scary character is also found in children's films," Stef explained.
"At first glance, you might think it's just a cute soft toy, but think again. He regularly kills his 'sister' in an atrocious way by trying, among other things, to strangle her or eat her head.
"The problem is that videos on YouTube and TikTok that are well and truly kid-friendly are often followed without a transition by videos in which Huggy Wuggy suddenly appears.
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"'Huggy Wuggy visits Peppa Pig's house', for example. There are even movies where he strangles children in their sleep."
As to how his daughter's attacker had got his hands on the soft toy, Stef questioned "what kind of parent" would give the toy to their child.
"It is possible that they simply do not know who this character is, however these products must imperatively be prohibited.
"The six-year-old boy had a Huggy Wuggy soft toy and tried to strangle my daughter with it. Did he want to copy a video that he saw on YouTube? And why does a six-year-old have access to this kind of content?
"My daughter was very lucky, but her neck is still blue and very swollen right now. We are all still in shock. We hope parents become aware of the danger this character poses and the impact he can have on our children."
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