The Hugga Bunch
1980s toy line and corresponding film
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The Hugga Bunch was a 1980s toy line from the Kenner, Parker Brothers companies and Hallmark Cards. Starting in early 1985,[1][2] the companies manufactured the Hugga Bunch dolls, each of which held a smaller doll called a "huglet" in their arms.[3] During that year, the line generated over US$40 million in sales.[4]
| Type | Action figures |
|---|---|
| Company | Kenner |
| Country | United States |
| Availability | 1985– |
The title characters in the franchise lived in a place called "Huggaland".
Film
| The Hugga Bunch | |
|---|---|
| Written by | David Swift |
| Directed by | Gus Jekel |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Budget | US$1.4 million[5] |
| Original release | |
| Release | 1985 |
The toys inspired The Hugga Bunch, a 1985 television film produced by Filmfair Communications.
Written by David Swift and directed by Gus Jekel, it earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Visual Effects. Produced for US$1.4 million, it was the most expensive TV special ever produced at the time.[5] Along with a making-of special, it was released on VHS, LaserDisc and Beta by Vestron Video's Children's Video Library.[6] To date, it has not been released on DVD and/or Blu-ray.
Plot
In the film, a girl travels through her mirror into HuggaLand to find a way to keep her grandmother—the only one who knows how to hug—young.
Cast
- Gennie James - Bridget Severson
- Natalie Masters - Grams Severson
- Terry Castillo - Huggins
- Tony Urbano - Hugsy
- Aarika Wells - Queen Admira
- Carl Steven - Andrew Severson
- Susan Mullen - Janet Severson
- Mark Withers - Parker Severson
- Kelly Britt - Aunt Ruth
- Richard Haydn - Bookworm (voice)
A Day Full of Hugs
Also in 1985, Parker Brothers released an album. Singers included Jonathan Edwards, Bradley Kane, Russell Horton, Michael Mark, Jessica Craven, Merle Miller, Terry Teszor, John Henry Kurtz, Stephen and Tom Chapin.
| Song | Songwriters |
|---|---|
| Everybody Needs A Friend | Tom and Stephen Chapin |
| All Kinds of Hugs | Tom Chapin, John Forster and Stephen Chapin |
| Smiling Again | John Forster |
| The Choose-Up Song | John Forster, Stephen and Tom Chapin |
| Through the Mirror | Stephen Chapin, Tom Chapin and John Forster |
| March to the Bookworm's House | Tom and Stephen Chapin |
| The Bookworm's Book | Stephen Chapin, Tom Chapin and John Forster |
| The Hug-A-Lug Song | Johnny Talon and Don Specht |
| Shrugs Are Like the Measles | Tom Chapin, John Forster and Stephen Chapin |
| Love to Share | John Forster |
