Don't Hug Me I'm Scared (TV series)
A puppet comedy horror series with surreal lessons.
Don't Hug Me I'm Scared is a British adult puppet comedy horror series from 2022, created by Joe Pelling, Becky Sloan, and Baker Terry. Produced by Blink Industries for Channel 4, the six-episode show adapts the original web series with surreal, dark humour following Red Guy, Yellow Guy, and Duck.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Adult puppeteering
- Comedy horror
- Musical
- Surreal humour
- Creator
- Becky Sloan
- Joe Pelling
- Baker Terry
- Based on
- Don't Hug Me I'm Scared
- Becky Sloan
- and Joe Pelling
- Writer
- Becky Sloan
- Joe Pelling
- Baker Terry
- Sam Campbell
- Composer
- Charlie Pelling
- Joe Pelling
- Baker Terry
- Editor
- Nick Armstrong
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Premise
The series follows Red Guy, Yellow Guy and Duck, whose names are not explicitly revealed. Each episode begins with the trio receiving a lesson from a teacher on topics such as jobs, death, family, friendship, transport and electronics. The teachers are typically manipulative and malicious, and the themes grow darker and more gruesome as the episode progresses. The teacher ultimately fails and usually dies, and the three characters are shown to have learned nothing.
Development
From 2011 to 2016, Joe Pelling and Becky Sloan, later joined by Baker Terry, created the Don't Hug Me I'm Scared web series on YouTube, consisting of six horror-themed puppet videos. In 2018, a video titled "Wakey Wakey..." teased an upcoming television show, and a pilot premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, but the series was later scrapped. Baker Terry noted that they would have had to write jokes that functioned without a prop in every instance. In July 2020, Channel 4 picked up the series, and production finished by September 2021. A teaser trailer titled "FLY" was uploaded on 19 June 2022, gaining over 2 million views within 24 hours and reaching No. 1 trending on YouTube. The series was released on Channel 4 on 23 September 2022, postponed from 12 September following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. It aired in double-bill timeslots weekly from 30 September. Paid access via the official website began on 6 December 2024. On 23 February 2026, it was announced that the series would stream on Dropout with biweekly releases starting 20 March 2026.
Episodes
A long-form TV pilot was produced in 2018 with Super Deluxe, Conaco and Blink Industries, premiering at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival in the "Indie Episodic Program 1". The pilot, which involved current affairs, was later scrapped and its trailer removed from YouTube. Becky Sloan attributed some roots of the setting to South Park, noting it lacked the timelessness and claustrophobia of the originals. On 13 May 2024, it was announced the unaired pilot would screen at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in London, but the next day this was revealed to be a mistake; the screening would feature the first web series episode instead. On 19 September 2024, Becky Sloan and Joseph Pelling stated they were legally unable to release the full pilot, though they showed concept art and aired most of it sped up for about 15 seconds.
Reception
Don't Hug Me I'm Scared was commended by critics for its surreal humour and horror. Lucy Mangan of The Guardian described it as "clever, bleak, charming, grotesque and funny." Sean Mullins of Webster Journal called it a "wonderfully weird puppet show." Toussaint Egan of Polygon stated the series "hasn't missed a single beat in its transition from Internet shock humor du jour to a full-fledged animated series." Nicholas Vidal of The Montclarion said it is "one of the most interesting and creative things to release this year." Brittney Bender of Bleeding Cool gave it a 10/10, saying it "perfectly encapsulates the absurdity and horror of the modern world through the lens of a multi-colored puppet nightmare." The series was named among the best TV shows of 2022 by several publications: The Telegraph ranked it 20th, The Guardian 31st, and Radio Times 42nd. In 2023, it received nominations at the British Academy Television Craft Awards for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design, won Best TV Production at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival for the episode "Family", and was nominated for Best Scripted Comedy Series at the National Comedy Awards and Best Original Programme at the Broadcast Awards.
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