The Hugga Bunch

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 (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