At first what looks like a harmless children’s show, “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared,” created by Joe Pelling and Rebecca Sloan, quickly takes a turn toward the creepy. “DHMIS” is a British-based series of four videos in which the creators aim to teach the viewer some kind of lesson.
In each episode, a simple aspect of life is unraveled to unearth life’s disturbing truths.
Each episode features the same three main characters: Red Guy Harry, Yellow Guy Manny and Green Bird Robin. However, in each video a different teacher-character comes to teach them about a new topic.
Episode one features a sketchbook named Paige that teaches the three about creativity. Paige convinces them to be creative by seeing the world around them in a different way. It doesn’t take long for the characters’ creativity to get out of hand.
Episode two features a clock, named Tony, who teaches the three characters about time. Tony explains how time is a tool to measure the day, and he takes the friends on a journey through time.
Episode three features a butterfly named Shringold, who teaches Yellow Guy Manny about love and finding his “special one.” This episode strays from the others in that it isn’t as odd but still aims to teach a twisted message.
Episode four features a computer named Colin, who teaches the group about computers and the digital world. He explains how computers can be great tools but also gets across a powerful message of how pointless the digital world can be.
“DHMIS” has garnered many fans and through Kickstarter has raised more than $150,000 toward a future production budget. Sophomore Luke Galloway describes himself as a “DHMIS” super fan and is very excited about the new fourth installment.
“Each video takes me on a journey that I wasn’t really expecting,” Galloway said. “One moment I’m feeling really happy, and the next I’m terrified. You have to watch each video multiple times to find the hidden meaning. Each video is so trippy but still manages to pack in a powerful message.”
“DHMIS” is definitely not for everyone. Many of the videos go to dark places and oftentimes take the viewer on a psychotropic trip, but there is always a purposeful story to be told. Creators Pelling and Sloan really step up their game with “DHMIS 4,” creating arguably the best one in the series. Two more episodes are in the works for 2015, so it will be exciting to see what topic “DHMIS” tackles next.
