The Hug Factory was originally founded in 1986, by designer and artist, Christa Rutelonis.

The idea for the Hug character was conceived; when Christa had moved to another city and was separated from friends she cared about. She wanted to create something to represent that warm, cozy feeling of a Hug, to connect people in a special way, even across the miles. It had to be of a whimsical nature and silly enough to make everyone smile.Wondering just what a Hug might look like, Christa worked with her terra cotta clay, and suddenly, a happy looking critter, complete with a curly cue hairdo, had emerged. A poem accompanies this original Hug, stating, "Whether you're happy, sad, lonely, far away, mad or blue, this little Hug is meant for you!"Soon it became evident that everyone needed a Hug. The distribution area rapidly grew and e-mail letters came pouring in from all over the world. Very touching stories and letters made us realize that this is no ordinary product. We are fortunate to have created a character which everyone tends to cherish, since each Hug is a personal reminder of someone special. The concept of a “traveling” Hug or Kiss, for a special friend, caught on so well, that more and more designs were needed, for every reason and season. Today, these little Hugs are no longer produced at the kitchen counter in terra cotta clay. A factory in China is producing them by the thousands, but still with tender care and Christa’s insistence on top quality, for her comical creations. Each original clay master is used to create a silicone mold and the Hugs are then carefully hand cast in poly resin material. They are then meticulously hand painted, set on their poem cards, and packaged for shipping all around the world. There are 24 pieces in a Point of Purchase display, and each Hug comes with its own mailer/gift box, to make it as easy as possible for our customers. Hugs are great for everyone, and are always a welcome gift. They are sold in all types of stores from Hallmark Gift Shops to Highway Travel Centers, Drug Stores, Airport Shops, Florists, Restaurant Shops, College Book Stores, Hospital Gift Shops, Theme Parks and even Beauty Shops. Hugs are needed everywhere.To date, Over 300 different varieties of Hugs have been "born" in the last 17 years, with many more to come. Please keep checking www.hugfactory.com for all new developments. With this new web site, our customers and distributors can now easily search for our products. We hope you've enjoyed our little tour through memory lane and thank you very much for visiting our web site. We appreciate everyone who has helped to make the Hugs such a success and we especially want to thank our customers for their continuing interest and support.

Happy Hugging!

THE HUG FACTORY, LLC

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