How Huggimals Began...
I've been a dance teacher for over 20 years. After the Pandemic in 2020, I noticed a drastic uprise in anxiety amongst my students not only backstage before performances, but in the every day as well. My heart was hurting watching them suffer while trying to do something they loved. After a particularly tearful competition event, I got the idea to crochet a stuffed animal for them to hug and squeeze backstage and during those anxiety driven moments to provide a little comfort. That very night I started making my hippos for all the students that were suffering. To my emense joy, these adorable huggable hippos did exactly what I had hoped. My students fell in love with them and began carrying them to every performance, and hugging them right up until they took the stage. The tears stopped and it was replaced with happy dancers who were better able to control their performance nerves!
The hippos gained further attention from a friend of mine who runs a non-profit foundation for her daughter who suffers from epilepsy. I was commissioned to create 100 hippos for the LiyanaStrong Foundation. Which serves 5 different children's hospitals around the country. The foundation gathers toys and other items for children suffering from epilepsy and have to endure long hospital stays. They surprise them with toys and decorations for their rooms to make them less sterile and more comfy for their stays. We are proud to have become the Official Mascot for the LiyannaStrong Foundation!