Hugs and smiles, but not everyone embraces the trend

By Ellen Connolly
November 6, 2004

Confusion between Juan Mann and Jason Hunter

Juan Mann is the guy in Australia who became famous on YouTube when the band Silly Puppies created a music video. Juan is just giving away free hugs, nothing else, as far as I know.

Jason Hunter is an American who has a for profit company in Atlanata which is called Free Hugs LLC. To the best of my knowledge these are totally separate things. Jason started his company before the Juan Mann/Silly Puppies video was created.

Some people are confusing these two people and their projects.

Here is the website for Jason Hunter's company.

www.free-hugs.com

One person wrote that Juan got the idea from Jason. But I haven't been able to verify this. I have left her a note on her blog to ask her to contact me. If anyone knows anything about this, please write me at freehugsvideos@yahoo.com

Steve - Nov 1, 2006

See more on this on hugs5.htm

Quote from one site...

You can bash free hugs all you want guys. Hugging someone takes more guts than taking a gun and going to war. I know some of you will not agree with my views and thats OK.

It takes even more guts to hug a family member than a stranger in some cases, and charity starts at the home.

Ive had people message me (in tears) saying that when they saw their own family members pass away in a hospital bed, they suddenly realised as they were holding their lifeless bodies that they had never hugged them. How sad.

I hope this video spreads a good message. And if not. What the hey. Right?

http://www.fazed.net/view/?id=12405&last

Badly Drawn Boy Animated Hugs Video

http://www.boardsmag.com/screeningroom/musicvideos/1098/

Interview with the Sick Puppies

Part 1 - Mostly the band playing.

Part 2 -The Interview begins On Nov 1, the date I saw it and added it to my site, this video had 357 views.

Part 3 - More of the Interview including the second half or (hahf) as the Australian's say, lol, of the phone call from Juan to the studio. Nov 1 - 251 views.

In this video he says that he thought of the idea himself. He doesn't give credit to Jason Hunter as the person who inspired him.