Free Hugs Campaign
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Free Hugs in Sydney, August 2004The Free Hugs Campaign is a social movement involving individuals who offer hugs to strangers in public places.[1] The campaign was widely publicized in 2006 by a music video on YouTube by the Australian band Sick Puppies. The campaign is an example of a random act of kindness, a purportedly selfless act performed by a person for the sole reason of making others feel better. Although not claimed as such, The Free Hugs Campaign is an incarnation of the story told in a book by Claude Steiner "A Warm Fuzzy Tale". The story itself is an introduction to key concepts of transactional analysis (TA).









Initial distrust of Juan Mann's motives eventually gave way to a gradual increase of people willing to be hugged, with other huggers (male and female) helping distribute them. After some time, security guards, then police told them they must stop, as Mann had not obtained public liability insurance worth $25 million for his actions. Mann and his companions used a petition to attempt to convince authorities that his campaign should be allowed to continue without the insurance. His petition reached 10,000 signatures. He submitted it and was allowed to continue giving free hugs.

On October 23, 2007, Juan Mann announced his residential address online and offered an open invitation to anyone to come over and chat on-camera as part of his 'open-house project'. Mann hosted 80 guests over 36 days. On November 25th, 2007, Mann's landlord threatened him with eviction, so he launched an online appeal.[2] On December 25th, 2007, Juan Mann made his e-book "The Illustrated Guide to Free Hugs" available as a free download.












A website that is generally recognised as the official site of the free hugs campaign was launched in mid 2007. This site enables those involved in the campaign to better organise themselves and coordinate their efforts. Many intiatives resulted from these efforts. For example, on the website's forum, those involved in the campaign called for an annual International Free Hugs Day. Juan Mann declared that the day would fall on the first Saturday following June 30 each year; this being the first date that Juan ever offered free hugs in Pitt Street Matt, Sydney in 2004. The first International Free Hugs Day was July 7, 2007, the second on July 5, 2008 and the third will be on July 4, 2009.












A hug is a form of physical intimacy that generally involves closing or holding the arms around another person or group of persons. The hug is one of the most common human signs of love and affection, along with kissing.[1] Unlike some other forms of physical intimacy, it is practiced publicly and privately without stigma in many nations, religions and cultures, within families, and also across age and gender lines.

Sometimes, hugs are a romantic exchange. A hug may also be exchanged as a sign of support and comfort. A hug can be a demonstration of affection and emotional warmth, sometimes arising out of joy or happiness at meeting someone.

Brief in most cases, it is used to show many levels of affection. It is not particular to human beings alone, as there are many species of animals that engage in similar exchanges of warmth.

A prolonged hugging in a cozy, comfortable position is also called cuddling.[2]

Spooning is a cuddling position, a kind of hugging when both the hugger and the hugged persons face the same direction, i.e., the front of one person is in contact with the back of the second one.[