When I left a 20-year career as a reporter and editor to launch a weighted stuffed animal brand, my friends and colleagues were shocked. Honestly, me too. But I knew my career change was the culmination of a lifelong mission.
My family came to Columbus, Ohio from Russia in the 1980s when I was two years old. Mental health was not a topic of discussion. The prevailing wisdom was: If you’re not seriously injured, there’s no point in complaining.
So, as a preteen struggling with anxiety and depression, I turned to magazines for information and validation. They helped me feel less alone and my goal became to do the same for others. I then covered mental health as an editor at Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, and Glamour, and as chief content officer at Thrive Global.
Behind the scenes, my racing mind and anxiety led to a constant sleep problems. I tried a weighted blanket, which calmed my nerves but was too hot and bulky. What I really wanted was something smaller, like a weighted stuffed animal.
Although there are a few on the market, I didn’t find what I was looking for: a high-quality, beautifully designed weighted plush toy that feels like a hug and is heavy enough to work just as well for adults as well as children. So I decided to create it myself.
What started as a quest to find a product that would calm my swirling thoughts first became a side hustle then, in 2022, a full-time business.
From the idea to our first Hugimal, Lazy Sam
For almost four years, nights and weekends while working full-time jobs, I worked to develop the product I wanted: a stuffed animal that would feel like a real, comforting hug .
I did some research on science behind Deep touch pressure, learning that the extra weight on your body acts in the same way as a hug to help you relax and cup your fight or flight response.
I brought in a team of occupational therapists, psychologists and product designers to help me maximize the stress reduction benefits of the product. For example, we made them in calming colors with a soft, neutral facial expression rather than a big smile, which therapists said could be perceived as judgmental or aggressive.
I commissioned an experienced toy designer I found online to work with me on my very first prototype.
For almost four years, nights and weekends while working full-time jobs, I worked to develop the product I wanted.
My initial goal was to license the idea for Hugimals, which I did, with the help of an early mentor and licensing agent, in 2020. A few different designers then helped me to iterate on my initial prototype. We changed the design so that the Hugimal can be better “cuddled” and made the weighted insert removable so the plush can be machine washed.
After several rounds of adjustments to get the look and functionality just right, we finalized the first Hugimal, Lazy Sam. Then we were driving.
Approximately $1.4 million in sales in our first full year
Soon, Sloth Sam had a few friends: Darby the Bear, Charlie the Puppy, and Emory the Elephant, each weighing 4.5 pounds, more than double the weight of the others on the market.
But there was a problem. The company I licensed from was bought by a media company that didn’t offer any physical products. I had to use my savings to repurchase, ship, and store over 10,000 units of Hugimals inventory that had already been built up while I decided what to do next.
Around the same time, I received feedback on a pilot program I had launched in partnership with a nonprofit. We had sent dozens of Hugimals to children’s hospitals across the country. Hospital staff said Hugimals helped calm their most stressed patients within minutes and they wanted to order more.
Courtesy of Marina Khidekel
I had the validation I needed and I knew what to do. I quit my full-time job and launched Hugimals World in the summer of 2022, building on savings, freelance my journalism work and existing inventory.
It was a leap of faith, but I had enough data to hypothesize that people like me—those looking for comfort, grounding, and anxiety relief—would embrace this product. And I was right.
The company did approximately $1.4 million in revenue in its first full year and we are on track for growth. Sloth Sam and other Hugimals cost $64, while our newest products range from Hug Babies Wrist Wraps which cost $11 to Super Sized Hug Pillows which cost $88. Two and a half years later, we have expanded to Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden and Denmark.
More than 22 million views on TikTok
For many years, I was an editor and delivered dozens of PR pitches a day. So I knew how to – and how not to – present my own brand to attract media attention. I did my own PR launch, writing a personal note to all my contacts as well as editors at media outlets where I didn’t know anyone at all. On my social media, I told everyone I knew that I was starting this business and asked them to share.
The Hugimals quickly gained ground. In our first season of Christmas gift guides, I was delighted to see Hugimals featured as a TIME Best invention of 2022 and selected for the best toys and other lists compiled by Parents.com, Good housekeepingAnd Buzzfeed. OUR TikTok Videos people who responded by organizing Hugimals for the first time went viral, racking up over 22 million views to date.
My split sales manager, whom I hired at launch, helped expand our presence beyond our own website on Amazon and at specialty toy and gift stores, hospital gift stores, MoMA Design Store, QVC and Uncommon Goods.
We sold most of our inventory during the first holiday season thanks to our organic press, some limited Amazon advertising, and social virality. We were profitable from the start, and through our sales, and eventually some loans, I was able to purchase more inventory and keep the business running.
“I always do what I planned to do”
My own Quinn the Koala is always ready to hug me whenever I need to relieve stress or feel grounded. I have seen a huge improvement in my anxiety and nighttime insomnia. Hearing many similar stories from customers has been incredibly rewarding.
This year, we teamed up with “SVU” actress and activist Mariska Hargitay and her Joyful Heart Foundation. to launch our Heart to Hug pillow for Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
This partnership and our work with other nonprofits – which provide Hugimals to children and teens who are victims of traumatic crimes and separated siblings in foster care – makes my work all the more significant. Our product range is growing and other partnerships are in progress.
Looking back, I realize that I am still doing what I set out to do as a child: helping people find comfort and support for their mental health. Only now I do it through physical products rather than words.
Marina Khidekel is the founder of World of Hugimalsa wellness brand recognized by TIME Best Inventions that makes fashion-forward, anti-anxiety stuffed animals and pillows for adults and children. Before launching Hugimals World, Marina was a health and wellness reporter and editor for Women’s Health, Glamor and Cosmopolitan, and director of content at Thrive Global. All her work is about helping people take actionable steps to live with less stress and more joy.
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