MovieChat Forums > The Hugga Bunch (1985) Discussion > Read this if you remembered this movie b...

Read this if you remembered this movie but never knew the name of it...

posted 18 years ago by bgruber2121
85 replies | jump to latest

Ok - I, like many of you it would seem, have had bits of this movie floating around in my brain for the majority of my life without knowing from where they came... specifically I have had an image of a tree in a glass jar, accompanied by a sense of danger - I would say I have thought about this image at least three times a year and have always tried to get a title from someone, to no avail. And then tonight, at the "I Heart Video" in Austin, TX, i finally got the answer. On one of the "employee picks" shelves there were a bunch of fantasy children's movies (Return to Oz, Peanut Butter Solution, etc.)... long story short, when I asked this guy if he knew what movie featured a tree in a jar, he immediately and enthusiastically said, "Oh, yeah, the Hugga Bunch movie!" Now, it was incredible for me on a personal level to have the mystery solved, but I don't imagine that that little story is of particular interest to anyone else... what IS of major interest, or at least should be, is the fact that there are thousands of people who have had a similar experience with this movie. Why did this movie imprint itself onto my mind instead of something else? I watched a fair amount of movies and television as a kid, but no other movie stuck with me in the way that this one did... notice i said "in the way" not "as much as." I remembered other movies much more vividly than this one, cartoon TV shows more than anything, but this Hugga Bunch movie got deep into my head and sent fragments of images up into my conscious mind from time to time... almost like the feeling you get during a conversation when you've lost something you meant to say and you don't know exactly where to find it... you try to retrace your conversational steps, but you can never pull the thought out again - and yet you have a keen awareness that the thought is missing, that you haven't verbalized it yet and you really really wanted to verbalize it... anyhow, that's how this Hugga Bunch movie has felt for the last twenty years. So now I am curious... what are all these people like who were similarly affected by the same images... how and why did this movie make such an impression on all of us? so I think I'll conduct a little informal survey... it would be awesome if anyone responded to this... (I'll include my answers at the bottom)

Survey Questions for people who at some point remembered visuals from the Hugga Bunch movie, but didn't remember the name of the movie:

1. What year were you born?

2. Are you male or female?

3. Using 3 words, describe your childhood.

4. Using 4 words, describe how your parents raised you.

5. Using 5 words, describe where you grew up.

6. On average, how many hours of television or movies did you watch per week between the ages 2 and 10?

7. How old were you when you first saw the Hugga Bunch movie, and how many times did you see it?

8. How old were you when you saw your first "Rated R" movie? (and just for fun what was it)

9. What images from this movie stayed with you the most?

10. How did you finally find out the name of the movie?

If images from this movie lodged themselves into your memory when you were a kid you should take the time to fill out this little survey! I don't know if we'll find any patterns or anything, but you have to admit that it is a little too weird that so many people have been affected in such similar ways by this movie. Maybe there is something subliminal at play! ;) Ok, here are my answers...

1. 1980
2. Male
3. safe, fun, loving
4. liberal, Catholic, active, affectionate
5. apartment, lake, sisters, midwest, suburb
6. 2-3 hours per week
7. I was 5 or 6, and I only saw it once.
8. I was 9 and it was Rainman
9. The tree in the big glass jar, something about eating berries, and the queen aging or shattering or something
10. The all-knowing fellow at "I Heart Video" told me

[–] imdbspachick78 18 years ago

i did remember the name of this movie because i watched it a lot when i was younger, but i just thought i'd reply anyway...

1. What year were you born? 1985

2. Are you male or female? female

3. Using 3 words, describe your childhood. fun, happy, safe

4. Using 4 words, describe how your parents raised you. Catholic, liberal, always question things that i don't understand, be real

5. Using 5 words, describe where you grew up. suburb, house, friendly neighborhood, sister

6. On average, how many hours of television or movies did you watch per week between the ages 2 and 10? 4-5

7. How old were you when you first saw the Hugga Bunch movie, and how many times did you see it? probably like 3 or 4, but i used to watch it with my best friend a lot when we were young

8. How old were you when you saw your first "Rated R" movie? (and just for fun what was it) maybe 4? rambo

9. What images from this movie stayed with you the most? the witch's scary-looking, shriveled up face when she didn't get to eat the youngberries

10. How did you finally find out the name of the movie? i knew it

has anyone ever seen the cartoon movie about these bears that they used to sell in stores and they smelled like the flavor that they were? (ie candy cane, chocolate chip) and they go into the sewer with rats or something?

[–] ladylissa1231 18 years ago

1. What year were you born?
1985

2. Are you male or female?
Female
3. Using 3 words, describe your childhood.
It was busy!
4. Using 4 words, describe how your parents raised you.
I was spoiled rotten.
5. Using 5 words, describe where you grew up.
Mostly in harlem new york
6. On average, how many hours of television or movies did you watch per week between the ages 2 and 10?
lol...too much
7. How old were you when you first saw the Hugga Bunch movie, and how many times did you see it?
probably 5 or 6....repeatedly, all the time. Made my dad rent it a million times!!
8. How old were you when you saw your first "Rated R" movie? (and just for fun what was it)
I don't know. I was probably a newborn, lol.

9. What images from this movie stayed with you the most?
The Cherries disappearing as the fell on the carpet. The cherub faced kids. The sideways sidewalk....her breakfast choice in the morning...her walking through that mirror...

10. How did you finally find out the name of the movie?
searching a foum, somone thought it was HUGGLE BUNCH. The sparks strated flying, I came here, and tadah!! RELIEF LIKE NO OTHER!! YOU WOULDn'T BELIEVE!! or maybe u woiuld, lol...buying this for my kids!! (to torture them through their adolescne wiht same vivid imagry, lol!)

[–] chickadee372 18 years ago

. What year were you born?
1988
2. Are you male or female?
female
3. Using 3 words, describe your childhood.
adventurous, loving, happy
4. Using 4 words, describe how your parents raised you.
loving, caring...idno good stuff?
5. Using 5 words, describe where you grew up.
hot sunny beach fun queensland
6. On average, how many hours of television or movies did you watch per week between the ages 2 and 10?
a lot
7. How old were you when you first saw the Hugga Bunch movie, and how many times did you see it?
i htink i was like 4
8. How old were you when you saw your first "Rated R" movie? (and just for fun what was it)
dno...
9. What images from this movie stayed with you the most?
the glass jar, the girl getting into the mirror, and the end credits about the grandma and girl
10. How did you finally find out the name of the movie
omg ive been looking for it my whole life, i thought i dreamtit up as it seems other people have too. i was talking bout it with my friends while i was drunk n decided to google 'mirror girl land hug'

[–] gurgitoy2 18 years ago

This is interesting! I found out the name of the movie on the internet a while back, but like you, I had images stuck in my head for years. So, here are my answers to your test.

1. What year were you born? 1976

2. Are you male or female? Male

3. Using 3 words, describe your childhood. Church, Car, Sister

4. Using 4 words, describe how your parents raised you. Baptist, well-rounded, positive, stable

5. Using 5 words, describe where you grew up. California, Suburbs, Hot, Mountains, Beach

6. On average, how many hours of television or movies did you watch per week between the ages 2 and 10? About 5 or less

7. How old were you when you first saw the Hugga Bunch movie, and how many times did you see it? I can't remember...the date says 1985, but I would have been 9 then, and I feel like I was much younger when I saw it. Maybe 7 or 8? I also only saw the movie once when it aired on TV.

8. How old were you when you saw your first "Rated R" movie? (and just for fun what was it) I don't remember. I can't recall what the ratings were on some of the movies I saw. Does Poultergeist count? I saw that when I was very little...maybe 4 or 5.

9. What images from this movie stayed with you the most? The scene that keeps coming back to me is the group of dolls and the girl are going to see the witch, and they have to cross through some creepy mountains and over a bridge. Also, the scene where the girls goes through the mirror.

10. How did you finally find out the name of the movie? Research on the internet. I was familiar with the dolls because girls at school had them, but I couldn't remember their names. I had to look up 80's toys to figure it out, and then it snowballed from there.

[–] msh11780 18 years ago

Good post!! I too had gotten so exasperated trying to find someone who knew anything about this movie. It’s cool to find out that other people went through the same thing!

1. What year were you born:
1980
2. Are you male or female:
Female
3. Using 3 words, describe your childhood:
Pleasant, enjoyable, boisterous
4. Using 4 words, describe how your parents raised you:
Caring, firm, supportive, compassionate
5. Using 5 words, describe where you grew up:
Ever-changing, plains, mountains, trees, but always HOME
6. On average, how many hours of television or movies did you watch per week between the ages 2 and 10:
I have no clue. Sadly, not as much as I watch NOW!! LOL
7. How old were you when you first saw the Hugga Bunch movie, and how many times did you see it:
I don't know when I first saw it, but I definitely watched it enough for it to stick with me long after I stopped renting the video! I probably saw it twice a year, every summer for 3-5 yrs.
8. How old were you when you saw your first "Rated R" movie? (and just for fun what was it):
I think I was 15 when I saw an R-rated film in the theater. I think it was a horror film. My friend and I paid for a different movie & snuck into something else.
9. What images from this movie stayed with you the most:
The sideways sidewalk, and the berries that kept the witch young, and “pillow people.”
10. How did you finally find out the name of the movie:
I had been trying to figure out what the heck this movie was for years, and I’d ask people all the time if they knew anything about a movie containing the things I listed above. No one could place it, and most thought I was crazy!! I knew that I’d watched it only at my father’s house when I visited him during the summer, and we’d rent it every time I was there, but he passed a few years ago and I never got around to asking him. Finally, for some reason I was on the phone with my brother one day and I guess the movie was on my mind because I ended up asking him if he remembered it. He was like, “Oh yeah! Something like Hugs a Bunch, or something, right?” So I got online, and sure enough… :)

[–] eastjenn 18 years ago

1. What year were you born? 1982

2. Are you male or female? Female

3. Using 3 words, describe your childhood. happy, creative, loving

4. Using 4 words, describe how your parents raised you. liberal, opinionated, caring, secure

5. Using 5 words, describe where you grew up. eastcoast, suburbs, condo, beach, warm

6. On average, how many hours of television or movies did you watch per week between the ages 2 and 10? a lot ...

7. How old were you when you first saw the Hugga Bunch movie, and how many times did you see it? I think 4 or 5 years old, and I watched it constantly

8. How old were you when you saw your first "Rated R" movie? (and just for fun what was it) 12 -- Silence of the Lambs

9. What images from this movie stayed with you the most? the squishy mirror, the tree in the glass, hugging the elephant to make him nice, the grandma going to live in the farm?

10. How did you finally find out the name of the movie? GOOGLE!!!

[–] mzgriffin04 18 years ago

1. What year were you born? 1983

2. Are you male or female? female

3. Using 3 words, describe your childhood. happy at times, hectic, but safe

4. Using 4 words, describe how your parents raised you. loving, friendly, baptist, ?

5. Using 5 words, describe where you grew up. house, down south, one brother, in the country,?

6. On average, how many hours of television or movies did you watch per week between the ages 2 and 10? alot

7. How old were you when you first saw the Hugga Bunch movie, and how many times did you see it? around 7 or 8 and saw it about 4 or 5 times

8. How old were you when you saw your first "Rated R" movie? (and just for fun what was it) i don't remember

9. What images from this movie stayed with you the most? the little girl going through her mirror, the tree covered in the glass dome, and the witch getting all wrinkled, the little girl coming back through her mirror and dropping the fruit.

10. How did you finally find out the name of the movie? i posted the question on Yahoo Answers.

my brother and i have been trying to find the name of this movie for years. everyone we asked never heard of it. we figured it was something we created in our childhood b/c nobody else knew what we were talking about. i feel so relieved to FINALLY know the name of it!!!!!

[–] starrieeyedkat 18 years ago

This is amazing to me cause I've had the same experience as the poster. I also had bits of the movie floating in my head, namely the glass jar w/ a tree or shrub and the queen. One night a friend of mine asked if I remembered a movie about children going through a mirror to save their grandma and suddenly it all clicked. I couldn't believe it! As for the survey:

1. What year were you born? 1985 - the year the movie was made!!

2. Are you male or female? Female

3. Using 3 words, describe your childhood. Irregular, lonely, quiet

4. Using 4 words, describe how your parents raised you. Mature, quiet, respectful, different

5. Using 5 words, describe where you grew up. Suburbs, pool, two houses, swingset

6. On average, how many hours of television or movies did you watch per week between the ages 2 and 10? 5-6 hrs/week

7. How old were you when you first saw the Hugga Bunch movie, and how many times did you see it? Around 5 I think, not too many times, just enough to remember a few scenes

8. How old were you when you saw your first "Rated R" movie? (and just for fun what was it) I think it was 12 monkeys....don't remember what age

9. What images from this movie stayed with you the most? The tree w/ berries under glass

10. How did you finally find out the name of the movie? Friend of mine brought it up.

Rory: Can you say 'crazy anal micromanager?'
Lorelai: Not five times fast.

[–] evillolitadied 18 years ago

i'm so amazed i only just found out the name of this movie! it's been annoying me for years!

1. What year were you born? 1982

2. Are you male or female? female

3. Using 3 words, describe your childhood. fun, happy, imaginative

4. Using 4 words, describe how your parents raised you. protective, magical, understanding, free

5. Using 5 words, describe where you grew up. big rooms, high ceilings, grass

6. On average, how many hours of television or movies did you watch per week between the ages 2 and 10? blimey.. 6?

7. How old were you when you first saw the Hugga Bunch movie, and how many times did you see it? i've no idea, i barely remember it, just snippets

8. How old were you when you saw your first "Rated R" movie? (and just for fun what was it) was indiana jones an R?

9. What images from this movie stayed with you the most? just a peach or something in glass and a grandma

10. How did you finally find out the name of the movie? i was bored just now so typed "80's movie peach youth" into google!!!

[–] tinkerbell30513 17 years ago

1. What year were you born? 1986

2. Are you male or female? Female

3. Using 3 words, describe your childhood. Adventurous, loving, playful

4. Using 4 words, describe how your parents raised you. Liberally, understanding, caring, loving

5. Using 5 words, describe where you grew up. Small-town, trees, farm, garden, post card

6. On average, how many hours of television or movies did you watch per week between the ages 2 and 10? Umm...I don't know a lot

7. How old were you when you first saw the Hugga Bunch movie, and how many times did you see it? I was about 6 or so, and I rented it whenever my mom would let me

8. How old were you when you saw your first "Rated R" movie? (and just for fun what was it) Umm, I was probably 8, and it was Legends of the Fall

9. What images from this movie stayed with you the most? The Sandwich she made, going through the mirror, the puppets, the stuffed penguin the girl got, and the fruit

10. How did you finally find out the name of the movie? I searched google for grandma life saving fruit, and I just now found it!

I like you had random memories of the movie floating around in my head, and I was curious about it, so I finally searched it!

[–] lodchica 17 years ago

I'm kind of late with replying but here it goes.

1. What year were you born? 1982

2. Are you male or female? Female

3. Using 3 words, describe your childhood. < youngest,imaginative, creative

4. Using 4 words, describe how your parents raised you. < religious, humble, open, protective

5. Using 5 words, describe where you grew up. < city, house, trees, dogs, sunny

6. On average, how many hours of television or movies did you watch per week between the ages 2 and 10? 4-5 hrs

7. How old were you when you first saw the Hugga Bunch movie, and how many times did you see it? 5 or 6, I use to watch it all the time as a kid.

8. How old were you when you saw your first "Rated R" movie? (and just for fun what was it) 5 or 6; my aunt and uncle took me to see Eddie Murphy Raw---my parents were upset; especially, when I returned home repeating everything.

9. What images from this movie stayed with you the most? the queen, something about an apple or berries... the word "sav-wa-fare" ---sorry for the mispelling, and the argument with her brother Andrew

10. How did you finally find out the name of the movie? We owned the video

[–] sgajos 18 years ago

You read my mind!

1. What year were you born? 1981

2. Are you male or female? female

3. Using 3 words, describe your childhood. barbies, fun, carefree

4. Using 4 words, describe how your parents raised you. Catholic, well-mannered, strict, loving

5. Using 5 words, describe where you grew up. chicago, midway, house, one sister, dog

6. On average, how many hours of television or movies did you watch per week between the ages 2 and 10? more than i should have

7. How old were you when you first saw the Hugga Bunch movie, and how many times did you see it? 4, about a million times

8. How old were you when you saw your first "Rated R" movie? (and just for fun what was it) 12, the bodyguard

9. What images from this movie stayed with you the most? The climax where the girl is running back thru the mirror and trips and spills the berries all over the floor and they vanish into thin air. Also the girl's hideous haircut, the mean brother putting peanut butter on pancakes (weird), and the overall shock of the whole family putting the grandma in a nursing home. well i was 4.

10. How did you finally find out the name of the movie? i never forgot it, but i couldnt help but respond to this anyways!