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HUGO - Man Of A Thousand Faces
by Kenner
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Read memories from others. |
More memories from:
2006
2004-2005
This memory was added on: September 19, 2008
As it seems with a lot of folks who have written in none of my friends seem to remember Hugo.
I got him for Christmas as a ten year old in 1975 and played with him for hours. This was a true "A Christmas Story" moment as I had been seeing the T.V commercial for months and constantly asking for him as a present. Not saying "you'll shoot your eye out" but "he is too expensive" made me think that it was a lost cause and that I shouldn't "count on it" as dad would say with a smile.
Well, the big day came and after opening all my presents and also waiting for my brother to do also... all of a sudden, there in the back was HUGO.....
WOW what a day.
Thanks for the fun,
Ken Holzer
This memory was added on: August 12, 2008
Those memories of "Hugo, man of a thousand faces" were awesome. I thought I'd add mine.......
I was 5 or 6 in 1976 (I believe Hugo was only produced in 1975 but I'm not sure). On the back of his head it has 1975 stamped in tiny numbers. Yeah, he was sort of scary, but also sort of safe and calm looking. At first I would make different faces and display him......but when I turned like 10 or 11 Hugo unfortunately became a victim of my numerous karate attacks. Man I beat the hell out of poor Hugo. But I still loved him. He was a rock. First of all that plastic is invincible. But you could beat the crap out of him and he would remain exactly the same. Eventually of course, the body broke and yet that head remained.
Then came my pot years. I would blow smoke into his head and let it come out his mouth........I would put a joint in his mouth and smoke it through his head. For years the inside of his head smelled like a bong. But one thing was for sure......Hugo was here to stay.
And then came the LSD years..........at this point we're all like 20. At this point Hugo has been cleaned well and there are no more antics with him. He was now some sort of freaky/psychedelic shrunken guru. We would stare into his eyes and a whole bunch of fun stuff would happen and we'd pass the head around so everyone could "see into Hugo". Now........I'm a bit older but things haven't changed much.......
Hugo is now 33 years old. He is now part of the family. He travels with us and goes to concerts with us....... Hugo has seen The Grateful Dead and Phish and many many others. Hugo has been on our car antenna, and carried on a stick above crowds. Hugo has been to about 20 different states. Another great activity we have is "bowling for hippies". What you do is, at a nice jam band festival, you find people who look........like they're REEEEEEALLY having a good time.......and without them knowing, you roll Hugo past them (on grass of course! I would never jeopardize Hugo on concrete!)......and that expression and reaction you get as Hugo bumpity bump bump bumps.....and lands right in front of them......hopefully staring up at them......man....people freak for about a second, then they hear us laughing, then they laugh.....then I make a "little head" joke......ah, Hugo......you're the best!
Hugo has now become the all-seen and all seeing. He gets the benefits of old age. When we camp he gets set up to enjoy the view.....to absorb what he can so that when others look at him, under the right conditions......just perhaps.......Hugo will share with you all that he has seen. And maybe reflect back some of the many groovy people who have stared into Hugo.
Thank you,
John
[Editor's note: John, dude, you are one freaked-out maniac. We have got to party together
sometime.... ]
This memory was added on: August 12, 2008
I was doing a Google search when up popped the word Hugo... Hugo?? Oh yes Now I remember Hugo man of a thousand faces. I received Hugo for Christmas 1976? from my parents. I was very intrigued by the creepy toy and spent hours trying different faces for my Hugo...thanks very much for sharing
James
This memory was added on: June 20, 2008
I am 10 uears old, two years ago when my Nan passed away my Aunt found
her Hugo in the loft, she threw him in the skip, I asked if I could
have him and she said yes - she found the box and most of his pieces in
her room. I play with him alot, I have been asking everyone if they
remember him from the 70's but no-one knew who he was - I'm pleased I
found this site and you all love him as much as I do.
Callum F, 1997
This memory was added on: May 18, 2008
Just today, I was going through boxes of stuff from my childhood (I'm now 44 - so the stuff is pretty old!!!!!) when out of a giant cardboard box that I thought was photos, came Hugo himself - in his original box with all of his original pieces and even a dried out glue stick that was used to stick the items to his face! I used to play for hours with Hugo . . . giving him hundreds of his 1000 looks!!!! Boy did he bring back memories!!!! I showed him to my 6 year old daughter; we are planning to design some more looks for him tomorrow . . . Mother's Day! What more can a mom ask for!!!!
Judy
This memory was added on: March 19, 2008
I was just reminded of this toy today when I heard my friend say he was a man of a thousand faces. That brought my memory of Hugo back vividly. My sister received him either for Christmas or birthday gift and I always snuck it away when she wasn't home and played with it. I loved that thing. I have to admit now that I see the picture again it is a little creepy but hey, I'd love to have it back again! My kids would absolutely go nuts laughing at it and I'm sure they'd play with it for hours just like I did. I also remember the distinct smell of it as some other people had mentioned. I'd love to open the box and just smell the plastic. Sounds a bit weird - ok, a lot weird, but only those of you that had one would understand right!? I would so love to have it back again!
Michelle
This memory was added on: April 18, 2007
Funny I was recently talking about my Hugo Puppet - "man of a thousand disguises" and no one ever had heard of him/it. Now to find a site dedicated to him is amazing - I feel "misty". It was a memorable year because that same birthday I also got the Jaws Toy. Hugo was my favorite around 74/75. Oddly enough I can still remember the way he smelled - a really distinctive rubber/plastic smell! Wish I still had one!
Todd S
1965
This memory was added on: April 17, 2007
I found my Hugo in the attic where it has been sleeping since 1974 when I received it for a birthday gift. Like the rest of you I begged for him and when I finally was presented with the much anticipated Hugo I didn't want to damage him so I never used it. I'm pleased to say that now 33 years later his tomb was opened and he is just as I left him in mint condition with the plastic bag still over his face. The glue melted in the attic but it and the pieces were all in sealed plastic bags. The original price tag is still on the box $10.44. I was going to list him on ebay with other toys of my youth all saved in the attic but now that I see his creepy face again I'm keeping him. I can't wait to scare the nephews with him! Still, I wonder what he would sell for on ebay. I doubt there is one available like this mint in the box and still wrapped.
Satis House
1964
This memory was added on: April 6, 2007
I had a Hugo when I was 6 for Christmas in Hawaii. I played with that thing for hours, like many others for some strange reason I liked to smell the damn thing something very odd about the plastics and materials, linda like eating that white paste when we were kids, we all loved that wierd metallic taste. Anyhoo maybe I am just wierd, but it was a freaky puppet back then, and when I see it here it brings back fond memories though
D. Norton
1970
This memory was added on: April 3, 2007
Yes , Hugo was a Christmas or birthday gift for my son in December in the 1970's. It was a strange gift...but he had fun with it.Now thinking about it...this was a more advanced Mr. Potato Head with a weird twist to it. I was a young parent...so I was ok with it. Now I think...this is weird !!!
Carolyn
1949
This memory was added on: March 15, 2007
I had Hugo as a kid. I hung on to that creepy little head forever. I know he is somewhere in my storage unit. I have long lost the disguises, the huge hands and the bottom half of him but I just love him. He makes me happy and thinking of him and finding this site was really cool. Long live Hugo!
Angie
This memory was added on: March 1, 2007
Never had it, always wanted it. I can remember the picture ad in the christmas toy catalogs. Wasn't there a tv commercial as well...?
Steven S.
1968
This memory was added on: February 27, 2007
My younger brother got Hugo for xmas in the mid 70's. I think I played with it more than he did. I do remember looking at it and thinking " man this thing is really creepy looking, kind of a macbre like. He reminded me of one of those creepy little villian characters on the TV show Wild Wild West. Anyway, Mom threw it in the atic and a few years ago took it out and gave it to me along with a bunch of other toys of mine and my siblings. I took them home and at the time I had a roomate from Colombia living with me in my spare bedroom. He had very different beliefs than I did as far as the big picture goes and all. I decided to prop him up on the window sill right next to his bed while he was asleep one night. It sure was funny how he screamed when he woke up and saw him with the porch light coming through the curtains just enough so he could be made out. I think he was on tehr verge of literally going into shock! He asked me to burn it! And he said it was the devil, LOL.
Mike D
1961
This memory was added on: January 24, 2007
It must've been around Christmas 76 I got Hugo. All I remember is him being banished to the attic as my brother used to have nightmares about him. Prior to that I remember the smell of the glue and the plastic face mask, minging really. I guess he did have quite a sinister look to him, sort of a Donald Pleasance stare!
Lee
1971
This memory was added on: January 23, 2007
Around the mid 70s my younger brother received a Hugo man of 1000 faces from Santa Claus.He loved to play with it and also to use the disguises on himself. I had a lot of fun with it as well but not by playing with it.I discovered that my brother who was five at the time was terrified of that puppet when it was totaly bare of the make-up and disguises!I could have him in tears by chasing him with it and whispering "Hugo is comming to get you!".Hopefuly that hasn't scarred him for life.Oh well,that's what big brothers are for,right?
Wes
1966
This memory was added on: January 9, 2007
My friend received a hugo from a company xmas party. I was fascinated with the idea that one could get a present from someone other than santa or parents. We were really unsure what to actually do with him. He usually ended up as a puppet interacting with my ralph the dog muppet. We played with the box more than the doll....yes he was a doll i guess in the final analysis
terry
1968
This memory was added on: January 2, 2007
Around 1974 I got a Hugo - Man of 1000 Faces for X-Mas.
He was ALL I wanted. On Christmas Eve, when we opened our gifts, we all opened what seemed to have been everything. That is until my dad pulled out one last little thing for ol' David.
I opened him & words could not describe my elation!!! My dad kept calling him a "Doll".
Dudes my age back then didn't play with a dolls. But I guess the word "Puppet" wasn't much better was it?
David J
1964
This memory was added on: January 1, 2007
I had forgotten all about my Hugo until today when I was using a glue stick, of which the smell brought me back 30 years.
I remembered Hugo immediately, if not by name, and had to search unti I found this page.
Amazing!
Andy
1969
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