Arkansas Couple Makes ‘Protective Hug Blanket’ To Embrace Family

Social distancing may have made us appreciate things we never thought to be very important, like hugging. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, people are advised not to make contact with others to avoid the spread of the virus. The safe distance is practiced everywhere, so hugs are most certainly not advised nowadays.

However, Paul and Katie Ayoub, a couple from Arkansas, have been a little disappointed about these social distancing protocols. Especially when a family recently gave birth, and they cannot meet the baby in person.

In an interview with KTHV, Paul said that this is something people already miss, "I think people are missing things that we take for granted, like little things like a hug. In a time where things seem helpless and scary, people gravitated towards it." That is why his wife decided to make a "protective hug blanket," an item that people online find cute and heartwarming. 

How the "Plastic Hug Blanket" was made

The hug blanket was placed at the front doorway of the Ayoubs' house. It is made of a shower curtain, plastic, glue, and tape. They did this to be able to hug the newborn baby of the family, Moriah. Paul's sister-in-law, Kristie, recently gave birth, and the family was bummed that they cannot even hug the baby. Thus, they decided to create a "hug blanket" that will make hugging safe for all of them.

The armholes of the "protective hug blanket" was made of jumbo and gallon size bags. 

Paul initially thought the idea was "crazy," but he still chose to document everything then uploaded it on TikTok.

The "Plastic Hug Blanket" was a hit

After being uploaded in Tiktok, Paul's documentation video got more than a million views. Within one day, the video became viral, with 1.5 million views.

For the couple, the effort they put into this little project was all worth it.

Because Paul initially thought the idea was crazy, he got an "I told you so" from his wife. 

Kate also told his husband, "I just made you TikTok famous."

As of writing, the video already has almost four million views.

@buoya1016 The Hug Blanket in Action! ##viral ##fyp ##foryou ##tiktokdiy ##OwnTheCurve ##diy ##family ##hugs ♬ This City - Sam Fischer

"Plastic Hug Blankets" tutorial

Due to the demand from viewers, Paul uploaded follow-up videos after their first viral video. One of the videos is a tutorial on how to make the Hug Blanket.

The video showed what materials are needed and the step by step procedure that one must follow to create the hug blanket.

Some of the materials shown are the shoe covers and tape needed to build the hug blanket.

Paul captioned the video: "Hug Blanket Tutorial as Requested!" Since upload, the video has more than ninety thousand views. 

@buoya1016 Hug Blanket Tutorial as Requested! Thanks everyone you all Rock! ##tiktokdiy ##ownthecurve ##fyp ##family ##love ##foryou ##hugs ♬ Work From Home - Alani Allen & Various Artists

"Plastic Hug Blanket" hits the road

Aside from welcoming his sister-in-law, Paul shared that they also brought the hug blanket to embrace other relatives like their grandparents.

In the video, the grandparents of Paul's kids were seen giving the children very tight hugs and even a kiss. The children also seem to enjoy the thought they can see and hug their grandparents.

The video now has more than 700,000 views and 174,000 likes. 

@buoya1016 The Hug felt around the World! ##tiktokdiy ##OwnTheCurve ##foryou ##fyp ##hug ##love ##diy ##family ##viral ♬ One Call Away - Charlie Puth

In times like this, this is truly a heart-warming scene.