Originally posted
A hug ball is similar to a sports huddle, except that rather than saying 1, 2, 3......Terrors!, or whatever the catch phrase of the day is, you just yell hug ball. Then, squeeze all of your teammates of the moment, and jump around like an idiot. Being an idiot is a key requirement.
Hug balls are meant to be joyful in nature, even when triggered by something that is, well, not joyful. Perhaps someone is sad - do not be deterred. You and your homies should circle around the poor soul, have everyone hug tight, scream “hug ball,” jump around like said idiot, and shake the bad juju out of the system. There is nothing beyond the help of a hug ball.
I don’t recall the specific origin of the term “hug ball,” so just imagine an epic tale filled with love, hugs, and balls. The heroes of this tale are nikkigirl, bonnibel, lulu, eeeeeeeemma, jeff meff, and me, unclejimmy. Rumors of the fabled hug ball soon spread far and wide, with reports of additional apostles helping this ball of hug sweep the nation. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, have been infected by this virus of love.
If you have been ball-hugged by any of the hug ball founding fathers, you are a knight of the hug ball, free to continue growing the size of our max hug ball capacity. If you are reading this message, you’re kinda in the club and may practice on your own time. Just know that nobody asks for the hug ball. The hug ball must spring forth naturally and without thirstiness.
TL;DR: IYKYK and NYK.
Within the past six months or so, I’ve started to make a ball out of all the tape that I get from my TCDb trading partners, along with the excess that naturally happens in my collecting process. This ball will now officially become THE hug ball, and we will track its growth here.
As of 2025-11-13, THE hug ball is about the size of a baseball and weighs 2.7 ounces.