Adam King stole the hearts of people all over Ireland in November 2020 when he appeared on the Late Late Toy Show with his ‘virtual hug’ card.
Ireland’s national treasure Adam King has been named the “most huggable person” of 2022 by the US team behind National Hugging Day.
Founded by Kevin Zaborney in 1986, National Hugging Day falls on 21 January every year.
The national celebration first started in the United States. However, it has since spread worldwide to be observed in many other countries.
Each year, the team identifies one person who is deemed to be the “most huggable person”. This year, that honour went to Ireland’s beloved Adam King.
What is National Hugging Day? – spreading joy for January
Falling in the middle of January, Zaborney found that many people tend to be in low spirits in the period between Christmas and Valentine’s Day.
Blue Monday, said to be the most ‘depressing day of the year’. This date tends to fall around the same week as National Hugging Day.
Thus, Zaborney came up with the idea of showing those you love how much you care by hugging them on this January date every year.
The absence of hugs – being mindful of social distancing
With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, hugs have been on hold on a global scale since March 2020.
With the implementation of social distancing and ‘stay at home’ enforcements, we have been encouraged to keep our distance from one another in order to keep ourselves and others safe.
This is why when six-year-old Adam King appeared on the Late Late Toy Show in November 2020 with his ‘virtual hug card’, his message resonated with so many.
Adam King named “most huggable person” of 2022 – we couldn’t agree more
Adam not only captured the hearts of those across Ireland.
He shared his love for all things space travel. Then, the now seven-year-old was even offered a job by NASA and received a shoutout from astronaut Chris Hadfield.
Hearing about Adam’s enthusiasm and adventurous spirit, NASA took to Twitter in 2020 to praise the young Cork lad. They wrote, “Adam’s kind heart and adventurous spirit inspires us.
There’s space for everybody at NASA, and we can’t wait for him to one day join our team of dreamers. We’ll be here when he’s ready.”
A hug for you – spreading joy when times are dark
Honouring Adam King as the “most huggable person” of 2022, the people at National Hugging Day said that Adam’s message resonated with people far and wide.
They applauded his efforts at “introducing the world to a beautiful hug he had drawn to stay closer to his teacher and friends during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
At home in Ireland, the GPO lit up with Adam’s Virtual Hug to honour National Hugging Day. In an adorable video, Adam hinted that more exciting things are to come for St Patrick’s Day.
The caption read, “Happy #nationalhuggingday !!! We are DELIGHTED to share that, thanks to our friends @anpostofficial, the GPO will light up tonight with #adamsvirtualhug.
“Whether you get to pop down and see it in person or catch it online, we hope you feel this hug wherever you are.
“Remember, in Adam’s words, always remember to hug the ones you love the most. And, if you can’t give them a real hug, give them a virtual hug!!”
