Aayjah Marri Royston

Art History

Aayjah Royston is a Colorado native studying art history at the University of Colorado Denver. Their academic interests include contemporary horror and animated films, medieval art, and modern design. In their free time, Aayjah enjoys spending time with their cat, making art, and reading fiction.

Thesis Title:
A Fun, Educational Nightmare: The Uncanny Horror of Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared

Abstract:
Puppet performance arts have drawn the attention of scholars interested in the grotesque and uncanny. While John Bell argues that puppet theatre is essentially linked with readings of the uncanny, Janet Banfield examines the ontological uncertainty of puppets in relation to their human controllers. Despite a plethora of recent popular media focusing on these themes, much of the existing scholarship does not address contemporary puppet performances or the nuanced audience interpretations of performing puppets. This thesis will examine the uncanny horror created by media focused on haunted or embodied children’s objects through a case study of the 2022 television show Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared (DHMIS). DHMIS examines the ontological uncertainty of its characters and story, inciting in the viewer emotions related to horror and the uncanny. Show creator Joseph Pelling describes the series as “a kid’s show for adults.” Materially, the sets and puppets are constructed from felts and furs, with rounded corners and vibrant colors. The show’s aesthetic and formal qualities are based on children's educational television, featuring didactic songs and editing techniques designed to retain attention. However, the content is adult in nature as puppet characters are shown repeatedly to feel physical and psychological pain - they bleed, die, and express fear. The lessons that they learn are oversimplified and misleading, and the environments and mentor figures that they encounter are hostile and dangerous. Through close examination of DHMIS’s ambiguous materiality, its adoption of a children’s format to narrate adult content, and its engagement with ontological uncertainty, this thesis presents a new contemporary horror genre, born of the digital age, defined by its engagement with childhood artifacts and locations that have been empowered with selfhood.