This HAS to make it into the top 15! It HAS to! I'll be very very sad if it doesn't. People should hug more often.

This is such a great idea. The video itself has some great editing and to top it off, a beautiful soundtrack. Love it.

Yeah it really made me smile and then want to hug someone

My poster sead free sex now i have HIV people should think before thay post sutch clips

Change the title of this post. It should be in top15. It's got over a million youtube views.

And now... for the rest of the story...

Sydney, AU

Serial hugger Juan Mann describes the free hugs he hands out in Pitt Street Mall as fast-food emotion.

His cuddling campaign received an international dose of publicity today, after a clip showing his public displays of affection won a coveted front page spot on the video sharing website.

An American television audience of millions also watched him at work, when the video was broadcast on the prime-time breakfast program Good Morning America yesterday.

....

Juan Mann (pronounced one man) is a play on words, but the hugger insisted his rules included no names, no phone numbers, no relationships and no dates.

The hit video came about after a meeting - and a hug - more than a year ago with the lead singer of the Sick Puppies, a Sydney band made up of three former Mosman High School students.

The singer, Shimon Moore, was working odd jobs by day and playing gigs by night.

"I was one of those guys in Pitt Street Mall with a sandwich board advertising a shoe sale," Moore told smh.com.au today.

The two became mates, and Moore borrowed his father's video camera to shoot footage of the hug man at work.

But his efforts to spread the love became a little too popular for some people's liking, according to a blurb on the YouTube video, which said: "As this symbol of human hope spread across the city, police and officials ordered the Free Hugs campaign BANNED."

Undeterred, Mann collected more than 10,000 signatures on a petition he presented to the City of Sydney council. Demands for a halt to the hugs petered out shortly after, and the end of the clip shows Mann hugging an official.

Speaking by phone from Los Angeles, where the Sick Puppies moved a year ago, the lead singer said he mixed the video with their song All The Same as a gift for his friend, to lift his spirits after his grandmother died.

i don't see why people aren't already watching it and voting. 'Free Hugs Campaign' sounds alright. I suppose you could add 'Inspiring Story!' to the front like the youtube title.

*wipes tear*

that was sweet ... not sure how i missed this vid. what got me was the very first hug from that l'il old lady ... i sat and wondered how long it had been since she had been hugged.

'touch' is the first sense that we develop in utero and so many end up taking it for granted. sometimes a hug is all someone needs. *hearts floating around*

Bump.. Bump.. come on, I know you missed this the first time around. Let's get a few more upvotes! Don't make me send it to the blog just for a few extra votes.

I definitely need to get this started around my college.

[cyberhugs everyone (including LadyBug) who voted this and read his comment]

*hugs*

I've seen this several times and it makes me mist up every time. It should definitely make its way to top! I'm off to hug someone...

*promote
Come on chaps! This should have far more votes - Where's the justice?

Re-promoting this video to the front page as a VideoSift Classic. Originally published on Sunday 1st October 2006 (promotion called by gold star member deputydog)

Every fibre of my being wanted to hate this video for the glurge that it is, but... uhm... upvote.

Sorry, I meant:

/hugs

Yes, the first woman getting a hug got to me, too. Nice one.

I really really wanna upvote twice more.

When I was in college, a couple of guys who later became good friends of mine put on sashes saying "Hug Patrol" and went around hugging people during finals week. It was almost this cool. What a great, positive clip.

Thanks for sharing guys

*nominate (this is clearly what the 2006 best of contest intended)

This video has been nominated as a top video of 2006 (nominate called by gold star member joedirt)

Interesting related post - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHi32mKjkSo

Annoyingly, embedding is disabled (why!?)

*promote

A story on this just appeared on ABC's "i-CAUGHT", their series on the stories behind intertube videos; I figured people might come here looking for it.

And yes, the first hug is very sweet.

Re-promoting this video to the front page as a VideoSift Classic. Originally published on Wednesday 11th October 2006 (promotion called by gold star member theo47)

*music
*cute
*humanitarian

Adding video to channels (cute, humanitarian, music) - requested by calvados.

*happy

Adding video to channels (Happy) - requested by my15minutes.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'heartwarming, free hugs, inspiring, love' to 'heartwarming, free hugs, inspiring, love, Sydney, Juan Mann, Sick Puppies, All The Same' - edited by my15minutes

*downunder

Adding video to channels (Downunder) - requested by maatc.

*promote

Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Tuesday, August 14th, 2007 11:08pm PDT - promote requested by eric3579.

*love

Adding video to channels (Love) - requested by eric3579.

*promote the huggy love.

Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Sunday, November 2nd, 2008 9:03am PST - promote requested by gwiz665.

*doublepromote

Double-Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Monday, February 9th, 2009 2:21am PST - doublepromote requested by kronosposeidon.

*length=00:03:40

The duration of this video has been updated from unknown to 3:40 - length declared by critical_d.

*promote one of the best videos ever

Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 12:40am PDT - promote requested by eric3579.