Developer of “Hibuki” therapy doll for treatment of emotional distress seeks to expand availability

The “Hibuki” therapeutic doll, developed principally by Dr. Shai Hen-Gal, has been used to treat 150,000 children in Israel and around the world suffering from emotional distress and anxiety during wartime and after natural disasters.

Hen-Gal says that the success of the huggable doll in reducing stress has been proven in extensive research since it was first used in the wake of the First Lebanon War in 2006.

The doll was developed by Dr. Hen-Gal, chief psychologist at the Amal Group, in collaboration with the late Professor Avi Sadeh and Dr. Flora Mor.

Studies conducted by Tel Aviv University and published in the Journal of Pediatrics have confirmed the effectiveness of Hibuki intervention in reducing anxiety in children exposed to mass traumatic events.

Hibuki (loosely translated as “Huggy) is a long-limbed, plush, dog-like doll with a sad expression. Hen-Gal explains that the huggable doll, when used with its therapy protocol, enables children to speak to it, pet it, and project or transfer their fears and concerns to it.

“When children interact with the Hibuki doll,” says Hen-Gal, “they feel that they are not alone.” The long arms of the Hibuki can be used to hug and comfort children. Along with the doll, parents are provided with a book that includes usage instructions.

Since its initial implementation, the dolls have been used by 20,000 Ukrainian children suffering from anxieties brought about by the Russia-Ukraine War. They were also distributed to children in tsunami-affected regions in Japan and areas of Turkey after an earthquake.

Over the past eleven months, since the outbreak of the war on October 7, the Hibuki doll has been utilized extensively to treat 10,000 children between the ages of three and nine in Israel’s northern and southern regions.

“We established a team with thirty volunteers, and we went to all of the hotels in the Dead Sea and Eilat and treated all of the children from Sderot and Ofakim and the communities in the Gaza Envelope. We saw its effectiveness,” says Hen-Gal.

The doll is being distributed by the Telem NGO. Since the Hezbollah attacks on Israel’s north, the Hibuki doll has been used to treat children in communities there.

Hen-Gal will be visiting the United States next week with former IDF spokesperson Avi Benayahu and Dalia Korkin, CEO of the Amal Group, the parent company of Telem, and will deliver a series of lectures in the Miami area on the effectiveness of the Hibuki program.

The visit is part of efforts to raise additional funds for increased usage and distribution of the Hibuki dolls in Israel.