Cuddle Buddies

by Harrison Phillips

This book contains scenes of explicit violence and gore.

Each and every single day, the Cuddle Buddies just love to play!

...especially with your dismembered body parts!

Everybody loves the Cuddle Buddies, kids and grown-ups alike. But nobody loves them quite so much as their creator, Mark Samuels. However, when the show's producers decide he's become too much of a liability, they terminate his contract, effectively stealing the characters he created right from under his nose.

Well, Mark isn't going to allow that to happen, is he? No, no, no. Instead, he reprograms the Cuddle Buddies, turning them into unstoppable killing machines.

Who will escape the studio alive?

Genres: Horror, Splatterpunk

189 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 13, 2024

About the author

Harrison Phillips is an English author of horror, sci-fi and fantasy. His literary influences range from Clive Barker and Stephen King, to Jack Ketchum and Edward Lee. He was born and raised in Birmingham, England, where he still resides with his long-suffering wife, their two daughters, and a schnauzer named Minnie.

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF at 35%. First off, i really disliked the massive and prolonged information dump in the very beginning. Was not necessary at all and actually reduced my interest from the start. The content felt jumbled at times with the focus jumping around awkwardly, leaving me unsure of the context of anything. The story itself really didn’t pick up steam until the 30% mark and I had already checked out by then. I was very disappointed because I was looking forward to this. Sounded like a great premise, but it had just way too many things working against it for me to enjoy. Not one of Harrison Phillip’s better outings.

[Ash says Free Palestine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tbh, didn't need the parts where Mark's talking about the fuckability of a couple women in the book. Other than that, I quite enjoyed this. It was fast paced and delightfully gory. Might check out more from this author

(Btw I'm never looking at the Teletubbies the same way again)

[Mark Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s Cuddle Time!!

When the creator of a kids tv show is fired, following a scandal that renders him a liability, he decides to enact his revenge on those he sees as responsible, whilst souring his legacy so no one can make any more future money out of his creation.
Locking the doors to the studio where his show is filmed in front of a hand-picked audience of kids and their parents, he sends his animatronic actors into a killing spree that results in a veritable bloodbath.

Hot on the heels of Willy’s Wonderland, and Five Nights at Freddy’s, Harrison here offers his own take on the theme with a tale of crazed revenge.
It’s gory, it’s bloodthirsty, and children and adults alike are both killed indiscriminately left, right, and centre, but unfortunately it doesn’t feel like anything we haven’t seen done already before.
It’s a fun read, a relatively short read, and not a bad read by any means, it just feels at times a bit too much like the author is jumping on the bandwagon.
Look, I’m not dissing him - it’s said there are only like 7 truly original stories in the world - I just thought it felt a little too samey, though it never lets up for a second on the violence and the bloodbath, so what you see on the cover is exactly what you can expect.
If I could give this a 3.5, I would because it deserves more than a 3, but not as much as a 4.
Would I read more by this author?
Yes, I think I would.
I’d certainly like to see what he could do with a much more original subject matter.

[Mrsgmamma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Samuels had it all, he made a children’s tv show called cuddle buddies that was pretty much loved by everyone. One day mark gets fired and well he doesn’t take to well to that. Mark decides one day to go to the cuddle buddies studio where there were going to be a bunch of children and parents there to see a taping of the show. Mark decides it revenge time. He is in a killing spree. Once mark gets where he wants he decides to mess with the cuddle buddies and reprogram them to turn them into killers.
This book put me in mind of five night at Freddy’s a bit. It was super gory, tons of murder of adults and many children. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Definitely an awesome read.

[LJ🥀👻 · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I just have to say, this cover is 🤌🏻💋 I love it so much.
Anywhooo, this story was completely insane. Brutal and gory. I enjoyed all the different POV’s. This was the first book I’ve read by this author & I absolutely love his writing. I was hooked right away. & I’ll definitely be checking out more of his work.
But you should definitely check the triggers. If you don’t like reading about the brutal murders and death of children(it’s very descriptive), definitely skip this one.

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this story if you want to find out what happens when children’s TV show characters go on a murderous rampage!

Guts! Gore! And lots of Giggles! The Cuddle Buddies love having a live audience and kids on set to play with. Until the day they decide to un-alive everyone…

“What a macabre sight it was, that poor woman being beaten to death by a bright-blue cartoonish monster.”

This was so, so chaotic and crazy. Loved it!!

[KillerBunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars ⭐.
Very good, pretty brutal.
It's the first time I see a head being compared to a masticated cantaloupe, and it's pretty great.

It's a slasher, without a doubt. Don't expect a life changing story but still. Sometimes you just want to turn your brain off and enjoy the violence.

[Paige Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was absolutely unhinged lol. I had a blast with this one. The entire time I couldn’t help but think Teletubbies meets Five Night’s at Freddy’s. But way more brutal and gore ridden. It’s literally the best way to describe this terrifying tale.

There were quite a few scenes that made me chuckle and idk what that says about me as a person😂🫣

Maggie’s son, Parker, is obsessed with the tv show called “Cuddle Buddies.” When she gets a letter in the mail stating that Parker gets to appear on the next episode alongside his favorite pals, she is beyond elated to deliver the news to him! Once they get there things are fine and dandy but not for long. The Cuddle Buddies go completely rogue at the command of an ex creator/character when he gets inside the building and starts controlling them all to go after the kids and their parents leaving nothing but a path of carnage in their wake.

I encourage every Extreme Horror/Splatterpunk lover to read this one! It’s a must read🙌

[Jon Von · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read a short, splatter novella on Halloween and selected this. Pretty happy with the result! There's an extremely popular children's show called Cuddle Buddies which pretty much made me think of The Oogieloves the entire time, or talking Teletubbies doing bad improv. But these costumes are essentially robo suits where the actor inside is puppeting their lifelike cartoon heads with facial motion control. The show in this universe has been running for seven seasons despite having two sets and no scripts. But when the original creator is fired from his own show (hard to believe that the creators of a CHILDREN's SERIES could be creeps), he uses some kind of hand-wavey computer hacker magic to lockdown the studio and make the character's semi-robotic costumes take over their actor and just start killing their studio audience, a group of small children and their mothers. Killer puppet/clown type thing is an effective and entertaining slasher, the hero is a young mom who sneaks around the studio like a toddler-toting John McClain from Die Hard. Ah, puppet horror.

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this might be somewhat forgettable/mid, but I was really pleasantly surprised! Super fun (?) premise and a gorgeous cover

The gore really did it for me, brutal but also unique due to the killers all being humanoid puppets from a kids tv show lol

I personally read extreme horror for the gore and depravity, though I don't want a book filled with nothing but that. There needs to be a plot, substance, but nothing that slows the pace down too much. This managed to balance the two in a way that made the book feel well rounded and developed. A very solid addition to the EH genre

[Cheryl P. (review hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brutal, grotesque, and unhinged! I loved it!

[Uptown Horror Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting mix of "Five Nights at Freddy's" and "Playground" by Aron Beauregard.

I really wanted to like this more, but it felt like the book version of a cheap, direct to cable movie. The idea behind these realistic, high-tech animatronic suits gone awry was pretty cool, but the subject matter just didn't move me at all. We don't spend nearly enough time with the characters to care about them, so all the violence in this story just became dull and monotonous after a while. I guess if you're just a pure gore-lover you'd find some enjoyment in this though.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

hmmmm idk about this one. 3.5 stars

[Veronica ☠️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Samuels had 1 baby and it's name was Cuddle Buddies! His simple idea blew up into one of the most popular and loved kids franchise. As the years went on, his addiction to drugs grew, making him unreliable. The studio decided to make a movie out of Cuddle Buddies but didn't want Mark involved at all. When Mark was told this, he wasn't going to let them steal his baby he worked so hard on!

Maggie loved her son Parker and he loved the Cuddle Buddies. When she saw an ad for free tickets to a live studio shooting of Cuddle Buddies, she couldn't not try. To her surprise, she won tickets and headed to the studio. This would be a show they wouldn't forget.

Simon got a gig at being the yellow Cuddle Buddy, Chuckles. Not the role he wanted but a jobs a job. Once there he'd soon realize that this wasn't a regular 9-5 and carnage is included.

I loved every minute of this! Phillips didn't hold back! Trigger warning: kids die in this..and in descriptive ways! Once all hell breaks loose, the Cuddle Buddies are kinda hilarious and insane. The revenge that Mark takes upon the studio was fucking great and the ending was very much on the edge of your seat! I highly suggest this! Teletubbies who?!

[Angel Medina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite the grueling, extreme horror read. Imagine your favorite children's television heroes turn into cold-blooded killers. This is what Cuddle Buddies equates to. Harrison Phillips doesn't hold back the gore and violent kills either. Be warned to check your triggers, it can be a tough read at times.

The beginning was a bit slow to be honest, but it does summarize why the creator of the Cuddle Buddies, Mark Samuels, loses his mind. Honestly, I got this book because of the cover. Yes, I'm a sucker for a great cover. The action and killings in the book are just as brutal as depicted in the book. Perhaps, even more brutal!

This is a great book if you're looking for a horror book where you need to turn off your brain and enjoy the chaos.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. At least the cover looked cool.

In all honesty, I was pretty excited to check this out, and the concept was very cool but I just COULDN’T STOP CRINGING AND ROLLING MY EYES!

The author tried so hard to be edgy and cool and throw in profanity every paragraph. My goodness, it just felt like a kid trying to write an extreme horror book, I can’t…

[Greta V · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Ellanet456 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad book just kind of bland and generic,also trying too hard to be disturbing

[︎​𓆩Shawnee𓆪 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five Nights at Freddy’s.. on crack.. and more brutal.

[Ophelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just the kind of gore I wanted, perfect. However, I'm giving this four stars because the people in this book were so stupid, like they made the dumbest decisions. It was honestly really funny lol

[megb · Rating 5 out of 5]

i could go on and on about how much i loved this book. and the cover???? *chefs kiss*

[Ryan Rains · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cuddle Buddies combines Aron Beauregard's Playground with Jon Athan's Do Not Disturb; this book was fantastic! This novel had a fascinating plot and superb pacing, making it a gripping read. I enjoyed the graphic portrayals of brutality and gore. This is a must-read!

[Nicola (deathandthemacabre) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Ah!” said Jimbo, the face of the cuddle buddy apparently moving in perfect synchronisation with the actor’s lips. His voice was strange. The menacing tone of this brutal murderer was distorted by the voice changer built into the mask, making it almost light and airy. But the words he spoke were nothing of the sort."

Cuddle buddies is one of the most successful and well loved kids TV shows of all time, however when the behind the scenes behaviour of the creator, Mark Samuel's threatens this, producers and higher ups decide to cut all ties with him.

Mark isn't going to let this happen and uses his engineering and computer skills to enable the chips in the cuddle buddy costumes to control the human inside, with dire and gruesome results..

I had been looking forward to this for what seemed like forever. As soon as I saw the book cover revealed, I knew I had to read it. I already love Harrison's writing and couldn't wait to see what this had in store for me!

I was hooked straight away. I love the whole concept of the story, the fact that it's no holds barred, and the gore was super extreme and insane. It was thrilling, exciting, and perfectly written, I read the entire thing in one sitting, and I genuinely couldn't put it down.

I loved the characters, the different personalities, the humour of the cuddle buddies, and the deaths are really depraved and horrifying. You can hear every crack and spurt and see every scene as if you're watching the cuddle buddies on TV. This would make such a great movie 👀

You definitely need to check triggers for this one - it's brutal, vile, abhorrent.. and I loved it 😆

[Danielle Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

“They all deserved to die. They deserved to be punished for even daring to be happy.”

Nothing like a book called Cuddle Buddies to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 🥰 — NOT. 🧯🪓🪛🧹🩸

I’m no psychic, but I’m almost positive when Harrison wrote this book, he sat down at his computer and said “f*ck them kids,” then just went hard as a mother f*cker on the keyboard. 😭😂

So hear me out, people dressed in costumes with animatronic heads who entertain kids for a children’s show, go absolutely fking rogue. 😅 The “scary” part is, it actually didn’t seem like that far fetched of a plot of something that could potentially happen. 🫣

This story honestly made me realize how desensitized to certain things I am, because I def LOL at parts I’m not positive were meant to be funny. 🤣 But seriously, I really had a fun time reading this. This story was colorful AF, from the cover to the language and details. Both literally and metaphorically. 🌈 Phillips curated an absolutely unhinged story and executed it flawlessly with so many unique details/kills/scenes etc. 🤌🏼 There hasn’t been anything by him I’ve read that hasn’t been a 10/10, and this one is no different.

I feel like this is a hard review to do without giving away the entire plot, but I will say there’s a microwave scene that’s going to live rent free in my head 🤪 for a really freaking long time. 🫠🙃😝

The book is already out so do yourself a favor, say “f*ck them kids,” and join Chuckles 💛, Jimbo 💙 and Trixie 💚on their unhinged adventures in Cuddle Buddies. Oh and don’t worry, there’s some 👁️🍆 happening at some point too. 😂😭 (and it’s available on KU!)

[WTF did I just Read Reviews]

Whoa, as a mom this book has my palms literally sweating. I stayed up way too late unable to put this down. I even wanted to look away a few times. My blood pressure feels like a ran a marathon.
Why is this not a movie, well I guess I can see why, this amazing horrible, scary as he!! story line would likely give parents heart attacks and scare children to their literal death.

This book was so much fun... Teletubbies meets Disgruntle Employee from Hell.
This book follows Mark, the brain of Cuddle Buddies, a child's show that has taken off better than anyone has thought. Now with a movie in the works the Producers decide that due to his shadiness as of late, they will go on without Mark.
But Mark isn't having it, and comes up with a plan to make the show die off without him, literally.
So this book is gruesome, I mean really gruesome.
Harrison Phillips is at the top of my favorite Authors list, he is a king of Splatter Punk. In his story Cuddle Buddies, he doesn't hold back.
I was nervous during this read, wondering what was going to happen and no way will they kill... but yes way they do not hold back.
This Volatile and Disturbing book is a must read for Harrison Phillips and Splatter Punk fans alike.
Just be warned before you read it that HE WENT THERE and for that I give cuddle Buddies Five Gory Stars!!

[The Yeti Reads and Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cuddle Buddies is the most popular kids show on TV. Bigger than the Teletubbies or The Wiggles, Cuddle Buddies dominates it all. Kids and adults alike cannot get enough of these adorable characters.

Mark Samuels, the creator, is beyond excited to learn that his beloved creations will be on the big screen. An incident outside the show quickly crushes his dream, as the studio no longer wants him involved with the project. Mark won't sit idly by and let that happen. They will pay.

Elsewhere, Maggie, a single mother, receives a letter containing two tickets to take part in a recording of her son's favorite show, Cuddle Buddies.

Heed the trigger warning: Children will die in this book. Because boy howdy do they ever. Harrison Phillips delivers an excellent tale of revenge, survival, and just some good ol' ultraviolence! If you are unfamiliar with his work, prepare yourself for a wild time. An author that should be on everyone's must-read list. Check it out!

4 severed fingers out of 5

[jasmine carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cuddle Buddies is a wild, exhilarating ride that exceeded all my expectations! From the very first page, it grips you with its intense energy, and the gore is everything I needed—unflinching, visceral, and beautifully chaotic. It’s a quick read, but one that doesn’t let up for a second, keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout. This book is a perfect example of splatterpunk at its finest: brutal, unapologetic, and utterly captivating. The pacing is tight, the imagery is disturbing yet vivid, and the dark humor shines through in the most unexpected ways. If you’re a fan of the genre, Cuddle Buddies will not disappoint—it’s a bloody, thrilling ride you won’t want to end!

[A.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this was one of the best way to end 2024. This book was fast-paced, brutal, filled with gore and animatronics. Makes you think if all the technology humans have created should really be used…looking at you AI.

Definitely worth a read and a great author to add in your bookshelves.

[Julien Ouellette · Rating 3 out of 5]

fast-paced slashing action over here! things got bloody really quick, which i'm not complaining about in the slightest. i thought the detail in the descriptions of the murders were very grotesque and nicely written.

a few of the dialogue moments completely caught me off guard- poor julie being compared to an asthmatic walrus while she was just trying to not die had me burst out cackling mid-read! basically a slasher-comedy act, honestly. it's great.

trixie was my favorite of the cuddle buddies, and in my opinion, the most memorable. her dialogue stayed fresh and absolutely deranged throughout, and her kills were especially brutal.

i gave it 3 stars only because the beginning sequence i found to be a little boring. but it didn't last long anyway, so it can be overlooked.

i thought mark samuels was an alright villian. his motives were pretty valid, obviously not expecting him to go to EXTREME measures of revenge as he did....he went off his rocker FAST after the initial conflict. it was intense to read just how quickly the switch in his brain flipped from happy children's show creator to fucking MANIAC!

down to read more or harrison phillip's work. fuck yeah, cuddle buddies!!!

[Nicholas Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a brutal story with a little bit of dark humor sprinkled in.

Harrison Phillips does a great job making me squirm and I will admit, there were times when I was at the edge of my seat, wanting to know what happens next!

This fast-paced read was exactly what I wanted. It was fast, gory, and filled to the brim with action. I did have one thing I wanted to say real quick. There were scenes that were a bit repetitive. They were good scenes, mind you, and it was still a good read, but I thought that be noted. There were a good mix of kills, but I wish some of the kills were a little more creative, but still there were some scenes where I was like, “Wow! Good job!”

The only other nitpick I have is that the characters near the end kept jumping to the conclusion that Mark Samuels was the sole reason the Cuddle Buddies were murdering people despite them having no inkling on how or why. They just spontaneously knew Mark was the cause. But again, this is just me being nitpicky.

Overall, I give this story 4/5 stars. Brilliant splatter flick for the mind!