Don't Hug Me I'm Scared began as a British web series created by Becky Sloan and Joseph Pelling, with the first episode released online in 2011. Tony the Clock appeared as the teacher in the second episode, Time, teaching the puppets about the past, future, and ageing through song. The series mixed children's television styling with sudden horror, helping Tony's lesson spread as a reaction clip and remix sound. A television series followed on Channel 4 in 2022, introducing the unsettling clock to a wider audience.