Poppy Playtime

''Poppy Playtime'' is an episodic survival horror video game series first developed and published in 2021 by American indie developer Mob Entertainment. The game is set in an abandoned factory owned by the fictional toy company Playtime Co. The player controls a former employee who receives a letter inviting them back to the factory years after the company's staff mysteriously disappeared.

The first chapter was released for Windows on October 12, 2021, and later ported to Android and iOS on March 11, 2022, the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on December 20, 2023, the Nintendo Switch on December 25, and the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on July 12, 2024. The second chapter was released for Windows, iOS and Android 2022, and the PlayStation 4 and 5, the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on September 20, 2024. The third chapter was released on Windows in January 2024, and the PlayStation 4 and 5, the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on September 20, 2024. The fourth chapter was released on Windows on January 30, 2025. All chapters after the first are premium downloadable content.

The initial release of ''Poppy Playtime'' garnered a positive reception from players for its atmosphere, story, and character design, although its second chapter was criticized for numerous bugs. The game faced several controversies, including its aesthetics and character design's similarities to that of children-oriented media, resulting in popularity among young demographics. The announcement of in-game non-fungible token content in December 2021 received harsh criticism, resulting in the developers reversing all profits from the tokens to charity.

Gameplay

''Poppy Playtime'' is a first person survival- horror video game where the player plays as an unnamed retired employee of a toy-making company named Playtime Co., who returns to the company's abandoned toy factory after its staff mysteriously disappeared a decade earlier. There, they discover that the factory is filled with monstrous toys who are alive and malicious towards them, and starts looking for a way to escape the premises.

The game features multiple puzzles throughout, which the employee must solve in order to progress further, with some requiring a gadget named the GrabPack, a backpack that can be equipped with two extendable hands which can be used to pull and reach objects from a far distance, conduct electricity, and access certain doors. In "Chapter 2", it can also be used to swing across gaps and, with a green hand obtained during gameplay, transfer electricity between sources. In "Chapter 3", the employee obtains an improved version of the GrabPack, the GrabPack 2.0, that comes with longer wires, jet boosters to enable falling safely from great heights, and the ability to switch the green hand with a purple hand that allows them to jump long distances and an orange finger gun hand that doubles as a flare gun. They also acquire a gas mask to help them navigate areas exposed to the dangerous "Red Smoke". In addition, players can find various VHS tapes throughout the factory that give a more in-depth explanation of the story.

Plot

Chapter 1: "A Tight Squeeze"

In 2005, 10 years after the shutdown of a toy production company named Playtime Co., a former employee receives a package containing a note and a VHS tape advertising the company's Poppy Playtime doll and tours of their toy factory before abruptly cutting to spliced-in footage of graffiti of a poppy and a letter requesting them to "find the flower". After watching the tape, the employee complies and returns to the toy factory to do so.

Arriving at the now-abandoned factory, the employee acquires a one-handed GrabPack by finding the secret code to access the lobby. There, they encounter Huggy Wuggy, a seemingly giant statue toy on display in the room's center. While trying to unlock another door, the power goes out. Though the employee restores it, they find that the Huggy statue has disappeared. Upon obtaining a second hand for their GrabPack by finding the power cubes for a giant grabber claw, they use a conveyor belt to reach the factory's "Make-a-Friend" section, where they manufacture a toy to progress further.

Suddenly, Huggy Wuggy appears and chases them into the vents before they pull a giant crate onto him, sending him seemingly falling to his death at the bottom of the factory. Soon enough, the employee finds the graffiti flower, which leads to a room containing a Poppy Playtime doll inside a glass case. Upon unlocking the case, Poppy acknowledges them before the employee passes out.

Chapter 2: "Fly in a Web"

Upon awakening, the employee finds Poppy gone and explores the factory's rear halls before eventually locating Playtime founder Elliot Ludwig's office. There, they re-encounter Poppy, who thanks them for freeing her and offers to help them escape by providing the activation code for the factory's train. However, she is grabbed and pulled deeper into the factory.

As the employee approaches the Game Station and the train, they encounter a giant spider-like monster called Mommy Long Legs, who steals a hand from their GrabPack, reveals she is holding Poppy hostage, and challenges the employee to win three games in the Game Station in exchange for the train's code, threatening to kill them if they break the rules. After locating and crafting a new hand for their GrabPack, the employee proceeds through the Game Station.

They successfully complete the first two games, obtain two-thirds of the train code, and briefly encounter a friendly female counterpart of Huggy called Kissy Missy before they are forced to escape into subterranean tunnels during the third game, upon realizing that Mommy intentionally rigged it to ensure their demise. An enraged Mommy accuses them of cheating and pursues them back into the factory until she traps her arm in an industrial grinder, which the employee activates, killing her. A needle-fingered hand, later revealed to belong to an experiment called the "Prototype", subsequently collects her body.

The employee rescues Poppy, obtains the third part of the train code, and nearly escapes. However, Poppy diverts the train, refusing to let them leave as she requires their help. Before she can explain further, the train runs out of control and derails near a sign pointing to "Playcare", knocking the employee unconscious.

Chapter 3: "Deep Sleep"

Following the train derailment, the employee reawakens as a giant cat-like monster called CatNap throws them into a trash compactor. However, they escape and head to Playtime's on-site orphanage, Playcare. Along the way, they find a toy phone and receive advice from a voice referring to himself as "Ollie", who warns them that CatNap, Playcare's guardian and a recalled member of Playtime's "Smiling Critters" line, will try to kill them. On Ollie's instructions, the employee attempts to reroute power from Playcare's many facilities to power the Gas Production Zone and divert a hallucinogenic gas called the "Red Smoke", which CatNap can produce.

All throughout, they obtain the GrabPack 2.0, re-encounter Kissy, and reunite with Poppy, who explains she needs their help to kill the Prototype and end its control over the factory. After killing a hostile teacher named Miss Delight, the employee eventually encounters the last Smiling Critter, DogDay, who warns them that CatNap worships the Prototype like a god and mutilated him for defying it before he is killed and possessed by several Mini Smiling Critters, who mount a failed attempt at killing the employee. Following an attack by CatNap, the employee experiences a hallucination wherein Poppy asks about their knowledge of Playtime experimenting on children and turning them into the monsters they have encountered. The employee eventually defeats CatNap by electrocuting him with their overcharged green hand, leading to him combusting into flames when the green hand reacted to his gas before the Prototype kills him and takes his body.

After successfully redirecting the Red Smoke, Poppy reveals to the employee footage of the "Hour of Joy", wherein the Prototype ordered Playtime's monsters to kill the employees indiscriminately ten years prior. Reiterating their mission to kill the Prototype, Poppy leads the employee onto a lift to make their descent towards the Prototype's lair, intending to send it back up for Kissy. On the way down however, Poppy hears something attack Kissy and frantically attempts to send the lift back up, but the hatch closes on her and the employee.

Chapter 4: "Safe Haven"

Seeing no other choice, Poppy drops off the employee at the bottom of the lift while she goes back up for Kissy. Finding themselves at an underground prison, they make their way inside. However, a computer program called the Doctor learns of their presence and opts to test them. Nonetheless, the employee proceeds further and obtains a flashlight hand. Ollie tries to contact them, but encounters significant interference. The Doctor releases Yarnaby, a leonine monster loyal to him, to hunt the employee, but they receive help in escaping from a clay-like monster and ally of Poppy called Doey the Doughman, who guides them to the "Safe Haven", a repurposed security room sheltering remaining non-violent toys.

Along the way, they reunite with Poppy and an injured Kissy and narrowly elude the Prototype. Once they are safe, Poppy reveals the orphans are still alive and sleeping in the Prototype's lair. Hoping to kill him and save them simultaneously, Poppy intends to detonate the Red Smoke the employee redirected into the factory's foundation with old mining charges. To facilitate this, the employee works with Doey to stop the Doctor, who Doey reveals used to be Dr. Harley Sawyer, a Playtime Co. scientist aligned with the Prototype who created the company's monsters before his superiors forcibly uploaded his mind into the factory's computer systems. Doey tasks the employee with retrieving the Doctor's "Omni-Hand", which allows him to control everything in the factory and prison except for the Safe Haven. Before they leave, Doey privately confides to them his fear that Poppy will sacrifice their friends to achieve her revenge.

While pursuing the employee, Yarnaby is snagged by a chain and falls into a pit of molten slag, killing him. As the employee works to weaken the Doctor, he questions their motives for coming back to Playtime Co. and claims Poppy is no better than the Prototype before eventually trapping them in the computer core. The employee escapes, acquires the Omni-Hand, and overloads the Doctor's systems, killing him in the process. They make their way back to the Safe Haven, but Ollie warns them the Prototype is secretly following them.

Poppy tasks Doey with distracting him and the employee with fixing a generator necessary for their plans and planting the explosives in the foundation while she protects the Safe Haven's inhabitants. The employee completes their tasks, but the Prototype steals the explosives and detonates them in the Safe Haven. Angered by this and believing the employee is at fault, Doey takes on a monstrous form and attacks them. They flee to an underground construction site, where they use liquid nitrogen canisters, industrial saws, and a tunnel boring machine to kill Doey, who apologizes for his actions before dying.

While searching for survivors, they reconvene with Poppy and Kissy. Poppy confronts the employee for killing Doey before the Prototype contacts the group, revealing Ollie has been dead for years and he impersonated him to gain Poppy's trust. Fearing the Prototype will put her back in her case, Poppy flees, abandoning Kissy and the employee. As a hole opens in the ground, Kissy tries to save the employee, but fails to and loses an arm. The employee falls and gets trapped inside an underground lab. Huggy, who survived his fall, returns and tries to break in before the Red Smoke fills the room.

Characters

* The Employee: An unnamed former employee of Playtime Co. who returns to the abandoned toy factory after the company's staff mysteriously disappeared a decade ago.
* Elliot Ludwig (voiced by Tom Schalk): The joyful and late founder of Playtime Co. His only desire was to make children happy with his toys. It is unknown if he really had good intentions and was involved in the "Bigger Bodies" Initiative.
* Leith Pierre (voiced by Robin Nelson): The heartless, arrogant and unscrupulous successor of Elliot Ludwig that took his role after his death. He had an active role in the "Bigger Bodies" Initiative and treated the experiments like horrific beings.
* Stella Greyber (voiced by Nola Klop): The friendly and eccentric Head of Playcare and one of Playtime Co. executives. She had an active role in the "Bigger Bodies" initiative and was in charge of choosing the orphans to experiment on, based on their abilities tested in the Game Station.
* Eddie M. N. Ritterman (voiced by Christopher Tester): The recluse and ruthless Head of Research and one of Playtime Co. executives. He had an active role in the "Bigger Bodies" initiative and had the task of keeping the illegal experimentation on the orphans a secret from the factory workers.
* The Warden (voiced by Romulo Bernal): The Prison's warden, the Head of Security of Playtime Co. and one of the company executives. During the "Hour of Joy", he made a deal with The Doctor, so he gave him his Omni-Hand to let him open a path to escape the factory. He is now presumably dead.
* Poppy Playtime (voiced by Nola Klop): A sentient doll based on the first toy created by Playtime Co. who seeks to uncover the truth behind the company and defeat the Prototype.
* Experiment 1170 / Huggy Wuggy: A sloth-like monster based on Playtime Co.'s most successful and memorable toy.
* Experiment 1222 / Mommy Long Legs (voiced by Elsie Lovelock): A spider-like monster with elastic limbs and an elastic neck that Playtime Co. created from an orphan named Marie Payne.
* Experiment 1172 / Kissy Missy: A friendlier female counterpart to Huggy Wuggy who assists Poppy and the employee in their efforts to stop the Prototype.
* Experiment 1006 / The Prototype (voiced by Michael Kovach): A rogue experiment created by Playtime Co. scientists capable of mimicking others' voices. A decade prior, he took control of the company's monsters and enacted a massacre of their employees in an event that would later be dubbed the "Hour of Joy". Throughout Chapters 3 and 4, he mimics the voice of a boy named Ollie (voiced by Jonna-Lynn Alonso) to manipulate Poppy and the Employee.
* Experiment 1188 / CatNap: A cat-like monster based on a recalled member of Playtime Co.'s "Smiling Critters" line of scented plush animal dolls who can produce a hallucinogenic gas called the "Red Smoke". Originally an orphan named Theodore Grambell, he was electrocuted while attempting to escape Playtime Co.'s onsite orphanage, Playcare, but was saved by the Prototype. Ever since, CatNap began to worship him like a god.
* Miss Delight (voiced by Avalon Delaney): A humanoid teacher trapped in Playcare's on-site school and the last of a series of Miss Delights, who she cannibalized in order to survive.
* DogDay (voiced by Baldwin Williams Jr.): A dog-like monster based on a member of Playtime Co.'s "Smiling Critters" line of scented plush animal dolls who CatNap mutilated for defying the Prototype.
* Experiment 1160 / Boxy Boo: A jack-in-the-box-like monster and the first successful monster that Playtime Co. created who first appears in the spin-off ''Project: Playtime''.
* Experiment 1166 / Yarnaby: A lion-like monster loyal to the Doctor created from an orphan named Quinn Navidson.
* Dr. Harley Sawyer / The Doctor (voiced by Baldwin Williams Jr.): A Playtime Co. scientist who conceived the "Bigger Bodies" initiative, oversaw the creation of the company's monsters, and first appears in ''Project: Playtime''. Following the "Theater Incident", his superiors uploaded his mind into Playtime Co.'s computer systems as Experiment 1354.
* Experiment 1322 / Doey the Doughman (voiced by Michael Kovach): An amorphous yet mentally unstable clay-like creature who was first created from a boy named Jack Ayers, who fell into a vat of clay in an accident during his visit to the Playtime factory, then two orphans, the compassionate Matthew Hallard and the impulsive Kevin Barnes.
* Experiment 1163 / Pianosaurus: A green dinosaur toy with piano keys as teeth who was deemed as a failed experiment for being aggressive towards anything.

Development and release

Originally starting out as a Kickstarter campaign, the idea of ''Poppy Playtime'' was originally thought of by game director Isaac Christopherson, stating that people called most indie horror games " walking simulators", giving Mob Entertainment the idea to "create something with gameplay that doesn't feel quite so run-of-the-mill, while still staying exciting, terrifying, and unique". A trailer for the game's first chapter was uploaded in September 2021.

In an interview with ''The New York Times'', Zach Belanger stated that his idea behind Huggy Wuggy was to "create something entirely new", and that his technique of making him terrifying was by making him larger than everything on screen.

The first chapter was released for Windows on October 12, and later for Android and iOS on March 11, 2022. After the first chapter's release, official merchandise of the game began being released, including T-shirts, posters and plush toys, as well as official collectibles produced by Youtooz. The first chapter would later be released for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on December 20, 2023, and for the Nintendo Switch on December 25. It was released onto Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X on July 12, 2024.

All chapters after the first will be released as premium downloadable content. A trailer for Chapter 2, named ''Fly in a Web'', was released on February 22, 2022, with several teasers later being posted to Twitter, including a teaser trailer on April 9. In preparation of the second chapter's release, the first chapter was made free. The second chapter was then released on May 5, for Microsoft Windows and then on August 15, for iOS and Android and is estimated to be three times as long as the first chapter. Two teaser trailers for Chapter 3 were released on July 26, 2022, and August 6, 2022, respectively, with a slated release date of winter 2023. However, due to several developers being laid off due to "creative differences", the chapter was delayed "several additional weeks into 2024". Chapter 3 released on January 30, 2024 on Steam. Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 were released to the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and the Xbox Series X/S on September 20, 2024. Mob Entertainment announced Chapter 4 on their YouTube channel with a slated release date of January 30, 2025.

Reception

Critical response

''Poppy Playtime'' was well-received from players upon its initial release, receiving praise for its atmosphere, story, and character design; some considered that the game's short length contributed to its popularity. The game has been compared to the '' Five Nights at Freddy's'' franchise, with '' Screen Rant'' Austin Geiger calling ''Poppy Playtime'' "more engaging" than that series' installment '' Security Breach''. The second chapter received a mixed reception, receiving praise for its voice acting and ending, but also being criticized for its number of bugs and performance issues. Mob Entertainment responded with an apology and began rolling out patches for the aforementioned issues.

''Poppy Playtime'' also quickly gained exposure on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch, with videos on the former reaching millions of views, as well as games based on ''Poppy Playtime'' appearing on '' Roblox''. The game is considered part of the so-called "mascot horror" subgenre, which rose in popularity during 2014 with the initial release of ''Five Nights at Freddy's''.

''Poppy Playtime'' was nominated for the "Most Stream-friendly Game" award at the 2022 in Japan.

Controversies

In December 2021, on Twitter, the developers announced non-fungible tokens of the in-game posters, which was quickly met with backlash and negative reviews from the community, as well as some users requesting refunds, arguing that the developers put lore of the game behind a paywall. In response, the developers deleted the announcement but were unable to remove the NFTs as well due to a contract they had signed, stating that they have to wait for it to expire. On May 3, 2022, Mob Entertainment's CEO Zach Belanger posted a statement on Twitter where he confirms that all profits earned from the NFTs would be going to the Clean Air Task Force organization.

Around ''Poppy Playtime'' release, developer Ekrcoaster claimed that Mob Entertainment plagiarized his game ''Venge''. In the aforementioned statement, Belanger denied the allegations, stating that there was no intent to plagiarize.

Dorset Police in England and the Lafayette County, Wisconsin Sheriff's Department both released a statement to parents regarding the character Huggy Wuggy on March 22, 2022, and April 7, respectively, claiming that due to the character's name, various videos were not being blocked by "firewalls" and filtered by parental filters on various platforms, including TikTok and YouTube Kids. The former also claimed that various schools in the United Kingdom reported children recreating a game where one child hugs another and then whispers sinister things into the recipient's ear. It was also reported that a child had attempted to jump out of a window to mimic the character, and that Luxemburg-Casco School District had received complaints from students claiming they could not sleep due to the character. Similarly, a primary school in Adelaide also warned parents about the game, specifically adaptations of it and violent songs featuring the character. Fact-checking website Snopes confirmed that while there had been reports from parents within the United Kingdom, the police had incorrectly claimed that the character sang songs, despite said songs being fan-made and not appearing in-game (the most notable of which was the viral music video "Free Hugs" by Igor "TryHardNinja" Gordienko). Snopes had also said that inappropriate videos involving the character were not available for younger users on TikTok and YouTube Kids, with spokespersons for each platform confirming so. Belanger also commented on the situation, calling the warnings "completely untrue and/or grossly exaggerated".

In September 2022, '' El Observador'' reported that seven children at a school in Uruguay played a game based on ''Poppy Playtime'' that instructed them to commit self-harm using pencil sharpeners, with two being hospitalized as a result. The president of the Institute of Children and Adolescents of Uruguay, Pablo Abdala, states that the incident "confirms that technological development entails a very severe risk".

Other games

''Project: Playtime''

On October 31, 2022, ''Project: Playtime'', a free-to-play co-op horror prequel spin-off, was announced and later released as early access on Steam on December 12, 2022, missing its original set date of December 6, due to "server backend issues". Six players are assigned as Survivors while another player is given the role of the Monster, which can either be Huggy Wuggy, Mommy Long Legs, or a new jack-in-the-box-themed character named Boxy Boo. Players are tasked with retrieving toy parts in order to assemble a large toy, while the Monster is tasked with finding the Players and killing them.

''Poppy Playtime: Forever''

''Poppy Playtime: Forever'' is a game developed by Mob Entertainment and Jazwares and was released on February 29, 2024, on the '' Roblox'' platform. The game allows up to 10 players per server. Players can build their own maps and stories in-game.

''Dark Deception: Monsters & Mortals''

The multiplayer horror game ''Dark Deception: Monsters & Mortals'' released the DLC "Poppy Playtime Panic", which offers a stage based on the Playtime Co. toy factory.

Film adaptation

In April 2022, Mob Entertainment partnered with Studio71 to produce a film adaptation of the video game. They reportedly sought to bring Roy Lee into the project. The live-action feature will be co-produced and developed by Legendary Entertainment and Angry Films' Don Murphy and Susan Montford, as announced in May 2024.

Merchandise

In November 2022, the sale of the Huggy Wuggy plush toys was banned by the Turkish Ministry of Trade, stating that the toys "do not meet the requirements of the Toy Safety Regulation". Ministry of Family and Social Services also said it determined that the toy "had a negative effect on the psychosocial development of children".

In early 2023, Huggy Wuggy plush toys – both licensed and unlicensed – were highly in demand with toy sellers worldwide. The toys' popularity was fueled by demand from children who encountered the character on YouTube.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Official website
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