A theory about the teaser for the new chapter of Poppy Playtime seems to indicate an even more haunting story behind this indie horror title. Challenging even established franchises like Five Nights At Freddy’s in its goriness and creepiness, this short teaser video might point to highly disturbing events that took place in the Playtime Co. factory. And while Poppy Playtime isn’t really that scary in terms of gameplay, these implications make its story one of the most horrifying ones in the genre.
This article contains spoilers for Poppy Playtime Chapters 1 & 2.
In Poppy Playtime, players are urged to explore the factory of Playtime Co. after all its employees mysteriously disappeared. While treading through colorful hallways and escaping the dangers that lurk within the facility, the protagonist discovers that the company made terrible experiments to make living toys that would be sold. Throughout the second chapter, it’s revealed that orphaned children were used in these tests, and they were subjected to all kinds of horrendous tortures for the sake of making profit. In a new teaser video for the third chapter, it’s implied that players are going to explore the Playcare facility, an orphanage inside the factory, and theories are already being developed based on this.
One of them was made by MatPat in The Game Theorists, which broke down the teaser trailer for Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 and uncovered the main aspects of this horrific story. By analyzing what was showcased, he discovered that the Playcare facility was a chamber dedicated to the harm and abuse of children. In it, orphaned children would be poisoned using an extremely lethal poppy flower gas, while the staff would be wearing the colorful gas mask to stay safe and not scare the kids.
Disturbing Lore May Be Uncovered Ahead Of Poppy Playtime Ch. 3’s Release Date
MatPat initially focused on the video’s thumbnail, especially on the red smoke clouds in the background. Considering that red poppy flowers were used in the experiments, the theorist pointed to this possibly being a poppy gas, which exists in real life and can often be lethal. Because of this, MatPat suggested that the Playcare facility existed for the sole purpose of poisoning children with this gas so that they would be turned into toys. And while there are scarier games than Poppy Playtime, the game might dive deep into more horrifying topics, as the factory seems less like somewhere haunted by living toys and more like a torture chamber dedicated to inhumane experiments.
And the gas mask that is central to this teaser may have an even darker origin. While the colorful aesthetic is intrinsic to Poppy Playtime, MatPat proposes that the mask is bright red, yellow, and blue because the staff wanted the children to remain unaware and unafraid of what was occurring. He points to real-life historical events for this, discussing the creation of the Mickey Mouse mask in 1942. It was created to keep children feeling more secure while protected from poisonous gases from World War 2, and it seems to have a similar, but even darker purpose in the world of the game.
Despite this building a story that can traumatize some Poppy Playtime players, this is still just speculation and hasn’t been yet confirmed as part of the canon. While MatPat may have a strong lead, considering how he has dealt with subjects like these in the past, the third chapter of Poppy Playtime might confirm different things and drive away from this extremely disturbing story. And, with the release date of the new chapter rapidly approaching, fans are excited to see how these implications and events might connect and create a larger story.
