He was so done with the microphone's shit, that mere moments after complaining he has no eyelids, he grows them just to look pissed.

Fun fact, the green part of the brain is the hippocampus which is an essential part of being creative

Rewatching this after the TV show came out. I love these puppets, man. I love people thinking hard about these puppets. I love how much effort was put into specifically this video. It all just makes me happy.

Something I also liked about episode 1 was how the notebook says “now let’s all agree to never be creative again” it seems like a joke about how everything went wrong, but really it was the notebook manipulating the cast of the show into being scared of creativity.

You just straight up grew eyelids to look pissed. Mad respect.

Three years later and this is still the most valid take on DHMIS.

The very last scene of the show, when they're sitting in the kitchen again, is them reclaiming the show for themselves. The set is fairly sparse, reflecting a lower budget after leaving Roy and the main studio. Everyone is now their favorite color. They're free

This got way deeper than expected, Nick going insane genuinely got me in the mood to hear more, and really made his point even more clear.

WAIT! The whole series is just one day! DHMIS 1: They're sitting at the table having breakfast. DHMIS 2: Mid-morning. DHMIS 3: Picnic for lunch. DHMIS 4: Afternoon. DHMIS 5: The puppets are having dinner DHMIS 6: Yellow guy getting ready for bed. End of DHMIS 6: The morning of the next day, why the calendar changes dates. They are in the same location as the first day. ....Just a theory...

When a "religion" tells you to cut off connection with everyone you once knew, it means it's a cult.

31:46 even as a religious person, especially in the Christian faith, I like how don’t hug me im scared portrays the pushing that extremely religious individuals release on to others, as with any person who believes in something incredibly extensively would. It shows how people use what they believe in as a crutch in arguments or strife when in such situations there needs to be a middle ground.

Therapist: Night Mind fursona doesn’t exist, he can’t hurt you. **Night Mind Fursona Exists**

*puppet cat with a heavenly voice gets tortured whilst he explains some creepy video web series*

I think the 3 characters represent the 3 general age groups that these shows target. Yellow Guy represents toddlers/very young children, the Bird represents slightly older child, and Red Guy represents children who are old enough to think for themselves and form their own opinions. I also think the relationship between Yellow Guy and Roy represents how child actors are often abused by the industry due to basically being sold out by their parents.

Fun fact: The number of times Nick got interrupted by the mircophone is the same number of episodes that dhmis season 1 has which is 6.

Notice how in episode 1, notepad tells them to listen to their heart, listen to the rain, and listen to the voices in their head. Then during the "crazy" part you can see red guy playing with a heart, it's raining outside, and you can hear voices in the background.

years later and i still wish the globe taught the computer's lesson instead :(

I think a very (obvious but strangely overlooked) important message was missed about the title. Abused children don't want to be hugged while scared. The title is giving away the premise right from the start. Whether it is in reference of yellow guy being abused by his father, of him being abused by the animate objects, or the broader message of people's intellectual properties being abused by the creators or buyers for the sake of profit is up to interpretation. Personally I think it's all.

I love how you can actually hear his visible anger from the microphone and how he’s actually going crazy from it

the use of puppetry in your own clips to put a bigger focus on the points of the show is *astounding* and incredibly creative. Bravo, Nick.

Something I realize: When the Mic gets the NM puppet, his lower eyes are Yellow instead of Green, because he is a teacher, and, for the teachers, Green is not a creative color, and puppets are supposed to be creative, but, when NM kills the Mic, the puppet lower eyes become Green, because at that point, Green has become a creative color And yes, I don't have a life, thank you for asking

the "abusive, manipulating authority figure" thing hits kinda close to home for me. watching this helps.

35:43 I do like how Night Mind made the microphone basically give a strawman. I think it was pretty clever, as Strawmanning is a very common and very underhanded way to both argue and manipulate. And whenever the microphone called Night Mind cat puppet “a dumb cat who likes to shout”, he contradicts himself as he said earlier that the cat sounded monotone. Just like the teachers in DHMIS. All I’m saying is, ya did a good job Night Mind! Keep it up!

I always laugh when duck stares at camera after "and we did finish all the chicken." Because I took it to be him emphasizing that he is bird and just committed cannibalism.

Nick: "I kinda miss having eyelids" Microphone: *starts singing* Nick: *grows eyelids back just to put on an annoyed and done expression*

Night Mind's little "oh sh*t I'm not being hypocritical right?" moment broke my heart just a little, ngl. Also opened my eyes a little at how much of a blindly accepting passive consumer I am whenever I watch content like this. O.O

I _could_ rewatch the entire original series as a refresher for the new episodes... _or_ I could listen to you spend 5x longer recapping the episodes than it would take to just watch them. Totally worth it 😤

I respect the people who are confessing that were did not have a good childhood, not everybody can grow up in a good household and I hope the best for you guys.

"Torture and Manipulation disguised as Teaching" Sounds a lot like School

Curiosity didn't kill the cat, it made him brilliant. because the cat questioned things and pawed at it, learning why things did stuff and why it works

The computer episodes ending is even scarier with all the AI stuff in entertainment recently

Was anyone else just really mad at the mic almost the entire time? That son of a crumbly biscuit was a *pain-* but also helped beautifully illustrate what the "show" would be actually doing to the impressionable minds of children, which was also shown by means of Yellow Guy. Wonderfully well thought out and well done, this video- AND CAN WE JUST APPRECIATE THE INSANE AMOUNT OF EFFORT THAT WAS PUT INTO THIS, OH MY GOODNESS- Love the cat, that cat is awesome. Hugs and love, friends :D

"a young boy in yellow" *when you realize that he's actually 38 years old*

54:25 Something that I find interesting. Earlier you mentioned that the notepad kept chastising the child saying that "Green is not a creative color." And at the very end, it is revealed that the child was green all along. They _were_ creative, the whole time, all along. I would like to think that that's completely intentional. That the notepad, being angered the child's natural creativity, decided to get rid of that creativity by cutting the child off from the source. Themselves.

This is so perfect. Even just the name "Don't hug me I'm scared" immediately struck me. It hits so close to home even though this isn't really that much about literal children, but rather media and everything they are fed with. It's an old video, but I'm glad I found it

I love how the creators of the amazing world of gumball collaborated with the creators of don’t hug I’m scared and included it in an episode, lol.

I believe that the creativity episode is representing how school kills children's creativity by punishing them for being outside the box.

No joke, that microphone's song at the start sounded like something you *would* see from DHMIS

Nick really did have a whole puppet made for an hour of content. I appreciate this level of detail and dedication immensely.

Anyone notice how as the microphone got more and more aggressive, the studio kept deteriorating in condition? First with the wallpaper being ripped off at around 35:36, around the time the mic started to become very judgmental, then the clock leaking oil around 45:14, followed by the calendar as the mic become more aggressive and pressures Night Mind into going a lot faster and tells them that their ideas aren’t original, and that they should give up and quit, along with making a puppet and mocking them. This is around the point where the microphone is becoming very aggressive. Then at 46:00 the room is covered in words such as “Give Up”, “Quit”, “Liar”, “Wrong”, “Fake”, “Corrupt”, and “Fail”. The ink blots are at their worst at this point and the microphone has reached it’s most aggressive point. (I realized I made a mistake on when Night Mind goes a lot faster. It appears after the words are on the wall. I am not going to go back and change it. That would be excessive) Then at 49:24 we cut back to the studio. The mic asks if they feel better, and Night Mind stands up to the thing that has been stifling them the entire time. The mic then tells them to turn off the camera, saying that there is nothing left to say, and that what Night Mind is saying was made for him by others. The mic then says a line of which thats delivery is exquisite. “Let’s get creative.” The mic then starts to go above the desk, demanding Night Mind to sing while Night Mind is telling him to leave. The mic tells them that it’s easier to quit, and that they KNOW it’s easier to quit. Night Mind then tells the mic that he is a hijacker, among other things. This is true. The mic is angry at this point, but not aggressive. We cut to Night Mind’s studio at 54:28, and what I presume to be the pieces of the mic on the table. The studio is restored, as the corrupt teacher is gone. My interpretation of the studio is that over the course of time, as a child is told by adults around them that this has to be done that way, and by not doing that they’re doing something wrong, the child’s mind becomes more and more full of lies they tell themselves. Lies like “Giving up is easier.” And “If I don’t do this in this way, I’m a failure.” By questioning the things they’ve been taught, they can reveal the fact that they have been lying about themselves being worthless and wrong. By saying “I don’t want this anymore.” Instead of going along blindly with what the adults say is right. And yes, I have been writing this for about two hours.

Okay, so I am loving the Nick-cat. Who's with me?

Yellow: Im friends with my dad Roy: *_i hate you, son_*

When he said, "Ughh. Anyway, yes, intruders are terrible..." at 11:24 I swear that I could hear a sponsor for NordVPN scream with joy in the distance.

32:16 I honestly think the quote "And its pure, and its good, and its protected with a ring" from DHMIS 3 is so clever when explaining this concept that religion and cults and be blatantly phobic of things, and deny they exist. There's so many simbolisms that are amazing.

Mad props to you for making puppets just to fit with the show's theme

The name "don't hug me I'm scared" probably implies that they were teached to not be scared, no matter how bad it is. Fear is a good thing because that is the thing that tells us something is wrong, they were taught the opposite. Just my theory though

I can imagine the cat puppet you made to fit the shows theme just reciting the video's conclusion in the most sarcastic and monotone way ever while the puppet microphone gradually shakes more and more violently

Accidentally watching this and the whole series on June 19th is a bit trippy...

Goddamn I know I’m very late but the way his set devolved around him is a very creative and fascinating addition to the video it adds more depth to the whole thing and I hope Night Mind is very proud of that. The interruptions add a way to kind of see into the creators mind, a way of seeing (even if it’s exaggerated) insecurities or negative comments and how they can affect someone over time. The aggressive ways he tells the mic to shut up and the entire way he goes through the explanations showing how he feels about the mics interruptions is just fascinating to me.

I cant explain why I was genuinely sad when Nick was going insane.

I know people relate how the teachers go with abusive parents, but they also really make me think of how school will treat you when you're neurodivergent

I think something that Nick missed was the notion that Red Guy was the actual creator of the series, or at least had ideas that were different from the norm, different from everyone else, but wasn't sure how to present those ideas to others. When he tries to perform his song about creativity at the night club, Roy is there. The implication is that Roy offered Red Guy the opportunity to get the show made. The stuff with Red Guy waking up in an office was a flashback.

I cosplayed the Red Guy. This month. Just felt like sharing. Met another Red Guy too.

Spongebob Creator: "They'll make a baby version of Spongebob over my dead body." Spongebob Creator: *dies* Nickelodeon: "Coming Soon: Spongebob Babies."

Someone finally mentioned the "he's made for her and she's made for him" bit. It always was so off to me

Mircophone: You're covering this too late!! Me, watching this in 2022: Allow me to introduce myself... Despite how long I've been watching Nigtmind for whatever reason I've never seen this video which is too bad because it's such an interesting show to not only watch but to dissect and think about. Plus I adore puppet Nightmind and hope to see him return if Season 2 is ever covered.

it's always the smallest youtubers that make the best content.

i think what the microphone is saying are common negative criticisms of Nick's videos

At 29:13 they talk about how the duck stares at the camera for a couple seconds because they cant be creative and doesnt know what to do next, while i always thought it was because the duck was forced to eat chicken and it was basically cannibalism. I also thought this because earlier in the song, the duck says "theres lots of chicken left, and I'd like to eat the chicken" and their eyes widen drastically before the camera cuts to red guy

six years later and I'm still blown away by this

Nick Nocturne: "I miss having eyelids." Also Nick Nocturne: 2:29

This actually made me cry. Not in a bad way. My mother was mentally and emotionally abusive for my entire childhood, and being told I can be creative and that I shouldn't be told what to think really hit home. I'll try to take on the lessons from this video, and I'll try to trust myself more.

This is one of the only good dhmis explained vids. It actually goes in depth about the messages and symbolism instead of trying to tie together some shit narrative than doesn’t make sense

I'd love to see you cover the new television series, as it covers a lot of new ground but still fits into the whole "parent has complete control over their child's life without any consideration for their wellbeing."

2:28 Nightmind Cat contemplates if minimum 25 years in prison is worth murdering his microphone.

Jeez, a full hour? I'll just skim through it or something. *watches all of it* Well done

Also, Each thing the notepad mentioned is essential to the message of the episode "Listen to the Heart, Listen to The Rain, Listen to the voices inside your brain". here we see the human heart covered in glitter as a metaphor for the shows disturbing secrets being hidden in by the claims of creativity, the clouds turning into rain could mean the corruption of the show's meaning as earlier the crew were interpreting images in clouds and finally the voices inside your brain Where the brain that uses a green patch in it which reveals that the reason why she labels green as not a creative color is to mess with Yellow guy

It’s better to release a good project late, than release an incomplete project early. Because the good project will only be late once, and an incomplete project will be bad forever. Great work on this video, yours is the only one I’ve watched about “don’t hug me I’m scared”. So in my eyes you have no competition !

another little thing to be added is that the show goes in chronological order of the day in question, june 19th. The three characters wake up and eat breakfast in episode one, watch television and wash up in episode two, eat a picnic lunch in episode three, play a game and relax in episode four, eat dinner in episode five, and finally go to bed in episode six. The entire show takes the place only in one day.

Whenever he says its bath time, *Its bath time*

i was trying so hard to look for "explained" videos of the original series to recap myself before watching the new series, but I kept getting theory videos for the new series. This was one of my favorite videos and I'm glad I finally found it again!

the puppet budget is insane on this love it

Doctor: You have one more hour to live Death: ok it's time to go Me: hold on there's 44 more seconds

Here's a list of all the appearences of the NM Puppet: 0:00 The Beginning 2:03 the mic starts singing 10:53 NM gets rid of the mic 20:12 NM appears in the tv 29:41 NM puts mic in a box 35:38 mic reappears 44:55 mic messes with NMs mind 47:30 mic angeres NM and he becomes angrier 48:19 mic speaks again and NM is realy angry 49:23 mic is being bad again 54:28 NM cut up something(the mic?) 58:18 goodbye

Quite honestly, one of my favorite NM breakdowns.

This guy needs to make a follow-up for the 2022 series

alt. title: cat puppet goes bonkers trying to explain the lore of dhmis while a talking microphone won't shut up

And this is why Night Mind is a hidden gem on youtube, clearly high quality and you can definitely see he cares about what he makes for him and his viewers, so much effort was put into this, just astonishing, much love Night Mind xx ps: you really do deserve more subscribers, so much more, you will get there and we will be with you every step of the way xx

Why Don't Hug Me I'm Scared is not getting any special awards for this mysterious, horrific creativity of a show yet?! Holy. Friggin'. Crap! So, the message is to let your imagination run free, don't let anybody say something else otherwise or abuse you because of it. Take a chance. Take a risk. Spread your wings. and never stop flying for your goals that requires your special abilities to be who you really want to be on the inside. I guess you do explain the series better than MatPat from his Theory channels, then. You've just got yourself a new subscriber and I loved this video so much. Congratulations!!

Becky's response was absolutely brilliant.

Night: I think i can go without blinking for a little while. Me: A little while... You mean an HOUR.

As I listened to this explanation, I grew a theory. What if the three main characters are used to represent the how the levels of maturity react to this kind of stuff. Yellow guy represents naivety (like a young child), he doesn't know much better, so for most of the series, he just sits and takes it since he can't do much else. He is at the will of his manipulators, until later in the series where he grows and tries to fight off what they're teaching him, and even then he can't do much *to* fight them. Red guy represents maturity (like an adult, or in this case, maybe a teen), he knows that all of this is bullshit and he takes the most of it before he nopes the fuck out and comes back to try and save the impressionable minds. When trying to make his own creativity fails, he shuts down the show. Duck represents somewhere in the middle (adolescence), he knows most things, but is still impressionable, so even though he still takes this "knowledge" like Yellow guy, he still knows that some of the stuff they say doesn't make sense. This comment was probably really confusing and hard to follow, so tl;dr: Yellow symbolizes a child's mind, Red guy symbolizes a mature mind, and Duck symbolizes the in-between.

I always loved the details between episodes, like in a later episode, you can see the clown painting, covered in oil, hung up on a wall.

at 47:45 when you suddenly break pacing and everything feels so urgent and overwhelming- at least to me, haha- that really stuck. I feel like I think about that scene a lot, and how afterwards, you stop. Take a breath. And keep going, defending your thoughts and resuming your own pace. It always kind of gave me an odd sort of reassurance. Magnificent writing, and phenomenal voice acting.

Green also is the colour for nature. Outside is where they are not. Being outside and away from the shows isnt creative for them *SYMBOLISM*

Imagine being a parent and letting your kid watch it a think it is fine, but then glance over to see what it was, that must be scary.

Guys, the show is back!

I'm finding your videos years later and after watching many different analysis, this showed me new details to notice. You mentioned quite a few things others didn't mention and love your interpretation of what it all means. Thanks for sharing! If I'm lucky, you'll review the 6 episodes released last year.

"I'm not a hypocrite, I'm important!" oh big same

I feel that the microphone is a representation of many of the thoughts that mindnight had felt during the project. Obviously not the singing part. But the giving up and being late And tbh. This was the first one i saw. I dont care if your even up to years late. I enjoy your form of content over many others. Have a good day QwQ

45:38 I like how the background has progressively been getting more and more destroyed as the microphone teacher consistently tries to overtake the video.

I'm a **little** late to this vid, but had a major "fight or flight" reaction to your singing microphone. Shows the number Don't Hug Me actually did to me ^^; (Subbed after binge-ing your Marble Hornets deep-dive series-)

Wakey wakey... Check the trending tab. This is getting a second season.

The theory is dope! I always saw it as the story is told from Red Guys perspective, and that he was actually a child actor and the yellow and duck guy were actors too and they suffered through trauma (cuz thats what happens to child actors in hollywood). The red guy leaving the set is kinda a symbol of him trying to change and leaving his life as an actor for good and working a boring office job. His trauma resurfaces in dreams, and sometimes trauma victims develop weird, quirky personalities and express their issues through comedy. The crowd boos him and again, he visualized that Roy dude in the corner, and suddenly goes back to that weird room with the TV, and he's seeing all his experiences with the other two kids in front of him, and he tries to desperately hold on and change things in the TV (cuz thats what abused people do, they try to change what they remember about the torment) and the Roy dude reaches out as a symbol of "letting go" of the trauma hence pulling the plug.

And here I am. Watching it on June 19th 2022

44:22 me after you explained the series luv this vid so much, it is so perfect like, you make puppets just to match the theme of the topic! and made your own teacher and not to mention how cleverly you explained everything and cared for every single detail here and there. i already know you/subscribed to you from the welcome home vid. keep it up! ❤

"Because he's sick of being *PUSHED AROUND."*

OH MY GAWD PUPPET NICK IS ADORABLE. I WANT A PLUSHIE! 6 years later Edit: WE GOT A PLUSHIE!!!!

I knew there were deep topics but I didn't know THIS dark. This video was amazing. I just watched this bite size series and loved it. This video just makes it 100xs better and funny and deep. Love the puppet skits! 🤣