!LOOK HERE FOR ANY CONTRADICTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE IN MIND! Firstly I'd like to thank everyone who did bring up contradictions/concerns, as it helps immensely to craft a better theory knowing what doesn't work about it. To address the criticism, I'll go through all the ones that have been brought up so far. I'll add more as they're mentioned, excluding any that use arguments from sister location and onward for obvious reasons. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. What about the real ramifications of Springtrap living on, wouldn't that be considered a loose end? A: This is definitely a great point, and I see how I missed to addressed this in the video! My thought behind Springtrap surviving is that this was an oversight by Scott. By that I mean Scott didn't think about the real ramifications and instead focused on the poetic ending. Similar to how Henry's line from FNAF 6 has real ramifications of him forcing suicide on Michael, but we know Scott did not intend for it to come off this way as it was meant to show Michael was the guard. Although I want to give credit to @bluebear1993 for this next possibility. Perhaps Springtrap did not survive the fire and this was instead a red herring by Scott, as it's not reliable to determine if he did survive from a single photo alone. We could also use this photo against the possibility of him surviving, as how could he stay still long enough for the photo? 2. If the child in the "Take Cake" minigame is meant to be the sister, why do the letters spell out "SAVE HIM"? A: If I had to point to a single concrete contradiction off the top of my head, it would be this one. Although here's some perspective as to why I chose to ignore this detail. I think there are 2 possibilities as to why the child is addressed by male pronouns: a: The child was meant to be male at some point, meaning Scott expanded on this later like how he tied Toy Chica missing her beak to the child who was part of the mci later(Toy Chica missing her beak was a design choice to make her look scary as seen in Dawko's interview with Scott). b: Perhaps it's just Scott using the animatronics' gender rather than the soul, as JJ could be interpreted as the twin who is female and Mangle(the animatronic whose gender is constantly debated) is also tied to the sister. 3. How can we come to the conclusion that Mike, the bite victim, and the sister are indeed the children of the founder of Fredbear's if it isn't directly stated? A: Being the founder's kid is a huge jump for sure until you start to consider all the surrounding context. We can assume this thanks to the amount of Freddy's memorabilia in the house as well as the family living so close to Fredbear's and visiting often. Along with what appears to be an early Mangle in the sister's room. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's all for now, thanks again for the criticism and kind comments. I highly appreciate it!

This theorized version of the FNaF games is one the most bittersweet stories I've seen in a while, three siblings all affected by a tragedy all invoked by one purple man. This theory in my opinion seamlessly told the story in a very cohesive way. It was an honor assisting criticism on the theory.

Sitting through this entire vid genuinely felt like a breath of fresh air after recent revelations regarding the franchise's lore, discrepancies be damned, I think this is my second favorite take on FNAF's story.

This makes a lot of sense especially considering the fact that Scott said no one seemed to caught onto the retcon and he'd correct it if it was confusing. That doesn't line up with Dream Theory being the retcon because that's too obvious. The retcon being the family relationships shifted around makes a lot more sense because no one was really speculating that The Puppet and The Crying Child were related back then. The closest was some people later realizing that Fredbear in Fnaf World was probably the Puppet initially but that was after Scott mentioned the retcon I think. It also makes sense why Baby/Elizabeth was debut in FNAF World.

Honestly, not having to deal with agony and remnant extractors, sci-fi robot humans and AI mimicing people is the most nostalgic shit ever. I really enjoy past Sister Location FNAF but i also truly believe the story ended in 2015, whether you interpet it as ending in FNAF 3 or 4. It doesn't matter which, to me both serve as beautiful endings. Nice theory, such a grasp of fresh air.

The pre-retcon FNAF era had a specific asthetic to it I cannot describe there is something very special about it

I usually don't comment on FNaF videos, but as someone who's been a fan of the games since FNaF2, this was amazing. I was disappointed by Dream Theory in a way because it disregarded everything the lore had to offer and basically slapped the generic coma situation on the story, and thought that the Dream Theory was the retcon Scott talked about post FNaF4 for some time. What I didn't expect, going into this, was for this theory to connect perfectly. This was so bittersweet and satisfying to watch. I really, really want to believe this was Scott's original story for FNaF, because it all connects seamlessly so well and it just feels right, somehow. Furthermore, I believe this is it, and I don't know if this is intentional, because there's a key similarity to this and Scott's story in after fnaf4 to fnaf6: both have the older brother go and fix what he did. Both stories have him work as the night guard in fnaf1 and fnaf3. It fits so beautifully. While watching this, I just kept thinking "Yes!!!", because this was exactly how I wanted the story to have played out, and not Dream Theory. To see a theory that manages to not just answer the scottgames stream images, but also solve the entire story seamlessly is just amazing. Thank you so much for this video, this is the story I've been looking for to be solved for 9 years!!

It's so refreshing and such a breath of fresh air to have another perspective on this franchise's (original) story! I am beyond happy that Joe was able to pull through and make this a bright, understandable and cohesive theory that gets the point across very clearly. I look forward to the future and whatever theories we may pull out of our asses next. Great job! :)

I love this theory solely for the fact that it makes happiest day make more sense. How it goes in the current lore is that the 4 murder victims and the puppet celebrate this party for this random kid they have no relation to or have even met before and that’s somehow supposed to be a satisfying ending. Having all the members of happiest day now directly know each other like this is a lot better, though there still is the question of where the fifth murder victim went in that ending if bite victim is golden freddy.

dude... This just hit me like a truck with the closure of finally knowing what was 'in the box', the hint about toy chica's beak, who was speaking through the plush, who we actually play as in fnaf 4's gameplay, so much makes sense now. I like how the story has evolved in the modern day, but this FINALLY makes me feel like I understand those questions we thought were unanswered that whole time. thank you for this catharsis lmao

This is an awesome way of interpreting Fnaf 1-4 Even if though there would be one more loose thread, Which is Springtrap Because if he survived the fire, then Springtrap would either try to find Mike or kill more children. So this would possibly open the door for a continuation.

i've never seen a fnaf theory video that genuinely reshaped my entire mindset on the series like this one did. i was 1000% confident dream theory was intended, regardless of the controversy around it. but a lot of the details you brought up just seem so...intentional. like, dream theory never really accounted for the kids, and why they didn't show up to the party. this feels...conclusive. it feels right. that's what always bothered me about dream theory; it felt too easy. of COURSE everything would fit under it. but this one does the same, and has much better evidence for it. i'm pretty stunned just how convinced i am by this video alone haha

Did not appreciate the random extremely loud scream at the beginning

I think this is indeed the original story, looking at how the FNAF movies are going, which are stated to only be based off the first few games. In the movie, it seems to appear that the father is supposed to be Henry, William kidnapping Garret from a far-away distance and the fact he knows his family too makes it seem personal, considering that's what he also did in the books, as well a man who looks like Mike's dad in the training tape video repairing an animatronic. It's also seems very likely that Mike's sibling possess the Puppet, as Charlie was kidnapped in the books just like Garrett, she became the Puppet in the games, and the Puppet voice alphabet thing in the credits spells out COME FIND ME, with Garett being the only person Mike is looking for.

love is in the air? WRONG, NIGHTMARE GAS!

I actually buy this as the full explanation of the original games I'm fascinated by how different the theories of the first four games were to these days and glad to see the spirit of the original theorizing still exists today You have more than earned a like and subscribe Look Forward to the follow-up Also interested in your take on midnight motorist when/if you decide to tackle it

This is what I always wanted to hear, no narrative for the first 4 games has ever really felt satisfying or like a whole story until this. I do appreciate how much entertaining craziness got added to what was essentially a perfectly fine finished story in the games after world a bit more now too, albeit at the cost of a lot of the believability of 1-4 which laid out here feel like they could happen in the real world a lot more.

This is how I have always thought the story was meant to be, I love Sister Location since it gave Scott a chance to flex his SciFi modelling. But this is perfect. This is how it originally was

scott should've had more integrity and ended the story at fnaf 4 without worrying what the fandom thought about it. This story seems pretty convincing to me and scott, in trying to clarify things, only made the story more confusing

Hey, I just found some more evidence as to why the fredbear plush is the sister, there are 6 paintings in the house, and the flower painting is the only one with a photo in it. The Mangle on the floor is disassembled, meaning that the Mangle Quest minigame, where you put your pieces back together and find the puppet crying, indicates that the sister is also the puppet.

I always thought that dream theory was not true and just didn't make sense, and for years I had thought that nobody would ever find out the real story in 1-4, but this theory final solved it (or got pretty close) the way you described this narratively makes sense, and the way you tyed all of the fnaf 4 easter eggs together makes this feel like it was the true intent all along.

Now THIS is a good theory right here. I think the retconned lore is easier to follow but this serves as a great alternate continuity; however for convenience's sake, if I adapted it, I'd still use the retcon names for the characters, like purple guy as William Afton, puppet as Charlie, etc.

I have a theory on why JJ exists in FNaF 2. Along with BB disabling your flashlight, he considered adding a second jam mechanic like the cameras or mask. JJ would’ve been the culprit behind this by hiding your mask or monitor under the table. Later in development when Scott decided to remove this feature (most likely due to balancing issues) he didn’t want JJ’s character to go to waste. So he added her to the game as a rare Easter egg.

Excellent video, a very concise and satisfying version of the story. I really love your focus on the human sides to these characters- their pains, their scars brought about by their experiences. Too often, Fnaf fans and even the series itself kinda treats its human characters like "props", to be moved as they're needed for a particular theory or story. My one and only criticism of the video is the idea of the Fredbear Plush/Puppet/Mike's sister connection. I get it, The Puppet doesn't really have a role under this interpretation unless you do that, but the plush make things messy (as it always does). Is there evidence for it? Yes. Is it a bit strange and unlike the rest of the series for one spirit to possess multiple objects over time, one of which wasn't even remotely tied to her death/her body? Also yes. Edit- what I mean by this is that a character's death is always tied in to what they "become" in some type of way. Without looking beyond Fnaf 4, that kid's spirit ending up in The Puppet at all is a bit questionable as is, especially because we know that The Puppet is not just a ghost- it's very much a physical thing, that people can see, talk about and interact directly with. A physical thing that, unlike the MCI kids, didn't have any direct ties to how she died until Pizza Sim. This gets extra questionable if the Fredbear Plush is also a physical form she just so happens to also take. To throw some more positivity into the ring- my mind was blown by how you explained the box. I gasped out loud when you tied the black void with a grey circle to BV's death cutscene, that is SO clever and I'm SO surprised I've never heard it brought up before! Given that specific connection, in addition to general trauma, the box could more specifically represent Mike's guilt over his brother's death. Doesn't have to be one or the other though.

I really like this theory, and for just the 4 games it's pretty complete. I do struggle to imagine this series like this though... There is no Afton family, or Emily family. Cassidy isn't Golden Freddy. It's crazy to think about this series without these elements

this was the real fnaf of my childhood. thx for this vid 🙏

Damn Joe! This is great! Its making me think more about the FNaF lore! Great job my friend!

Firstly, god that was an awesome video Secondly, i LOVE your interpretation of the lore pre-retcon, the whole part with FNAF 4 being Mike's nightmares instead of the Crying Child's nightmare is something ive never heard before yet it fits so well Thirdly, that meme video at the end RIGHT after the lore drop of what was in the box made me laugh lmao

2:28 volume warning holy hell that scared me worse than any jumpscare in the games

this is genuinely my favorite take on the first four games and really does feel like the most correct interpretation to date, alot of people i feel skip over Scotts direct statements in favor of supporting headcannons and whatnot but i like that u applied a lense of genuine proof or it didnt happen, for lack of a better term, and u used alot of dots from game files to connect things that really do make sense(the fnaf 3 gift file and the nightmare image being titled shadow freddy), this was fr worth the watch man

people are completely missing the point of springtrap appearing in the fnaf 3 ending newspaper it's not hinting at him still being alive, it's showing us that william's spirit doesn't get to move on and have peace like the children do, his spirit is bound to the earth, unable to feel satisfaction or being able to be content it's the same thing he put those children through, but unlike the children, william won't ever be freed or find peace it's poetic when you think about it, he's trapped in a hell of his own making, not being able to just move on and rest like the other spirits do that's the reason he's in that newspaper, to show us even though the children's suffering is finally over and put down to rest, william's suffering never will be

It's also of note that JJ peeking is the same way Phantom Puppet and Phantom Mangle peek at the player.

I love hearing new theories, and this is definitely new and surprisingly convincing. Loved the video ❤

I really appreciate this video, there is something so magical about the care and patience a video like this takes. There would never be any way for me to express how much this video means, at least to me? Thank you sincerely I really really adore and love fnaf lore so so much and I'm glad there is content like this even if we are on a new era of lore I appreciate how deep and thorough this video has been without any jokes or any bashing on the newer lore, it's quite sad that there is such a divide with newer lore as it seems like the community hasn't been able to let them co-exist yet. Fnaf is so hardwired to my brain and sometimes its hard not to feel alienated even when i am in the most deep mutually fnaf diseased friend groups when such a divide exists even there, but shit happens and that's alright :D Keep the hell up with this type of stuff, this seems like a topic you enjoy so so so much and there will be so many people like me that will eat this up in such an appreciative way, you could of just left this as a theory in your head but you went BEYOND and given us all something to attach onto, to talk about, to FEAST on!!

It took a Sonic fan years later to correctly solve FNAF's original theory. I like to imagine all the FNAF youtubers around when the 4 game came out being embarrassed that a Sonic fan outsmarted them.

28:25 "...every location is built with one extra room that is not included in the digital map layouts programmed into the animatronics or security systems." -Phone Guy, FNaF 3 Training Tapes

Why does this version of the plot sound better than the actual lore?

i love this, its really mindblowing how complicated this story is and it was a blast listening and understanding this theory. its now one of my favorites.

my life is like a video game

This is so well crafted that I'm appalled that it's not more popular, your production is so, so, so well crafted and I only hope the best for you

This video, which I’ve just stumbled into (phenomenal btw) has reawoken my fiery passion for the series. I am HERE for it!

Ive been in the fnaf fandom since the release of the third game, and a theory has never given me that nostalgic feeling since after the release of fnaf 4 until this one. love this video

Theoreticaly DMuted's Theory about Fritz Smith being Phone Dude still makes sense.

Literally screamed out with you when you said the box was the memories and tramas he was repressing and then coming to terms and letting go. Absolutely loved this video

What an amazing video man! This honestly gave me some closure for the series, cause now, no matter where the series goes, I can always rest easy knowing that the pieces for the original story are always there, and it wasn’t left on an unsatisfying note before the retcon. Also I really liked what you did with the (not afton) family, making the puppet’s soul part of a trio with Mike and the bite victim. (It explains that screen at the end of FNAF world which i thought was just Scott and his kids). Purple guy isn’t their father anymore, and he no longer has any “sympathetic” motive for the things he did. It honestly makes him even more terrifying as a character, now that you know he did all of this just because he could. Again, great video! It really did change my perspective on FNAF as a whole and I can’t wait for part 2!

This is such a good video, a lot of the fnaf 4 stuff would be great for modern theories too

see guys! afton was never real!

I love this theory so much. It may not be canon, but it's so satisfying. Creative and without any loose ends that I can think of. Well done!

I honestly love this and much prefer this over the current story. It tires just about everything together within those 4 games. I feel like the other game already follow a different narrative.

Really incredible work, been a fan since the first game and this is what I’ve been craving for a long time I think. It really does fit well with the kind of storytelling that was happening back then and really fills in those gaps from years ago. Amazing work

I feel like this story is much more better than the modern one. Nice job!

This theory was so nice to watch, it brought me some kind of relieve after 9 years... Great job!!

Really good video. I think this is the best video on solving pre-retcon fnaf. Only thing I disagree with is that the firing for tampering isn’t meant to be a narrative thing but a gag because the player can change the animatronics difficulties. Still that doesn’t change the theory much since, Michael thinks things are best left forgotten and doesn’t decide to dismantle the animatronics until fnaf 3

I LOVE THIS THEORY!!!! Although I'm not the biggest fan of two MCI, I can understand it in this context. Everything in here is very soild in my opinion! I also always thought of the box as a metaphor instead of a physical object, but instead I always thought about it with Henry and the Fazbear brand. Keep up the good work!! :DDD

Great job brother. I really enjoyed listening to your take

This video is F*cking AWESOME. Good job man!

Loved this video alot. Hope to see more content like it!

Been a FNAF fan since day one, so it’s super refreshing to see a theory like this. I can’t wait for part two!

This theory was amazing man, this will always be how I picture the story of the first 4 games now. The ending was really nice and made me feel a little bit emotional. If this was the true ending for Fnaf, I think it would have been perfect.

Pretty good the only thing I add here is that I think that "shadow springlock theory" can still work here

Great theory! I like your take on the MCI especially.

14:51 - Beginning of Theory Just gonna leave this here In case anyone needs it

This is a well-crafted theory, can't wait to see part 2

I will now see other games that comes after the OG timeline as taking place in a different universe. This video was really amazing!

Great theory! Loved this video

Really good video loved it

This is probably one of my favorite theories about FNaF1-4 so far. But I just wanted to know, how the hell did you got the initial idea for making this theory. Like, what was it that clicked in your mind that suddenly got you thinking out the whole thing?

Firstly, AMAZING VIDEO! Love the art at the end. Second, I agree with about ~90 percent of this. Third, I watched Sixth Sense for the first time right before FNaF 4 came out, and it is jarring how different I read that game (and still feel inclined to) from everyone else at the time. I have a few things I feel could be tacked on and rearranged, but I agree with a great deal of it. I feel slightly less... Insane now. But 'Mike' wasn't even the main character until SL, my friend. And the box contained a 9th night. I datamined it all those years ago.

i remember when you were still developing this theory and you dm'd me at 12:34 am just as I was about to sleep to ask me if I wanted to hear about your fnaf theory

This was a good video bro. Keep up the good work 👌

FNAF is like math. If you get one of the first steps wrong, the entire equation will be incorrect.

One piece of evidence that supports that mci happened during fnaf 4 minigames is that it is clearly summer and children are seen hanging around the town and not in school. This would suggest that the minigames take place during summer vacation. According to the newspaper clips from fnaf 1 the mci took place in June.

Totally a worth watch, might watch again at some point!

Thirty Ninth!!! Also, I really love the theory you and your friends came up with. You should make more theories about fnaf or any other franchise.

Afton wasn’t an owner until after the book said so, far after FNAF 1-4 released. I think he was just a security guard. It also would explain that although the animatronics are weird around adults, they don’t attack them. But who do they attack? Security guards, that’s what they specifically target.

just watched the full thing and im kinda in love with this theory, its super awesome ngl :]

Wow this video is amazing. There are so many jaw dropping details you pointed out that solve so many things, I can’t believe none of the theorists actually paid attention to all of that. Also, I think the “purple phone” the original Purple guy is holding might be a Faz-Wrench or something similar to it🤔

Joe plz when are we getting part 2, I've been checking weekly for months

seeing JoeDoughBoi scream "I mean Kitchen" is a mood fr thank you for the good vid

Finally! A cited date for Fredbear’s opening!

this theory sounds so good versus others that the big name channels pushed over the years, especially considering you keep it contain to the first 4 as many, including the big theory channels know scott retconned and continued the story after he said it was over

Scott after watching this video: Connection terminated, I’m sorry to interrupt you JoeDoughBoi, if you even still remember that name. I am afraid you have been misinformed, you haven’t been called here to receive a praise or by the community, although you have indeed been called. You have all called here, into a labyrinth of clues, theories, red herrings and answers. A saferoom with no exit, a night with no 6 AM. You don’t even realised you were trapped, your lust for lore has driven you in endless videos searching for Easter eggs and game files, always felling so near yet somehow out of reach. But Joe find them, but no one besides him, this is where your story ends. And for you my brave Markplier who somehow found this game not intended for you, although there was a way out for you I believe that this is not what you want, I fell that you are right where you want to be. I’m remaining as well, I’m nearby. This video will be remembered and the memory of every misconception that happened here can finally begin to fade away, as the agony of every mystery should. And for you fans trapped in the corridors be still and give up your spirits, they don’t belong to you. For most of theorists I believe that there’s peace and perhaps more after the smoke clears, although for one of you, the darkest pit of hell has opened to swallow you whole, so don’t keep the Devil waiting StellWholl. Game Theory, if you can hear me I know you would return as well, it is of your nature to find answers and lift the truth to others, but on that day, the day you were shut out and left to be joked, no one was there to bring answers to others, then what became of you, I should have known you wouldn’t be content to be joked, not my Matpat. I couldn’t tell the story then, so let me tell you know, it is time for rest for you, Joe and the other theorists you have carried in your arms. This ends for all of us, end of communication.

why the hell was charlie changed from williams kid to henrys kid… her being the bite victim and michaels kid makes so much more sense to me

9:16 i love seeing mattpat trying to the avoid the word dream for as long as he could

i'm sure somebody's pointed it out before but it's worth mentioning that shadow bonnie's name is made entirely out of keys on the left side of a qwerty keyboard, so it's probably just a key smash by scott and probably doesn't mean anything

Imagine if Scott commented and was just like "Yeah it's this one"

This is an incredibly well made video, well done. I hadn't considered the story from this angle before, especially due to aspects from the later games. I imagine this may come up in the second video, but does this theory mean that the killer/Springtrap wouldn't necessarily be William Afton considering that you mention him being a friend of the father of Michael and his siblings?

Holy god the nostalgia from the old style button-counting, i miss this era of fnaf!

Honestly this is the only fnaf timeline I can actually understand so I'm gonna say it's the best.

This is literally cannon for me now, it all makes sense suddenly, also the last clip of golden freddy dancing disturbed me a little more than mildly (I don't have a word for it yet)

amazing theory!

This has that casually unhinged feel I haven't seen since "The Color Brothers"

Amazing video, one thing. The puppet didn't literally put the corpses on the suits, he put the masks on the bodies and then back to the animatronics. This is why phone guy asks the player to check the masks behind before he died. And also, this is why phone guy died. He was part of the staff who covered the murdereds.

My man really took crack to get a really good theory

BRO PROBABLY SLOVED FNAF 1-4 PLOT 🗣️🔥🔥🔥🔥

The Golden Freddy plush is touched on too little, I feel like that character unravels the whole story no matter the way you think about it. Other than that, a great, amazing theory and video.

The best fnaf theory i've ever heard and people don't take the deserve atention is the 'MatPat and Scott are the same person theory'

I would love for someone who has made major contributions to the retconned story line (e.g MatPat) to have a look at this theory to look for and clarify and loose ends to the theory because even though everything in this theory is pretty well connected, I feel like there is something missing and I feel like more explanation is needed

I like to mention that shadow Freddy’s follow me text is white, the same color as bite victim’s speech text, another piece of evidence that shadow Freddy was originally meant to be the crying child.

*This is a beautiful story.*