the protagonist is, like Henry, a former factory employee who returns after being invited by a letter

from a storytelling standpoint, rich getting a tape in every chapter means he is almost certainly an important character. i'd assume either the prototype or the protagonist

I used to think it was an orphan who managed to escape but Chapter 3 shot that down pretty quick.

I feel like the fact he's in every chapter in some way really adds on to the fact he must be a main character. Either as the protagonist, or antagonists

The change in VA and direction for Stuart in the chapter 3 VHS is interesting. The original clip sounded warm and understanding while the new one sounds distant and almost uncaring, maybe even a little suspicious. I don't know why they changed it, but maybe it's to foreshadow Rich being set up by Playtime, maybe turning him into one of the experiments?

I think the protagonist is darker than you realize, do you remember in chapter 3 that during the nightmare sequence. You come across a radio telling the news about a body inside Elliot Ludwig's home after his passing. Why would that be stuck in the protagonist's mind, I think they planted that body there as a way to expose playtime co. You might ask why would the protagonist do this? If you come across a radio that has a backward message on it, it states how the protagonist missed a meeting after the hour of joy. I'm assuming that the protagonist and other workers were working with the prototype, but they knew the prototype wasn't going to spare anyone. So, they convinced the prototype that they have another exposed playtime co. And the prototype agrees, but if they fail, the hour of joy must happens.

I swear the dude talking to Rich in the third VHS was more like-- accented???

The protagonist could also be Stella. She's an employee, who cared about the kids. She seemed genuinely confused and upset when she saw 'testing' on that orphan kid's file. So maybe after finding out, she quits. She misses out on the Hour of Joy and comes back 10 years later. But hey, that's just a theory.

Actually Poppy playtime CH1 actually told us why the protagonist wasn't there. In an early version of CH1 it said that we took a sick day of and the next morning when we returned there were thousands of cop cars outside. So taken a sick day of was actually the reason why we didn't show up to the hour of joy.

Also I REALLY wish they kept stu’s voice as an old man because he’s supposed to be retiring soon and his new voice sounds like he’s 40 something at the least when his old voice sounded a lot older and like someone who WOULD be nearly hitting retirement (I don’t even know why they changed it)

My theory is that Rich is actually Dogday, because the voices match (can also just be a coincidence), and Rich likes kids and Dogdag likes kids. But thats just a theory....

Game Theorists: Rich is the Prototype SHB: Rich is the Protagonist What comes next?

I feel the protagonist is most likely Rich or someone that is affiliated with him given how he seems to be a very important part of the story evidenced by his VHS tapes in every chapter.

I could be wrong but Rich isn’t the only person with so much importance placed on him via tapes for each chapter. Stella’s tapes also appear in each chapter but we haven’t seen her

i love the idea that the protagonist wasn't present for the hour of joy just because they were bunking off work

Still think it’s Stella Grayburn We see her progression from naive happy go lucky starter employee to the main consular at Playcare. How bad would it be for someone that actually believed in Playtime to someone who was inadvertently helping the researcher abduct orphans? She really seems like the one that would be the most haunted by what happened. Also it makes sense why everyone would recognize her. Example: Mommy and ms delight both know the protagonist so it makes sense they are someone important like Stella.

It's a good theory...but: If Rich cares about the children, and actually knew the dark secrets of the company, I don't think that he would be able to quit that easily... In the ARGs, those who knew what happen in the company would ended up either killed, or turned into experiment subjects. They wanted a bright image in the eyes of the public, so thinking Rich able to quit while knew something about it would be near impossible. Another thing that confused me with this theory is that if he really knew the dark secrets of the entire situation, he should be in one of the higher-ups of the company, yet the problem occurs that back in the 2nd Chapter, the slide that has its letters fell off doesn't spell out Rich in any sort of way. Mommy Long Legs knew the protagonist worked there before, but it's doubtful that she would be able to remember all the employees working there after 10+ years, so it had to be someone very significant or having higher rankings. Stuart also sounded to be someone in the higher ranking, and him giving Rich that role unofficially hinted that Rich would be given a supervisor role of sorts. While it's entirely possible that Rich knew what the hour of joy actually be and taken such action, as he missed that meeting/party, but you said that it was happen within the 1st red smoke illusion, meaning its authenticity is questionable at best. Plus it wouldn't make sense to come back now just because some letter that looks to be written by a kid, yet not able to process the fact that this is impossible to happen in the first place (any survived kid would be teen by the start of the game, and none of the toys that actually attack the player is a kid, all of them has adult voices inside) when he knew the "sunlights" in the factory was fake all along... It's a cool thought, but given how the chapters played out and other clues shown, it's kinda fallen apart for me

The protagonist is probably having major survivors guilt. Especially after watching the hour of joy tape. And probably agrees with poppy. That he’s the one that need to finally end all this, to redeem themself.

I don't think the Protagonist is Rich for a few reasons: 1) Rich has a voice actor, so there would be no reason to keep the Protest silent. 2) Rich doesn't seem like the kind of person who'd leave before or during the Hour of Joy. He's not the kind to run. 3) He clearly cares about the children, so he wouldn't have helped in the experiments on them. But we know thanks to Mommy Long-Legs that our character had a part to play in them. So no, I don't think Rich is the Protag. Rich is the Prototype.

My headcanon is that the player looks yellow and faceless because they’re a big living toy. When Ms. Delight says “you used to work here” she means you used to have a job making the training videos for the grabpack

I didn't know they changed Stuarts VA.

I still don't know why they changed Stewart's voice actor, I really like the elderly voice from the first one

It seems like Rich was highlighted quite a bit for him to be the player. It's hard to tell at this point. I had originally thought that maybe he was DogDay...but I'm not sure anymore.

I'm still waiting for the plot twist about the whereabout of Elliot Ludwig

I have a feeling that we were once an orphan at Playcare too, cause in the hallucinations, we're joining in with the other children. But we must have seen something and so Playtime Co. made it their job to keep us quiet by employing us and keeping a sharp eye on us. But then The Hour Of Joy came along, giving us the chance to escape the factory! And i still believe that The Prototype is Elliot Ludwig, and his lost family member was his daughter. Who is now the soul inside Poppy herself.

Game theory : Rich is prototype Shb : Rich is the player Me: Rich is Poppy

Did Stuart get a new voice actor? I remember him having an accent when I first played CH3.

I've had a feeling Rich was being hinted at throughout the game for a reason, and you detailed on it quite nicely in this video!

There was a scientist/management member who left without notice according to Leith Pierre in one of his VHS tapes. This person seems equally qualified to be the protagonist as Rich does as this person missed the hour joy too and was in need of a replacement which was left to Leith Pierre to hire. This person would have an equal burden of guilt to Rich as they will have seen the horrors first hand and had a direct part in them like mommy long legs's speech suggests.

I had a few ideas. 1. we play as Harley sawyer the doctor who started the bigger bodies initiative and made the living toys. 2. We play as a possibly orphan who grew up in playtime co orphanage and got a job but left. 3. We play as one of the possible caretakers of the children in playtime co. 4. Were a possible toy experiment who believes that were human. 5. It probably doesn’t matter lol.

I highly doubt it is rich for several reasons which is 1. Too honest which he would have been victim of boxy boo due to attempting contact news press, law enforcement, and so forth 2. Rich admitted that he is not allow to interact with kids which makes it impossible to seen orphanage and met miss delight assuming he didn't got promoted 3. Might be huggy for it did escape to return home which his wife may lives. Currently it make since if it was Stuart for he may have left early than his actual retirement which gives him bigger reason to feel guilty about.

I think it's possible that Rich may be this anonymous hero, and that he returned to the Factory to initially find out what happened to his co-workers, but also to set things right. But I don't believe he *quit* his job, per se. Given that 90% of the Factory have (as Rich puts it) "had it out for him", it's possible that his higher-ups may have *fired* him, likely due to some growing suspicions of his. Rich may have gotten some suspicions regarding Playtime Co., since his promotion, as well as grew to be care for these kids, just as Stella Greyber. It's plausible that some of the Board Members like Leith Pierre and Harley Sawyer see this as a problem to their operations and terminated Rich. Stella's, however, we're still uncertain if she was also fired or more likely killed. *Side Note:* I don't like Stuart's Voice Change, it doesn't feel right in my opinion. I liked his original voice better, the one with some accent. This new voice, it just doesn't seem genuine.

I just realized that Rich almost sounds and acts like Gordon from My Friendly Neighborhood

I think it's more likely that the Protagonist is a creation of Playtime Co, partly because they've made a point of obscuring their identity to such a degree, same as the out-of-bounds Prototype is just a claw. If we looked like a normal person, then I'd expect us to have some generic features showing, like actual hands. But we get nothing. We worked here like Miss Delight worked here. We worked here like Mommy Long Legs worked here. We worked here like Bunzo and PJ worked here. We are a creation of Playtime Co. And, just to be clear, that doesn't mean that we aren't still Rich. We can be two things. We can be both...

The protagonist of Poppy Playtime is possibly the most mixed character because while being he main character, you still gotta remember that there were times where they did some truly behind the scenes stuff for example Huggy Wuggy and Mommy Long Legs deaths. This then creates a twist which could possibly be explained later on when remembering Playtime Co. itself possibly being the true villain.

Ngl, after these last few months have been for you, and how rough things have been on a lot of people’s ends, I genuinely get emotional now anytime you post and update because seeing you push forward genuinely gives me the motivation to do the same. Good for you, Mike. You go, Mike 😭😭😭🖤

I keep forgetting that the protagonist used to work here and is on a mission to find his employees and what went down at Playtime Co. Also Mike, stay strong. We all know you are busy, so please take things one at a time

Rich is 1006 since it makes more sense for mob games to tease the real identity of the main villan 1006 from the first game rather than our protagonist who seems to be an unimportant character

I kinda thought maybe Rich might be 1006. We know for a fact disgruntled workers faced horrendous consequences for going against the company… but there’s no evidence they were ONLY murdered. It’s possible some were used as experiments. It would explain 1006 love for the children and his anger… I dunno tho…

I am probably wrong, but I think the protagonist is Stella. She is someone that all of the toys (especially Mommy) would have been familiar with, and she seemed to work really closely with the orphans. I’m not 100% sure why she wouldn’t have been at work during the hour of joy, but she may have realized she was in over her head and tried to leave. I think Rich might end up being the prototype. I’m not confident in that answer, just a thought I’ve had over and over again watching this game unfold.

I think it's possible the protagonist is Rich but the lack of vocalizations from our character gives me some doubt. Feel like Rich would be cursing A LOT during the many cutscene interactions. It could be he became mute in the decade after the plant shut down (maybe intentionally to avoid having to answer questions and instead just make a written statement.) But I think one of the female teachers/counselors might be more likely. I also mentioned in the last theory post but I think our character may have had a hand in aiding Huggy escape in the video "RESTRICTED_disappearance_06-18-1992.mp4." Pierre wrote that "How (Huggy) was able to access the ventilation system without security's realization is beyond (him)." This makes it sound like Huggy must have had help, likely someone on the inside. Say someone who knows possible blind spots in security and/or has access to security and could temporarily turn cameras or other systems off for "maintenance" or something. Such an individual would have to be sympathetic to the toys and likely helped Huggy in hopes that their escape would bring light to the cruelty happing at the plant. BUT Huggy ended up killing 5 people in his escape with 6 more missing. These casualties would likely haunt the staff member who aided Huggy in his escape. I feel having our PC be a part of helping with Huggy's escape would also explain why our PC hallucinates Huggy coming out of the TV. I mean, at this point it could have easily been another toy as several others have attacked our PC and Huggy is presumed dead at this point. But it's Huggy specifically, not Mommy, or Pugapillar, or even the one that would make the most sense Catnap. Now this could just be because Huggy is like the main mascot for this game (even more so than Poppy herself) but we have Kissy in this chapter so I don't think they really were lacking in Huggy reference. But if there were some trauma linked to Huggy, like guilt for inadvertently getting several coworkers killed, then having Huggy appear as horrific nightmare would make perfect sense. Also think out PC had a part in placing the child's body at the Ludwig estate. Probably did so as an attempt to bring light to the horrors happening at the plant. And when that failed and the company PR swept it under the rug with the public and authorities then that's likely why out PC turned to helping Huggy escape. If Huggy had gone uncaptured then there would proof of the experimentation. There would have to be an investigation of the plant. Huggy would likely be killed by local law enforcement in their encounter but still, as tragic as that may be their death could save hundreds of others.

Imagine missing the Hour of Joy because you called out of work 😂😂

dude the song you use in every explanation and theory video is an absolute banger 🔥

Re-edit this. The 3rd Rich and Stuart doesn’t sound like the final version in the game. Also, The Island of Misfit Toys was first seen in the Rudolph special in 1948. Perhaps Rich saw it as a kid?

If the Protagonist was rich, then we would be dead. Rich is temperamental and wouldn't keep quiet about playtime co. He would have been taken out or used in an experiment, if he was getting to know everything about Playtime. Imagine if someone who was really deep in on the experiments wanted to quit, would you let them go? We need to keep a few things also in mind: 1. Our protagonist must have been in an high position in Playtime, if Mommy Long Legs knows us. 2. We shouldn't know about the deadly nature or the experiments in detail: If we knew about the orphans and wanted to quit we would be taken out and if we knew about the experiments, we would have been much more scared of huggy back in chapter 1. LIke not as calm we would have been. What we were expecting? Yeah those monsters are completly friendly and arent probaly the reason this place must have shut down. Lastly if we were ,,evil'' per say, do you think Poppy or Kissy Missy would have ,,helped us'' ?

Did Stuart’s VA change in an update? I remember him having more of an accent at launch.

Honestly, I’m pretty torn over Rich either being the protagonist or 1006, when he’s working in the factory it gives him a motive to be either. Since with all he has seen he could be 1006 protecting the kids like with Theo before he became catnap. But equally he could have felt the regret of not doing anything and came back years later to visit the horrid memories within the walls…I hope it is revealed to us in a future chapter

Protagonist=Ludwig & Rich=Prototype and i will die on this hill, one who learned how to create deep down with the misfit toys & one who has to correct all of his mistakes lead along just to be betrayed by his daughter in the end would be one of the biggest twist in history

While it is a possible theory, there's something weird in Poppy's line on the third chapter that still bothers me a lot. I don't know if this is a way of the creators to not actually reveal the identity of the protagonist, but Poppy refers to us as 'them' when she saves us from Kissy. Now, I don't know why did she said that, but it's weird that if we are Rich she didn't said, 'Don't hurt him' and 'he's here to help', or not even refer to us as Rich at any point. It could be because she's reffering to the protagonist as us, the player. Other then that I don't know.

I know you’re taking a break but I appreciate you so much because you still post videos frequently You’re the best Mike❤

I'm currently thinking the main character is the missing head of security who ended up leaving out of resentment and has come back to finally stop everything.

Rich is more likely to be The Prototype due to his hate towards to Playtime Co. Factory and its staff

It's great to see a theory video of yours! That's what drew me to the channel to begin with 😊

3:42 I don’t necessarily think Sir Poopsalot being on the Chapter 2 tape means he made it. I think it’s just a representation of the Rejected Room with the most ridiculous thing in it

Hey, I absolutely love this video, the mystery and the Lore behind Poppy Playtime is amazing and so scary and I absolutely love it. 😊 😊 Thank you so very much. ♥️

Wait, did Stuart's voice change in the update? His voice was much more heavily accented in your playthrough I thought and I liked that VA much more. That said, I have felt since chapter 2 that 1006 was Rich. I'm not sure if I agree with him being the protagonist, given how vocal he is, unless something has caused him to be physically silenced since the events of the Hour of Joy. Rich's anger and disagreement of the management fits significantly better to be 1006 than the player character. Rich worked in almost every department, he would know the factiry better than anyone and would be able to do things like tell a child how to get a grabpack and escape.

4:17 Stuart has a different voice from what he had when I watched 8-BitRyan play Chapter 3 🤔

I love your videos and I got this video recommended to me 24 seconds after the upload of this video

LOL I was basically watching some poppy playtime playthroughs and I was like imagine Rich was the protagonist and then this theory showed up :D (he might be my fav character lol)

Amazing video as always,i love rewatching your videos and im happy to hear your awesome voice again ,i wish you luck and happiness

In the 3rd tape of Rich, I preferred the older voice of the man talking with Rich. The new voice sounds a bit too young and not as sinister as the old one. Nitpick on my part, but idkw they changed the voice acting

It’s more likely that Rick is the Prototype rather than the protagonist.

Oooh! I love those subtitles you added when showing stuff like the tape recordings with Rich! You should use them more often!

I feel like the second dream sequence was implying that the protagonist used to be an orphan in the PlayCare before they grew up and got a job at the factory. Since the chapter 3 Stella tape seemed to suggest to me that the innovation department started to dramatically increase their experiments, hence taking a child slated for adoption. The protagonist was a child at the PlayCare before the conditions got too bad there and either was adopted or aged out of the orphanage. Afterward, they got a job at the factory of the company that helped take care of them as a child, only to discover how bad it had become. Perhaps the Prototype recognizes the protagonist as a former orphan, and that is why he hasn't directly attacked.

I love your theories!

in my opinion Rich is the prototpe and stuart is the protaganist. This explains why the prototype is not hostile to us as we helped him get a promotion. Also stuart was important in playtime co so thats how all the toys know him. He wasnt there for the hour of joy as he was retired. Rich seems hostile and friendly at the same time both emotions preformed by experiment 0001.

I was actually kinda thinking the same on how it's rich but I never thought you would do a video on the same thought

Hope you’re doing well, Mike! Stay strong and keep up the amazing work!

I like to think the player is Sharon. Good video as always by the way.

Oh I can't wait for the protagonist reveal. I'm so hooked on the lore just like FNAF😖

11:39 Playtime Co. Wouldn’t be ok with him just leaving, as he would’ve known about the experiments by then, and would try to expose them. Also, if you remember what happened to Rowan Stoll, who found out about the experiments and tried to expose them, only to wind up eaten by Boxy Boo, it’s unlikely that Playtime Co. would just let Rich quit and potentially try to expose them, they would probably have him killed or something. In short, Rich being the protagonist just wouldn’t make sense if you thought about it with that mindset.

I personally think the protagonist is Stella Greybur. She’s been mentioned in all 3 chapters as well.

0:00 Intro 0:48 Who is Rich? 7:10 What We Know About The Protagonist 10:27 Is Rich The Protagonist? 12:29 Outro

He's like Henry stein

ty mr mike for making this video to keep us entertaning we dont know what is happening in ur priv life but we still supprot you

Rich would have to be the prototype because he's always saving the kids after every ending. Maybe Stuart is the protagonist. If he wouldn't have given his position to Rich then Rich wouldn't have become the prototype and that's the guilt that haunts him. The reason Stuart wasn't at the hour of joy is because of his retirement. Him giving the position to Rich ruined everything.

I think the protagonist is Stuart. Stuart said that he was going to retire what if Stuart retired the day before the hour of joy making him absent from the hour of joy

Honestly I think it's Stella graber because if the theory about her being poppy isn't true then I think she is truly the protagonist

Oh I have been WAITING for this!!

wow, never been this early! love your videos mike!

Thats quite interesting! I alwase wondered who Player is 😊

I feel like Rich and Stella both have very suspicious character arcs that could lead to them being the protagonist

I've missed these theory videos, they're amazing

That’s some deep lore you got there, Mike.

love your vids!

Just a weird thing unrelated to the theory but... why did they replace Stuart's voice actor? His voice is audibly different from before. I preferred his accent, he sounded more mature like someone who was obviously ready to retire. The new VA sounds like Markiplier, and it doesn't fit at ALL.

I still think Rich is the prototype....and I think we play as a toy.... My kiddo pointed it out to me on a play-through and now I'm stuck on that theory. OR (and these are her words) "we play as you, mom - because you're really short" (I am under 5 feet tall, so yeah - good burn, my child. Good burn.). I think we play as an employee that got put into a toy and whoever sent the message knew where this employee had escaped to/lived with. It may be linked to Huggy who went to a house, too. More than likely to see his friend or an employee that got lucky and escaped in a toy box instead of being put in a BBI. Also two fun facts: Tom Schalk, the guy who did the voice for Elliot ludwig in Chapter 3, is actually the same voice actor that plays Gordon in MFN. AND - Nola Klop who plays Poppy and Stella, also does the System voice in Life Makeover! :o

Your videos are getting me through a hard part of my life rn. I hope you’re looking after yourself.🖤🖤🖤

you're the best youtuber fr ! not dawko, not anyone else, only you! and your voice is super calming and really good, even during the most tense horror game moments, and its just really cool, you deserve way more subscribers, and you're a genuinely nice person! wish you well, SHB!

The protagonist is the main character of a story or plot

I like the theory that Rich is Dogday (unless there's somewhere a kid became Dogday since it seems to mainly be kids) Dogdays cutout and show voice are much higher pitch than the dismembered one we saw. And it would make sense Dogday wouldn't be apart of this huge cult the prototype got going on.

You know it’s gonna be a good video when mikes signature music kicks in

Hey Mike please play Detention

It’s is just me or Stuart’s voice is a bit different? 4:19

The man is back with another theory video after a long time.☺️ Also huge fan of your channel superhorrorbro ❤️🤩

While I would be surprised if it does turn out to be Rich, as per usual with all your theories, you certainly make a compelling case for why it might be him. It would make sense. This is not really a theory but more of a cool idea I want to share: last night I had a dream about the end of PP, or at least, how it might end. Long story short, Huggy, somehow still alive, in the flesh and not a hallucination like in Chapter 3, returned and chased me down in a scene very similar to Chapter 1, vents and all. I managed to get away into a small-ish dilapidated room with vines hanging down, found a VHS tape, played it, found out that it wasn't actually a recorded tape but a live message from none other than the Prototype himself, who revealed us to be none other than Leith Pierre. Then one last big chase occurred with Huggy and basically all the remaining monsters in the facility, including a few we hadn't seen yet such as the other Smiling Critters and other misc. fellas whom I didn't have time to get a good look at because as soon as the door nearest to me opened I was sprinting for my life with the boss music from the Seek chase in Roblox Doors blasting, until I managed to escape the factory. Now, I can basically guarantee that whoever we are playing as, it's not Leith, and obviously the Seek music won't be featured either, but if the end of the game were to be anything as epic as what I experienced in my dream, holy man: the adrenaline rush would be through the roof. :D

I think the protagonists name is Magnus Calvin and the reason why he doesn't work at Playtime Co. anymore is that he and some of his fellow coworkers didn't always agreed to the corrupted scientists evil ways, and as for the film adaptation I think that he should be portrayed by *The Meg & Fast And Furious* star himself Jason Statham.

here is what i believe like in the game Bioshock, you are the "ace in the hole" someone with fake memories that believe he worked there, but actually a humanoid doll that resamble a actual worker you are used by someone to take down the big bad, or the one in power thats why catnap second dream scene look so strange its telling you "your memories are fake, you are not whk you think you are!"

I like the connection here. It's possible it could be Rich, or it could be Stella. Stella worked with the kids and finding out what happened in the factory could cause her to have guilt.

Awesome theory great to hear from you👏👏👏👏👏👏