These Poppy Playtime Chapter 4 theories unravel some sinister secrets
Poppy Playtime Chapter 4 is just around the corner, with its January 2025 release window drawing ever closer, yet we still know precious little about what to expect. Or do we? When it came to Chapter 3, we already had multiple trailers, the Deep Sleep name, and a variety of different hints at this point, giving us a pretty solid idea of what to expect on our next foray into the factory.
However, while details are comparatively sparse this time, we might know more than you think. Okay, maybe it’s more accurate to say that we’ve got our theories, but some of them do have weight and some solid lore to back them up. Plus, Tilly (PT’s guides editor) and I actually got a few things right the last time we did this.
In our Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 theories article, we were correct in our assessment that Poppy Playtime’s Kissy Missy is our friend and that CatNap used the red gas to put the children to sleep – two pretty big things to be right about, so we’re quite proud of ourselves. Admittedly, we had more to work with when forming our predictions for Deep Sleep, but we won’t let that stop us from trying to collect some thoughts on the next entry.
Firstly, while we know that Yarnaby is the big bad toy of Poppy Playtime Chapter 4, I still can’t help but feel drawn to Poppy Playtime’s Boxy Boo. As soon as the credits rolled on Deep Sleep, I had a gut feeling that we’d see that toy in the next chapter, mainly because he’s the only one from The Hour of Joy videotape we haven’t seen yet, and he features so prominently in the spin-off Project Playtime.
I still think there’s a good chance that Boxy Boo will appear in Chapter 4 in some capacity. Or perhaps he’s destined to be the star of a different chapter further down the line – after all, we highly doubt that the Poppy Playtime series will end with just four chapters. The series is still incredibly popular, with the first three chapters even getting a physical release in recent months, and there are still plenty of secrets left to uncover, so we don’t see our adventures in the factory coming to an end any time soon.
Moving on to a set of toys we know appear in Chapter 4, the Poppy Playtime Nightmare Critters designs appear to mirror those of the Poppy Playtime Smiling Critters, with each Nightmare Critter appearing to contrast with a corresponding Smiling Critter. This leads us to believe that there’s some form of rivalry between the two lines of toys, perhaps even extending from the original promotional cartoon that they’re based on. The Nightmare Critters are more like angsty teens when it comes to personality, considerably darker than the childlike personalities of the Smiling Critters. Perhaps Baba Chops and co are deeper in the factory because they weren’t popular, failing to reach the same heights as CatNap and DogDay.
However, Tilly thinks there might be something a bit more sinister about the relationship between the two sets of toys, pointing out that Baba Chops, a Nightmare Critter, eats a mini Dog Day in the first teaser trailer. She believes that the new bunch is dominating the Smiling Critters, proving to be a greater threat. Honestly, that makes sense to me as well. Each chapter has stepped up the game, introducing more and more threats, and we know Chapter 4 is the most horrifying yet, so it stands to reason that the toys we encounter will be more dangerous than the last.
Additionally, we know that CatNap used the Smiling Critters to do his bidding. So, now that CatNap is gone, does Yarnaby see an opening to step into power, using the Nightmare Critters to do so? If that’s the case, we wish the toy luck, considering what the Prototype did to CatNap at the end of Deep Sleep.
Speaking of CatNap, we’ve long thought that his heinous gas belongs to him alone, but one look at the Yarnaby trailer reveals that the Red Smoke is making its return in Chapter 4, and appears to be traveling deep into the Poppy Playtime factory via some pipes. But why? We know that the Red Smoke is a semi-hallucinogenic, sleep-inducing gas that can induce maniacal behavior and nightmares, hence the reason CatNap was discontinued to begin with. Maybe this gas is what makes the toys below so much worse than what’s come before. Yes, we’re assuming that the toys are more deadly in Chapter 4, but considering they’ve gotten progressively worse across the first three chapters, Tilly and I feel this is a fair assumption.
Another possibility, as pointed out by Tilly, is that Playtime Co. used the gas to control the experiments that reside deeper in the factory. If you pay close attention throughout the Yarnaby teaser trailer, you can catch sight of bars, cells, and surveillance cameras, leading us to believe that we’re about to enter a prison or something akin to one. If that’s the case, using the gas around here makes sense, and it seems likely that we’re going to need to keep our masks close once again.
Before we go any further, let’s take a moment to think about who or what might reside in those cells. The most obvious take is that the scientists housed failed (or dangerous) experiments in them, though we think there’s also a chance that some of the children ended up here – perhaps the ones who lost their sanity during the horrid experiments. Another possibility is that it’s not just orphans that Playtime Co. experimented on, but criminals from outside the factory, too – maybe they had a shady deal with the government to provide test subjects as they continued their research. Either way, whoever the company kept here, it’s clear that they needed some security measures, and we think one of them is Poppy Playtime’s Yarnaby.
The child who became Yarnaby was Quinn Navidson, a young lad who formed quite an attachment with Doctor Henry Swayer after attempting to downplay his intelligence in the Game Station. Sawyer brainwashed him, turning the boy into Experiment 1166 – otherwise known as Yarnaby. The doctor intended to use him as a personal bodyguard, but Playtime Co. later ‘removed’ Sawyer, causing Yarnaby to lapse into an unresponsive, grief-stricken state. Given the nature of this company, we assume that ‘removed’ actually means ‘killed, so we think it’s unlikely that we’ll see Sawyer anytime soon.’ Sawyer’s replacement, Dr Carmine McKabe, then deemed Yarnaby a failure, ultimately leaving his fate to the higher-ups.
Our theory is that the higher-ups saw the same potential for Yarnaby as Swayer, ultimately turning him into some form of a guard or surveillance measure in the prison. There’s every chance that the desk and surveillance camera in the Yarnaby trailer once belonged to Henry Sawyer, but, considering the later events of the Hour of Joy, we think we’re onto something with our ‘he’s dead’ theory, even if he survived at the time. This further supports our assumption that a higher-up turned Yarnaby into a bodyguard to protect themselves instead. Who knows, perhaps even the Prototype has something to do with this, because, as Tilly points out, “the Prototype uses all of the main toys as its underlings until it no longer has use for them.”
Diving even further into a potential connection between Yarnaby and the Prototype, it’s heavily implied by the Chapter 4 Icepick ARG that Yarnaby can sew toys together, as shown by the Huggy plush sewn together by Yarnaby’s threads. During the Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 trailer, we see the silhouette of what we believe to be the Prototype, seemingly made up of multiple recognizable Poppy Playtime characters morphed into one. And, at the end of Poppy Playtime Chapter 2, Mommy Long Legs screams, “he’ll make me part of him.” Is it possible that Yarnaby is the one connecting these toys to the Prototype? If that isn’t the case, Yarnaby might be copying Experiment 1006. Either way, it’s something to consider.
Beyond Yarnaby being a possible guard in the prison, we also need to address the eyes that appear on the computer monitor, indicating someone is watching. This leads us nicely to our speculation on what the new mechanic may be. In Deep Sleep, you need to use a gas mask to traverse through areas full of CatNap’s sinister red gas – something we strongly believe you’ll need to do in the new chapter, too. However, as Mob claims Chapter 4 is set to be the biggest yet, we think it’s likely that there’s going to be another new gimmick. However, myself and Tilly have differing thoughts on what this might be.
Due to the likelihood of you going to a prison and dealing with someone watching our every move with security cameras and surveillance equipment, Tilly believes that we may have to hide from both Yarnaby and the cameras – a strong theory for sure, especially when you consider our other speculations. However, I think there might be a new mechanic through yet another new toy.
Following the official unveiling of Poppy Playtime’s Pianosaurus, I can’t help but think about how the secondary antagonist can play a role in the new installment of Mob’s horror game series. Well, as it’s a musical toy with piano-like keys on its body, what if there’s a portion of your adventure in which you need to rely on sound to determine where he is?
Both Poppy Playtime’s DogDay and Poppy Playtime’s Miss Delight have chase sequences in Chapter 3, just like Mommy Long Legs and Huggy Wuggy do in their respective chapters, so maybe Pianosaurus provides that in Chapter 4 instead, and I really hope to see his musical side play a part somehow. You never know; perhaps both Tilly and I are onto something with our theories on the new mechanic, meaning we might need to avoid cameras, listen for noises, and have limited vision due to the returning red gas. Yeah, we’d like to leave the factory now, please.
Okay, we know we aren’t leaving this hellhole any time soon. We end Chapter 3 on an elevator ready to take us down to whatever awaits below, and the trailer suggests that Chapter 4 picks up exactly where we left off. However, it’s interesting to note that it looks like we’re revisiting the caverns in Chapter 4, an area you visit ever-so-briefly in Deep Sleep. From the glimpses we’ve seen so far, these caves may serve as a mass grave for discarded (murdered) toys. If that’s the case, Yarnaby could be the grave keeper so to speak, as we see a shadowy figure resembling the toy in the trailer, skulking among the corpses on all-fours.
We’ve covered a lot of ground for what we might see in Chapter 4 and how the different toys may play a part, so allow me to move from theories into wishful thinking – we’re hoping that we’re going to save Kissy Missy. I love Kissy, Tilly loves Kissy, we all love Kissy, and we need to save her. At the end of Chapter 3, we begin to ride the elevator back up into Playcare as she screams in the background, clearly being attacked, and in the trailer, we hear more shouts from what appears to be Poppy herself. Is it Yarnaby who attacked Kissy? Is he dragging her through the cave system and further into the factory?
While my gut reaction tells me no, if we run with our theory that Yarnaby might be making a move for more power, it makes sense that he’d suddenly appear on CatNap’s turf after his demise. It could also be as simple as the Prototype attacking her, as we know he was in the area at the time. Regardless, we want her back. I hope and pray we save her in Chapter 4, but if I put wishful thinking to one side, we might not discover what happens to her until Chapter 5.
Well, that’s a lot of unraveling we just did, so much so that Yarnaby could probably sew Tilly and me to the Prototype with all that thread (please don’t). While there are many more theories with some merit, these are the ones that give us pause for thought, and you can be sure that we’ll revisit this article to see how right we are when Mob Entertainment finally releases Chapter 4.
In the meantime, check out our Poppy Playtime story explained article to remind yourself of what’s happened so far, then check out our Poppy Playtime Poppy and Poppy Playtime Ollie guides to learn more about some of the most important figures in this world.
