Game Theory: DON'T Trust Your Neighbor (Welcome Home)

[@alfredoakalilsavage1661]

Honestly, Eddie the Mailman is the only one who actually sounds irritated and frustrated with Barney B. I would too if someone was chasing me down.

[@tobysinbad]

Over a bowling ball delivery, too! That’s kind of a mean prank to play

[@lostmypocket1333]

He's also the only one who sounds like a real person. The others voices are all just pitched different even without the accent.

[@looneytoon76]

like the old stereotype of the mailman and the dog

[@average-art3222]

​@@looneytoon76yeah, like imagine getting chased by more dogs, like holy I feel sorry for Eddie, not to mention he would be the only one that Frank worried a lot, due to the whole dog and mailman enemies

[@JkUnderConstruction]

@RepentandbelieveinJesusChrist Huh?

[@kaitywillis3180]

Matpat didn't point it out, but it also makes sense for Franky to be growing food if he''s human. He's the only one that actually needs to eat.

[@mr.mikeygaming3723]

That makes sense I didn’t notice thqt

[@starace4031]

^Also just noting that Wally eats with his eyes so he likely isn't physically eating the sundae but somehow being nourished via his eyes. But it can be assumed that Barnaby is eating 'normally'.

[@Bugz-5683]

Is it just me or on the website when you play the sound "just so" when wally shows up frank seems a bit worried or scared of him

[@natastrophe.crochet]

I thought Frank was an owl

[@MrNoobRoblox]

Also another detail of frank being different is that everyone’s house is majority blue or red but franks who’s is green

[@fishbol478]

I also found it odd that frank’s the only one that can actually rotate his entire head around. It’s like he needs to keep watch of every corner of his surroundings or else he might get caught, if he hasn’t already.

[@TheOneWhoAsked33]

i think wally has suspicions

[@aidan3571]

Like “keeping your head on a swivel”

[@aulle7478]

I think it because Frank is an owl, so he can rotate his entire head

[@bluelfsuma]

Or that, unlike the others, his head is actually a mask/helmet. Detachable.

[@dewdr8p]

@@bluelfsumathats what I thought too

[@Otaku-lg1xn]

Frank’s name is the only one that doesn’t have an -ie or -y at the end. Wally, Barnaby, Julie, Sally, Poppy, Eddie and Howdy but then… Frank. He’s also said to be arguably the smartest neighbour in the neighbourhood in his character description.

[@TheOneWhoAsked33]

No, his full name is Frank Frankly

[@ToBe_Continued]

@@TheOneWhoAsked33True, but wally's full name is wally darling, so it's kind of moot point.

[@DaddyIsntDoneSpeaking]

​@@TheOneWhoAsked33Yeah. But Eddie's full name is Eddie Dear so like

[@joannetrueman6838]

The ie in names Reminded me Of Doki Doki literature club with Sayori Natsuki Yuri And With Monika Being the odd one out

[@caseywensnahan3543]

@@TheOneWhoAsked33 Except that the OP seems to be talking exclusively about first names.

[@congreve_cap]

Whether there are deeper lore implications to it or not, I do love the detail of Barnaby chasing Eddie, mailmen can’t catch a break from dogs even when they’re puppets 😂

[@cutiepie120048]

Yeah 🤣🤣🤣

[@caramelcwossont]

Yeah 😂

[@kaitlynmorgan4613]

omg i didnt even realize LMFAOOOOOOODGSHDGSHFHDGDJDGDJSDH

[@darkusbowser524]

Ha yeah it is very funny 😂😂

[@rb4632]

fr 😂

[@seantaylor5636]

13:33 Since this is Wally's perspective, this means that Wally probably placed the clothe pins like that and therefore knows that Frank is the odd one out. He might also be showing the rotting fruit because Frank isn't compatible with the neighborhood and so his plants rot in the soil of the neighborhood

[@Kingwinner2000]

I like that idea, I hope mat covers this in some way

[@zaadchima2209]

Then what if Wally is actually on Frank's side trying to fight home?

[@Kingwinner2000]

@zaadchima2209 that's kinda what I was thinking, but I think that Mat has covered that somewhere in his vids, either here or at GTLive

[@torytellstales]

Or perhaps Frank is NOT involved, but instead these videos from Wally's perspective are actually the true Wally crying out for help to us and is trying to show us this show was corrupted, while the drawings we're being shown were Home communicating to us and trying to lure us in.

[@torytellstales]

@@justsomeguywithnomustache6245 Thats true, but it also could be a too obvious red herring as well, a certain detail to throw us off into believing him to be evil, Wally may be dressed as the devil, but we don't get to see what Home looks like on Halloween... I don't know, this project is still early, so your prediction might be better than mine haha Also, I like your name

[@thisworldsans]

I'm going to be honest, the videos of the conversations between two characters that suddenly cut off when someone mentions Wally is exactly what it feels like to be caught dissociating/zoning out.

[@pizzeria_mayhem8736]

Actually, yeah you're right lol

[@Gemma-Majoran]

Clown has confirmed Some form of neurodivergency for Wally. popular NON gametheory theory is he has autism

[@starbittenpixieboy]

​@@Gemma-MajoranI thought that him being autistic was canon ?

[@stellanovaluna]

TRUE!!! I hadn’t noticed that but as someone with ASD and ADHD you’re absolutely right!

[@KingOfTheCorvids]

Yeah, Clown has posted/said that they want to explore neurodivergent themes in his work. So Wally dissociating/zoning is definitely one example of this.

[@Spadernator]

I wonder if Wally's last name, Darling, is a reference to Wendy Darling from Peter Pan. Is Home some kind of Neverland? A place where children never grow up? Is Wally going to need to choose between growing up or staying trapped within Home?

[@almessasorrow4950]

Note that in the original Peter pan Peter killed children who got too old,so in the original he doesn't age and no one LIVES to grow old

[@archiemosley2764]

@@almessasorrow4950 I hear that he acts like an angel and "Neverland" is Heaven.

[@Lovinia1]

@@almessasorrow4950 it said he takes them halfway to heaven so they wouldn’t be scared.

[@quued]

When you put it like that it seems definitely possible...

[@TEOX977]

Matpat seems like the kind of person who's entire house is filled with pictures connected to eachother with things written on the walls with a red marker

[@1dontkn0w71]

So... You're theorizing he theories

[@Itz_Berriblu]

No

[@suicune1324]

You mean he has a murderboard

[@Kraby.chronicles]

Oh yeah 100%

[@angusstuff]

Bots invasion 🪖🎖️💂💂‍♀️💂‍♂️

[@lexsiyette]

Side note to support this theory: When they mention Wally, his "possessed by home side" comes out, and you can clearly tell because in your last theory before this one you explained how Wally sometimes is warning us about home. "I can't see." when they mention Wally and his bad side is returning, the screen or perspective GLITCHES. That means Wally is losing is vision and "can't see" anymore. His evil side is returning. So when it's the whole "I can't see you can you see me" page, commonly he would definitely see us because his eyes are friggin glowing, but that's because he's shifting to his bad side and "can't see". He's warning us of what's yet to come.

[@jilliancrawford7577]

Julie is also associated with flowers, so Frank may be saying something about Julie lying as a lying flower. Bonus detail for this is that she is also known for making up ganes, playing pretend and taking her pretend games way too seriously, taking on the role to where you don't know if she believes she's the character or not. Sally's association with theatre is at least an honest and direct distinction between acting and being genuine, distinct from lying, which makes it all the more important to point to Julie in regards to themes of lying...

[@Deergon]

This along with the fact that Frank and Julie are referred to as best friends by the creator might actually mean that the two of them are working together just under Wally's (nonexistent) nose.

[@KingOfTheCorvids]

Isn’t Julie associated with having a shovel… Edit: Julie isn’t associated with having a shovel, I was trying to imply that maybe she buried whatever character. But I think my sleep deprived mind just conjured up a false memory.

[@HeyRae]

The

[@vupham-bz3te]

​@@WILDWINTER_BIRD The

[@jilliancrawford7577]

@@KingOfTheCorvids You might be thinking of that one drawing of Julie holding flowers with eyes and a human shrouded in black behind her holding a hammer/shovel/thing. I don't know if that piece is still canon or what the context for it is though, so I don't know how much weight it has in theory-crafting.

[@comicfan1324]

I always thought Frank had the coolest design. His natural puppet body is very neutral colored with its grays and blacks but then his attire is colorful and vibrant. A beautifully clashes with one another

[@pizzabean1181]

Matpat is the detective in a modern mystery movie, he gets it right just for the lore to go in a completely other direction

[@pizzabean1181]

Let me guess someone is gonna say “41 likes and no comments? Let me fix that.”

[@CreativeClubOfficial09]

67 likes and no comments? Let me fix that

[@pizzabean1181]

@@CreativeClubOfficial09bruh

[@Leafy-but-shes-a-lesbian]

Well I mean, you were right.

[@cesarv7685]

FNAF has cursed him to the point that we can't save him from his own sanity. Lel

[@sboy2044]

Before Home “Opens and closes its doors judgmentally”, Barnaby was talking about how Eddie is “getting better at running”, and that he’s scared easily. He’s obviously referring to him chasing him for the kazoo, especially since that’s what Barnaby brings up right afterwards. Thus Home being unhappy would make sense and have nothing to do with malicious intentions. Also, right before those final creaks and bangs, a silent creak is heard (which is also not mentioned in the transcript), which sort of sounds like a concerned whine, almost as if it’s worried for Wally. In the case of those last few noises though, while it could be interpreted as laughter, it might be it attempting to “wake up” Wally. Speaking of which, it seems like Wally isn’t just watching the other characters during the recordings. In none of them is he ever looking at a character, seemingly being spaced out, with him only moving his hand a bit in only one of them. This is further emphasized in that last recording, with Wally seemingly just blankly staring at his canvas, and Barnaby points out his strange behavior.

[@bajer_chaos]

There's also the scenes in the garden, they look like whoevers eyes we're seeing through is definitely shorter than the plants unless someone decided to just lay in Frank's garden potentially crushing some of his plants. I don't think we're seeing through wallys eyes I think we're seeing through the eyes of Frank's bugs

[@sboy2044]

@@bajer_chaos Well at least in that one, in at least two, we see Wally’s hands.

[@justaboy9406]

​@@sboy2044 If we see through the bugs eyes they could still just sit on wally or something. Interesting theorie worth considering

[@tacothursday7364]

​@@bajer_chaos So the bugs are basically listening/visual-recording devices that are able to essentially transport themselves & their cargo to the website - how fascinating! This would work with how: 1) in Eddie & Frank's dialogue, the supposed bug-trespasser in question is nestled in the paper chains, just like how the camera perspective seems to be tucked away in these paper chains too (the camera gets slightly lifted by the end of the audio, as if a certain Frank Frankly lifted it up, which matches what happens in the audio) 2) all the bugs are colorful beetles, butterflies, & other fluttery things since they're outside & about, Except for One: the actual cockroach for Barnaby & Home's dialogue; not only is it grossly fitting for the inside of the house, but, being a cockroach, it is also more impermeable than the beetles and other bugs - it's tailor-made & built to survive being in the belly of the beast: Home (and Wally by extension) Pinning this theory to my metaphorical investigation board, thank you very much!

[@mattcarr5572]

I think the clip about the flowers at 12:58 has an additional layer: Frank implies that blue flowers are lying and there are 3 blue figures. I wonder if the other 2 neighbors lying are Wally and Home or if there are secrets involving other neighbors that Frank hasn't yet revealed to us

[@cherrii.bombb_]

i think it would be wally and home, since wally lied to the other neighbors abt the true nature of home. and home is well, home.

[@audreyholmes9751]

Well but home is red? I can see Wally and Frank...but I think Barnaby is a better candidate...he's a trickster sure, but he can be outright rude. What if he's not apart of the neighborhood, but not on the side to expose the truth either...he could be the worst kind of wild card not only that but other than that I can't recall what purpose he serves for the neighborhood?

[@ChanChannel135]

Don’t forget the 5 P’s 1: do not publish PRIVATE info 2: stick to PUBLIC info 3: do not tressPASS 4: do not PHONE or harass anyone 5: keep the discussion in one PLACE

[@goodboi6329]

Based

[@Analog_Anarchist]

Don't forget the 3 R's 1: Be **Respectful** to others 2: Only use what has been **Recently** posted 3. Use **Reliable** sources for information

[@rylangrimes1239]

And the 3 P’s on how to treat the creator Clown: 1: stay Patient 2: be Polite 3: don’t Pressure anyone to create content

[@diamond-u9l]

​@user-ek8ml9mz1y what?

[@jujuoof174]

YES thank you!

[@gracehenderson6504]

Another thing that’s convincing of the Frank theory is that the image currently on the bottom of the homepage is laid out like the Last Supper with Wally as Jesus and Frank seated where Judas is

[@shealeighbabe]

this is really interesting. didn’t jesus know he was going to be betrayed?

[@billblaski9523]

What's this dude talking about Wally and cults?

[@siryarianthefirst3360]

@@shealeighbabeof course he did! Jesus knew everything that was going to happen, which is why he said to his disciples “one of you is going to betray me”. it came as a shock to all of them as they would never think of doing such thing, but it eventually happened. now thinking about that with this observation, i am sure someone knows the truth about frank.

[@RespawnJupiter]

​@@siryarianthefirst3360 My guess is Wally, or House, knows but if they *don't* then definitely Julie. She's his best friend and they're really close, remember? That has to mean something if Frank is scared and suspicious of everyone *but* her.

[@wanderer_1018]

WHOA

[@maxzapsgamingzepzeap2337]

Honestly even before all this was revealed Frank seemed like the odd one out. He’s clearly in the role of the straight man, the normal person among this batch of wonderful cartoony characters who’s there to point out how this is all weird. If anyone was gonna be a spy or an outlier it’d obviously be Frank

[@HazbinCovenWitch]

I wouldn't say Frank's "straight." 😂

[@michaelcheng9987]

@@HazbinCovenWitch It's the name of the comedic role he plays; the "straight man" to a "funny man/men". Someone who, as stated, is inclined to point or call out wackiness and silliness for what it is, rather than participate in it. Doesn't have to be straight, doesn't have to be a man either, it's a character archetype found in many works or fiction

[@HazbinCovenWitch]

@@michaelcheng9987 I was making a joke. It's not that deep. Chill. 😐🤨

[@ctrlf42]

@@HazbinCovenWitchi think your the one making it deep as they were only explaining what they ment by straight man

[@HazbinCovenWitch]

@@ctrlf42 I was making a joke. I knew what they meant. They're explaining it for no reason. Can no one make jokes anymore?

[@cyrusharmon2597]

Whether this or not, Frank is definitely something important. This is an ARG. Everything is thought out. There’s no way they just randomly don’t have a backstory for him

[@nightowlowo149]

What I like about this is that the creator isn't influenced by any media about it, so the answer has always been there from the start. No changes, no matter what. And there's always that one subtle clue that means nothing at the start, but it plays the biggest role as it is revealed. Some lore is just so ridiculously complex that I refuse to believe it isn't written along the way.

[@SyntheticCharmVA]

I'll clarify something, It is all planned out, but it's not exactly an Arg. hahaha.

[@fruitystarstar949]

​@@SyntheticCharmVAomfg it's you!!! /pos

[@buckethatboy8719]

Actually, Mat, that scopophobia tag most likely doesn’t have anything to do with lore. On tumblr, tags can be filtered so posts that have them attached will be blurred or otherwise not shown; this way, anyone who has scopophobia can filter that word, and anything tagged with it (usually art that stares directly at the viewer, like the Frank art) will be blurred so as not to trigger the viewer.

[@Blue-le8zc]

This could be an obvious answer, however along with the tag there is, like wally's drawings, little bits of the link that say it as well.

[@1dontkn0w71]

It's amazing how MatPat can find all these theories with such accuracy, I've been watching for years, he's been doing this content for years. Yet I'm still impressed

[@dutchdoggogang6882]

Dont talk about hollow knight lol

[@ThatOneTeen288]

Make a Kirby theory on smash Bros about the hundred ton form down b

[@namantherockstar]

Matpat inspires me.. My parents said if i get 50K followers They'd buy me a professional camera for recording..begging u guys , literally Begging...

[@lnagtshskullRRR]

@@KennuByte zWAAww2qq

[@hoziersexual]

​@@namantherockstaryeah, I've seen this comment before. You're not original.

[@solstice_soda701]

I remember having a suspicion about Frank because of all the bugs but I was a little too focused on Barnaby to really think about it. Since SOME of the unofficial artwork is now "cannon" I'd like to point out that the other unofficial artwork brought into cannon I've seen was the one with Wally posing with Barnaby's decapitated body. Maybe it represents Barnaby's involvement with Home? Since he was basically reporting back to Home in that last video clip. And Frank really is a unique puppet compared to the others. His spinning head really highlights the "puppet" part since the rest of the comments on the other's designs are more based on how to make them move and act as if they were alive. Maybe the person inside of Frank's costume added that in to try and blend in more? Theres also a lot of Frank content compared to the others. He has video clips with Poppy, Barnaby, Eddie, multiple clips with Julie, then theres the "Just So" song demo. I love how Welcome Home has told its story so far and how much it makes me think. Maybe the next update will have a focus on another neighbor? Julie possibly? Theres plenty of flowers around the pages already and with her ability to talk to plants being highlighted at least 3 times (from what I remember) AND that unofficial artwork of Julie holding a flower with an eye in it with a human holding a bloodied hammer behind her. She seems the most likely candidate.

[@TRexila]

I think you might be on to something with julie being the next neighbour update!

[@Glitch1718]

I like how matpat graduated from Duke University, which has an acceptance rate of like 5% and specializes in medical practice, to make theory about video games and other popular media

[@Cubeytheawesome]

And to also go mentally insane.

[@mantis-manthegreat]

Bro majored in Neuroscience and Theatre, and graduated as valedictorian, and even got a perfect score on his SAT. What does he do now? Theorize about video games, food, film, and style.

[@ellarasei4404]

@@mantis-manthegreat and what a great way to live your life. he has a sucessful compamy and a great family and we can't forget about steph

[@mantis-manthegreat]

@@ellarasei4404 honestly yeah. Granted he met Steph in college so they still likely would've been together- but they are LIVING THE LIFE

[@adambaumgartner6683]

Those are clothes pins

[@jxmus3]

I like how Mat is bringing a different view/perspective to the theory table. As someone on the WH Reddit we all have some sort of shared idea of what the story is abt, but Mat brings things that we haven't touched on or thought abt and I really enjoy that

[@jeffypaul8251]

Idk how mat is always able to connect such obscure dots in every theory he makes, man must be a genius.

[@masknzgamer]

It's called having a full team

[@Susi092]

@@masknzgamerand doing it for 10 years

[@adamcannonmusic]

I believe the human looking colorful things representing the neighbors are clothes-drying-line pins/clips. They keep washed clothes from falling off of a drying line. Hope this helps, MatPat!

[@russelltodd5255]

Yup, indeed, clothes pins. The old fashioned kind before the ones with springs.

[@akemitsukino]

I was surprised he didn't know what those are!

[@lakewoodninja]

I believe they make mention of a 'fence to keep bugs out'

[@iamthewalrus8391]

clothespins can be used in gardening for handling plants, especially for thorny ones or ones that can irritate your skin like TOMATOES you can use clothes pins like tongs

[@BeanShoes0817]

I'm not convinced that Wally was ever acting out of malice. To me, it feels more like he's another victim of Home. He's just so deep into whatever corruption is beneath the neighborhood that it's starting to show in his behavior. Maybe related to everyone else having moved into the neighborhood from elsewhere? They've all had limited exposure to Home and whatever is inside of it, but Wally's been trapped with it for his entire life.

[@smurfcat-i8i]

54 likes but no comment let me fix that

[@KK-hd1jw]

I was kinda caught off guard by the “scopophobia” at the end- When I first looked into Welcome Home (watching gtlive) I had a sudden bout of paranoia. I was sat on my bed, closet door ajar, when I suddenly became aware of the eyes found everywhere on the website. I felt like eyes were looking at me from the closet, under the dresser, and every blind spot I had. I hid under my blankets, something I hate doing cuz it’s hard to breathe, and called my friends. Later, I was looking into what all of that was about and read about Scopophobia

[@gruismybestie]

stop i think u just gave me scopophobia-

[@AkiliClaireAmethyst]

The humanoid things in the garden are clothes pins. They're also popular to use to make worry dolls; a doll you keep in your pocket to tell your worries to.

[@j_side7733]

Thought for discussion, how is Frank getting the videos? If the lens for the video is from Wally's eyes, it's possible the footage is being stored in Wally's memory or somewhere in Home. How then is Frank getting the footage to uplaod and more importantly, how does Frank know the footage exists? Just curious of what others think.

[@frankielovejoy9928]

Here's my take: Maybe if we assume these are meant to be clips from the show itself, that would mean they're just filmed as if they were through Wally's POV, not through Wally himself. To the point where I wonder if Wally the puppet has cameras in his eyes as part of the show, and they just record random things when Wally isn't an active part of a scene. That would explain how Frank knows about it. He was *present* for and *involved* with the filming. He knows about the footage. These clips were filmed through Wally, but it was Frank who uploaded them in the first place. Perhaps, unlike Wally, who seems to have a more supernatural ability to control the website, Frank actively *hacked* the into the website the normal way in order to get that footage in. Or maybe, like Wally, Frank has someone on the inside of the restoration crew helping him get the footage out. There has to be more than one person involved in the project. Maybe this person is even Frank's original puppeteer. Maybe in that picture of Frank with the human hands, those hands belonged to Frank's puppeteer. Why else would he have human hands unless those hands belonged to someone important? Wally doesn't seem to realize he's a puppet. He might not realize his *neighbors* are puppets.

[@illusoryVice]

In the video where Barndaby chases Eddie down, Eddie makes a comment that Wally is looking around-it's what alerts him to Barnaby to begin with. In other words, we might not be getting the scenes directly from his eyes.

[@BB-oo5ws]

Frank legit put a bug on him

[@illusoryVice]

@@BB-oo5ws EXACTLY!!

[@j_side7733]

@@BB-oo5ws that's so clever, I love that

[@colekiesler6218]

I still love Frank for actually being the one who is the most aware of what I’d going behind the scenes in the Welcome Home universe almost remembering that his role was to. E the most knowledgeable out of the Welcome Home group. Hope later on he will possibly find a way to save Wally and the other residents from Home’s control.

[@joliegunn2270]

I agree

[@liv.H5174]

I wonder if the human hands mean that the messages aren’t just from frank, but his puppeteer. Someone who could technically act in the show world and the real one. We really don’t know much about the puppet show aspect of welcome home. I wonder what happened to the crew?

[@zooftra]

In the image of Frank surrounded by parts of himself, the hands are posed in a specific gesture known as the "El Greco Gesture" which was used a lot in paintings from the 1500-1700s. One of the potential meanings is thought to be "an indication of sincerità (sincerity, honesty or frankness) or a vow or an oath" INTERESTING

[@TRexila]

'Frankness' you say? from Frank Frankly? joking aside tho that's appropo ahah

[@greenamber9827]

I was wondering about possible symbolism in the picture.

[@KingOfTheCorvids]

What if Frank made a vow to the tenth puppet?

[@KingOfTheCorvids]

There was a tenth clothes pin that you can see the edge of as Wally is swaying to the left.

[@marklance5921]

​​@@KingOfTheCorvidswhat if the 10th puppet was the real Frank and this fake Frank is a human in the puppets costume. What if the real Frank saved the human and the human is trying to rescue the others as a form of thanks?

[@kunaikiarasomeone]

I'm still not convinced Wally and Home are the same. It seems to me like Wally's dissociating and Home brought his attention again, maybe possessing him? Sure, but they're still two different beings

[@SoftySenpaii]

My theory is that there is two Wally's - Puppet Wally and Character Wally. The former is controlled by HOME, while the latter is the one we are 'talking' to. It's the best I can personally explain the difference with why Wally appears to be two different characters in certain instances.

[@cookiegames8464]

i honestly have no idea where the idea that home is possesing wally came from, and i cant see how thats a thing? yeah home is involved somehow but i dont know how. maybe im being to shallow but wally seems like he either has two sides to himself, or hes just his own cult leader? i dont even know

[@shealeighbabe]

@@cookiegames8464i was popularized w/ the art of wally trapped inside home. some ppl speculated that he was being possessed

[@apollotherat]

I've had a theory since the first iteration of the website that Frank was unique. He immediately stands out as the only neighbour (besides home) whose name doesn't end in an 'ee' sound. His backstory also being hidden was another clue straight away. Great theory and I can't wait to see where the story goes from here!

[@KaiijuBaiit]

I’ve been thinking about how he’s the only one who’s a ‘bland’ color. Everyone is so bright and cute and he’s grey

[@off-the-grounder568]

His full name is Frank Frankly.

[@lilyung3203]

I saw his hammer is engraved by the name of "Franke" yes with an e

[@russmastermasterofrusses7463]

Alternate idea, Blue clothespin could be Barnaby. Out of everyone, he seems to be the most disruptive to the rest of the neighborhood, and doesn't seem to be suspicious of anything. Maybe he actually knows more than he lets on, and is hiding the fact, or he actively keeps denying everything wrong. Maybe that's why the rest of the neighborhood doesn't like him, as all but him are aware the neighborhood is corrupt. It would also be why Barnaby was talking directly to home with the last bug, because he's useful. Home could be using Barnaby to unwittingly spy on the rest of the neighborhood. but hey, THAT'S JUST A mini theory.

[@rakeemkhai2067]

I may be reaching but this episode has made me think more about Wally's laugh. In the videos on the site, creaking doors are suppose to be Home laughing. Wally's laugh is so distinct and intentionally spaced. It kinda sounds like the creaking of a door.

[@Starship1v1]

MatPat is on the grind with all these welcome home lore vids

[@DecafInvidia]

My goodness. The only comment I 've seen related to the topic, and that isn't a bot or someone saying "matpat is back to clear my boredom"

[@alxD-ayy]

@@DecafInvidiafrrr

[@Alayshia09]

We NEEDED more analog horror like theories. And this video does not disappoint

[@AprilSamurai]

Go to film theory channel that's where the analog horror videos are

[@kennedylo]

I know this is just a theory, but I would have liked if MatPat covered/explained if bugs can be trained. If he did then I would be more inclinded to consider this theory. Since if Frank was trying to reach out to us why would he send a letter to Wally about the bugs? Was the letter sent so Wally could be aware, but Wally disregarded it? Since if Home and Wally are essentially masterminds then would they not have an explination for Frank's discovery? I

[@Col_Fire]

Am I the first to notice that Wally's hair is also a spiral, probably representing House's control over his mind?

[@blankspace9793]

In regards to what is in Frank's garden- it looks like colored clothes pins. Its odd but it could be something that's meant to be pretend flowers. If you're in a world of puppets it wouldn't make sense to grow real flowers for a set, and using house hold items for props could add sense of whimsy. The one buried upside down could be Wally's attempt at gardening. And when you listen to sally and howdy's interactions, yes Howdy could be pulling a fast one on Sally, or he could be using things they have on set to be 'make believe food' because even though the camera isn't rolling they're still putting on a show in a sense, for home or for themselves. The rotten food in Frank's garden could have been found in the garbage, but even though it's 'real food', they still can't eat it, so it becomes a prop instead.

[@NolaFlower]

Yes, those are definitely old-fashioned clothes pins. I think that it is notable that they are something that belongs outside but are not garden tools.

[@tacothursday7364]

Which audio has Sally & Howdy interacting? I can't seem to find it

[@silver_dusk]

Frank frankly being a secret spy within the home cult working against a possessed walley, darn it, the lore goes DEEP, also I kinda weirdly hope Clown is able to make the “lost” welcome home episodes from the story in the future, if they are in the financial position to do so, it would be so cool for the arg to do but the website itself tells such an extensive and interesting story already in such a unique format already, so it might not be necessarily needed.

[@SpikeKing19]

At 5:05 those looks like home made strawberry clips. Those are used in the house plant community to root things ( such as if roots have rotten, the plant has got an infection and had to be cut back or the roots were attacked by root mellies). It looks a little weird that one is buried upside-down.

[@Clown69694]

Who agrees with me: MatPat should bring back the game theory intro.

[@backwardsangels]

He really should, the Film Theory one too, I miss them

[@ThatDigitalDemon]

make this a petition Bring back the Intro: Game Theory and Film Theory

[@imintoomanyfandoms1076]

Where do I sign?!

[@Mrman414]

Yea

[@fiercestarthecat42]

bring back all the theory intros!

[@H0stile_Edits]

when I’m bored matpatt always comes out of nowhere and shows me one of my fav games/story’s

[@torazely]

So, Wally is the cult leader currently possessed by Home, Barnaby is probably his second in command being best friends and all, and Frank is the spy trying to take it all down. But I think Eddie might play some part to. Out of all the neighbor bio pages, his is the only one that has one of Frank's bugs on it (which parallels the video of Eddie trying to get Frank to get the bug out. Perhaps it's a sign for us to look there, or a reflection that the bugs are ACTUALLY scattered around Home too.)

[@carolinemcgovern4488]

Honestly, I think Eddie having some part makes sense as in the original version of the site, Frank and Eddie were supposed to be married, but I'm not sure if that part of their relationship still applies to this update.

[@Slc451]

@@carolinemcgovern4488 I think they're still canonically in a relationship but not married and me just saying that makes me hate the theory that frank is a human in disguise / spy

[@marykateharmon]

@@Slc451 Eddie though has an interesting thing where he literally doesn't recall where his home was before home though. So, this theory might still work for what you want if we consider that Eddie might also be human and was outright kidnapped by home.

[@Slc451]

@@marykateharmon OK that's better threory I like that one :) 👍

[@jaketaller8567]

Did anyone on Team Theorist check out the Halloween update last month? Not only did we get a new fun Halloween story where it seems like Sally knows a dark truth about the neighborhood, but theres also a new bug with a brand new hidden Wally POV vid where it looks like he gets possessed by Home yet again.

[@weeksauce11]

I always kinda thought that frank would try and take Wally down, knowing how since he’s more grumpy then everyone else. He sees through Wally’s lies.

[@AkaTheUniverse]

Is it just me, or are the “humanoid” things MatPat asked about just colorful old clothespins? Awesome video as always!

[@Alexrider02]

I was literally looking at them as he spoke like, "Gar...gardeners? Matthew, those are clothespins." I guess maybe he's just never seen that style of clothespin?

[@Yami-no-Neko]

Yeah, but why having the clothes pegs arranged like that? I also don't think those have a lot of uses on gardening (then again, I don't know about that topic)

[@sinfinite7516]

Yeah the editor put a note in the video

[@marmar9668]

Yep. Dude's a little whacked out if you ask me.

[@kassandrajack3818]

They are used to hold the plant cards to identify plants in more ‘fancy’ gardens or nurseries

[@ChriseanMcInnis]

This reminds me of Frank and Wally's conversation about smiling and how Wally can't help it but Frank can, Frank is the middle man of the neighborhood, the glue that holds both sides, the neighborhood and reality, the viewers, the us.

[@OatUnderscore]

Thats actually really interesting. How a simple character that no one ever thought about could actually be more important than we previously thought.

[@TheDxrian]

Honestly theorist intros are getting more and more impressive, keep it up editors😁

[@Mcblocksy-funny-vids]

5:16 i love this part for no reason

[@thatoneweirdspy]

I’m surprised Matpat didn’t make a dog chasing mailman joke-

[@Mcblocksy-funny-vids]

@@thatoneweirdspynow THATS comedy

[@TheAmityElf]

Love the observations about Frank, but the scopophobia tag is usually just an accommodation for those who have scopophobia, to let them know the image contains eyes looking at the viewer.

[@HungryWarden]

Wait, is it really that bad if you have scopophobia? Can you not look at a photo with eyes and focus on the eyes without being disturbed?

[@phoenixvalentina3741]

​@@HungryWardenjust like with most fears, there is a spectrum. How bad is the fear? Is it a slight fear and you get uncomfortable with attention or is it crippling and anything to do with eyes freaks you out? I had a friend who could barely go up a staircase because she had a crippling fear of heights. It all depends

[@travisb.honest2438]

I have to say that in future updates Barnaby will be strangly absent or different in any new material, maybe characters mentioning that Barnaby is missing or different. Like you said, the house was not happy that he was making other characters miserable. What punishent he suffered will probably be shown in the next update.

[@enchantedpsychic4988]

I believe he was killed as evidenced by the buried blue clothespin (Frank and Barnaby literally talk about how he’s blue)

[@memescoffee3173]

​@@enchantedpsychic4988there was the art with Wally standing with Barnaby's headless body

[@enchantedpsychic4988]

@@memescoffee3173 Yes but that’s not canon

[@kitkat6128]

​@@memescoffee3173 theres also the rock on the main page of the website that looks a lot like barnaby, you can even see his hand. and in the "have you heard?" artwork in the news, theres a tiny drawing of barnaby under wally's finger, with a paragraph of illegible text next to it. it seems almost reminiscent of a missing person warning, especially since theres a suspiciously barnaby-colored patch on the chair wally's sitting on...

[@tacothursday7364]

@@kitkat6128 To fit with your theory of Barnaby being man-made (and therefore ...dividable and replaceable), it says on the About Us page: "Someone thinks there are patterns to make your own Barnaby. Could you imagine?" Perhaps there are deeper reasons why Barnaby is so close to Wally..

[@CaptainBlackJackVR]

Can we all agree matpat never disappoints

[@3SEAGULLARTIST3]

Agree

[@cmflamedragon4194]

Agreed

[@Itz_Berriblu]

Hm

[@CaptainBlackJackVR]

@safoutop10104 I wish you luck

[@anastasiagamgoneishvili]

Absolutely! He has great theories!

[@ArshaGupta-y5f]

The site is amazing. I also found this text written with invisible ink on a document in the site. It is" Everything is so disgusting to touch. Sometimes the mail doesn't come for weeks. I want to rip everything I have. My head feels so muddled too. Ever since I opened that envelope."

[@sapphirewingthefurrycritic985]

I think its safe to say that maybe Frank is talking to us and Wally. He could be trying to fight just Home because Home is the true evil while Wally just only really seems to be doing what Home tells him to do because he is terrified of Home. Listening to Wally sing Beautiful Dreamer, he sounds scared or hesitant. He doesn't want to do this.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Mattpatt always makes our days with his theories!

[@isaacrodriguez5102]

i know right!!!

[@ToganzLikesToAnimateYT]

true tho

[@ToganzLikesToAnimateYT]

@k32ev8in?

[@tyutyururu]

Have a nice day

[@vicentet.4538]

fr

[@nikkikyu7291]

I wouldn’t want to disregard Clown’s claim of their art page being non-canon to the WH lore, but I do like the idea of Frank being aware of what may be going on.

[@KingOfTheCorvids]

The Frank art was posted on the Welcome Home website on staff only page in the background.

[@magicshadow5357]

It could be Clown's way of putting a pre-existing image into canon? Maybe so they can choose which images are and aren't canon, because that image is very clearly on the website and therefore should be in the story. Though I agree that we should respect Clown's claim.

[@sweetbnuy]

​@@magicshadow5357 there's no way that "respecting the author's wishes" would mean that anything they post/posted on their private acc are not to be relevant for canon even when it is put in their not private acc... If we were to follow that line then the entirety of Welcome Home was in the past already a private thing, so we should "respect the author" and not even look at it even if it's now not private.

[@divinegokublackrose]

If Matpat got a choice between knowing the lore of any game, game series, or arg, or get a million dollars, he would choose the lore

[@justanotherartchannel6488]

Esp if its fnaf

[@levistar53173]

@@justanotherartchannel6488 agreed.

[@streetystarz]

Yay more Welcome Home theories!! So glad this fandom grew as much as it did.

[@pepelagarto8110]

Im glad Frank is getting more protagonism He is my favorite neighbor since the beggining

[@iiStrxwbxrryii]

Me too bro (TWINNSSSS!!!)

[@HeisenbergFam]

Matt's sequel to this series is the sequel we didnt deserve, but needed. Thank you for quenching our thirst for quality content

[@Isniffyourtastytoes]

Heisenberg 🙂

[@anastasiagamgoneishvili]

I see you everywhere I swear…

[@DefinitelyOriginal]

How'd you get in my house?

[@distinguishedkorok]

Hullo

[@The-azul]

@k32ev8inplot twist of the century 😲

[@THATJAZZPIANIST]

Lol I spent the first two days of the new welcome home update when it first came out and I had a theory that Frank was trying to communicate with us, and when I heard Matpat say that made me really happen. What I’m really wondering is if Frank is disguising himself how did he marry Eddie?

[@cynnie_art]

one thing that stood out to me is that the only person that provides the site with info is 'the question answerer' and in the description of frank is the sentence 'He was also a source of information for the other neighbors when an answer to a question was needed as noted in old scripts, but it would often be discredited for comedic effect.'

[@Ace_Of_All_Cards]

12:51 I feel like the reason why he has all those body parts that resemble him, is his past lives, actually finding out the truth, but Wally doing some thing like in that Barnaby video, probably killing him, rebuilding him, resetting him so he could stay on “script” and he’s the only one that knows the truth to the point where he’s pretending that he doesn’t know, and I feel like he’s not afraid of being found out I feel like he’s actually afraid because Wally is always around watching them, and if my theory of Frank, finding out the truth so many times, Wally would probably be keeping an ion him, literally looking at him, creepily making sure that he’s in line which explains his fear

[@JOOBIIE]

mattpatt is the only guy helping me keep up with these games

[@chanelleright]

Yeah, i wouldnt know any of these games if it wasnt for matpat

[@lolliii5477]

...but at what cost

[@chanelleright]

@@lolliii5477 at matpats sanity😂

[@AttractorsAltAccount]

this is literally not a video game its a website horror project

[@chanelleright]

@@AttractorsAltAccount but other games are

[@morgann2938]

Calling it now. We're going to uncover some remnant of a pilot episode, and the only characters are going to be Wally and Frank. Maybe Home, but logistically it doesn't make sense for a pilot to have a giant, expensive prop like that. Of course, we know so little about the production of the show that I can't be confident one way or the other on that. But I am certain that Wally and Frank were the firsts, and that this is why they don't have origin stories. After them, every additional cast member warranted a justification for why they weren't in the neighborhood to begin with. For some reason. They're also the only two who have shown awareness for being puppets so far. Wally makes a joke about his fuzziness, Frank points out that dogs aren't supposed to be blue. They're very subtle hints, but it's more self-awareness than we've seen from anyone else. (And to clarify, I think everyone knew they were on a TV show. I don't think they all understand that they're puppets. It's an important distinction.)

[@bdpickett]

9:50 I'm pretty sure those are just old fashioned clothespins, Matt. Gardeners use them for various purposes, like marking what plant grows where or dealing with vines.

[@Mainewinter7453]

Those colorful things seen at 9:55 are old fashioned clothes pins for hanging up laundry & used for other purposes such as gardening to help them grow the direction desired. I was born in the 90's and the ones my mother had where just like this just not colored and light wood color as they are made from wood. We used them for both purposes as we hung out laundry 🧺 and had pumpkins 🎃 in our garden funny enough of a coincidence. Love your videos Matpat!! Wishing you & the fam the very best!! From: my family To: yours.

[@missingpng7225]

10:36 What if it was Barnaby? Seeing as they are literally talking to home about all they did and seem to think nothing wrong is happening, while the other neighbors (including home) dislike him, he would be ignorant as to how they are upset

[@CatherineAnthonyLockley]

I love how he has 4 different channels and is managing all of the writing theories, figuring out recipes and making timelines. 4!!!

[@johnhammond7202]

Well, Matpat turning the quote my Mom always told me as a kid into a disturbing warped intro is not the way I expected him to ruin my childhood after all these years.

[@mcnamera]

Matpat is the only person that can turn a couple of seconds into sixteen minutes and eighteen seconds.

[@gilagal777]

This is like- the one video this doesn't apply to- There is well over an hour of new content on the website, not sure what you're referring to with 'a couple of seconds' lol

[@the.Muffet_man]

nah nah nah a few seconds into 1:43:27

[@mcnamera]

I meant like a person could just say like "welcome home has some hidden stuff" lol! buti agree once I basically binged the website 💀@@gilagal777

[@irionuchiha3823]

@@gilagal777 he's just trying to be a comedian like most in the comment section.

[@TheAnonymousKnightOfJustice]

​@@irionuchiha3823yeah👍🏻

[@delilahbishop]

You might have doomed Frank, if this is a fourth wall break. Bringing him to light with how he is exposing the cult might have endangered him in his universe and it could lead to his disappearance. 'F' in the comments below for Frank.

[@dumbassproductions9005]

F

[@stacyaaa9471]

Imagine,if in the next update Frank's house is just gone because of this,IT WILL BE COOL TO SEE.

[@bluelfsuma]

F

[@ukor2419]

F

[@DaddyIsntDoneSpeaking]

F

[@Modernstories2]

I like how when i watch any of mattpat’s theories i feel like i’m watching a story

[@georgewebb9074]

Got to say welcome home is now one of my favourite pieces of media right now

[@themeparksheep1008]

We can all agree he doesn’t disappoint but not everyone has to say it. I hope mat pat knows he doesn’t already

[@acel.5969]

I think all of the characters in Welcome Home serve an important role, none of them are side characters at all even if we haven’t seen much of them yet. Wally, Home, Barnaby, and Frank clearly have something explicitly different about them so far, but there’s definitely more. Julie is Frank’s best friend, and Frank being a mole could also implicate her because of their bond. Eddie is Frank’s husband, and as a mailman he could have the ability to leave the neighborhood. Sally’s backstory could be viewed as a religious experience since she fell from the sky. Poppy, Howdy, and Barnaby each have last names that represent their species instead of their personality. The others are Joyful, Dear, Starlet, Darling, and Frankly, but theirs are Beagle, Pillar, and Partridge. I’m pretty sure every little detail is fully intentional.

[@akushibluepawscreations]

I honestly love that Frank seems to be important for the lore since he’s my favourite of the neighbors 🫶🏻

[@browniefox7218]

Wow I find this so interesting! I haven’t heard anyone point out the strangeness of Frank except for matpat!

[@dhenextalice]

MatPat is the main reason why I'm so invested in welcome home

[@-Ouroboros-]

I feel like the website isn’t going to update before MatPat retires..

[@randomnerd5502]

So I also found something. In the hidden audio of Frank and Julie, Frank mentions that Howdy didn't like his rendition of the flea and the fly. I googled this and a poem called the flea, the fly and the flue came up. Its about a flea and and fly trying to escape a flue (chimney). There's also a version where the flea/fly dies from the flu. So Frank is possibly calling for help through mediums such as poems!

[@oddball7888]

I love the current editing style for Game Theory! It’s changed and improved so much since the beginning! Amazing job editors! :D.

[@apparatus6790]

I actually had the theory that frank was the one that knew due to how smart he was and how scared/nervous he is sometimes with the others. *so glad we agree* 🥹

[@yahairarodriguez8115]

The intros to Game Theory never cease to amaze me

[@chadharger9323]

10:10 . To answer Matpat's question - Those are old style clothes pins that were colored. And yes young children used to treat them like dolls. . .or puppets. Just take a magic marker with a narrow point and tap on a couple of eyes. Some kids would even glue child friendly pipe cleaners on for the arms.

[@RadioballZ129]

Thank you

[@Future_nebula]

When I was younger, I pretended they were action figures The second MatPat had that on the screen I knew what it was and I’m happy to know

[@opheliaelliott8167]

it kind of makes sense that frank could be human wearing a costume, since he is the only character that can rotate his head fully 360. this would make sense if it was a costume since the real puppets could only possibly rotate to look left and right, not a full circle like frank!!

[@just__lucy__hi]

Go Matpat He never fails to disappoint

[@leeanngoddess3445]

Hey hey, I didn’t read enough comments to see if this was said, though I believe those colorful pegs are clothes pins. My grandma hung her clothes outside even till these days and I remember her clothes pins like these color pegs in the dirt with the blue one upside down. Definitely hope that helps and so excited to see the next video!

[@KaydenReimer]

Hear me out, in the gt live, you were wondering why they pointed out that his head swivels 360 degrees, and I think it’s more a design point to elaborate that he is able to see the full picture instead of what is simply put in front of him, the opposite of how Wally can only see what’s in front of him during the videos, a stark contrast

[@Brasswatchman]

7:25 "ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL," huh? We sure that Home isn't a Reaper?

[@gamerexe7605]

10:17 what if the head in the dirt isn’t “head in the sand”, but it is a bit more literal. Home has a large spot under it, and it has goo leaking out, what if “Home” isn’t literally the character who we know, and is a puppet of sorts that has the goo controlling it (the goo is it’s head, thus having its body above its head). That also partially explains how the goo and Wally are connected. Wally was infected with the goo, and thus, he and home are connected. He only started to diverge and show 2 “personalitys” (I can see, but it is still… I can’t see) after a while because the goo was wearing-off, so the goo didn’t have as strong of a hold. The effect on Home never leaves because Home is literally on top of the source (hence why we only see the goo if the image of home is moved)

[@thomasseidler6137]

06:32 My big sister, Christi, showed me this yesterday, and when I heard that sound effect, I was a little bit terrified. 😢

[@Snapdragon-zj2pp]

10:25 those are clips used for laundry. Maybe usable for clipping plants to sticks to keep them upright or something but as a kid I’d play with them and make them walk around and what not. Surprised matpat doesn’t recognize them

[@poebux7359]

This was perfect. The way that everyones lines match for every moment is appauling!

[@seancrumlish10]

The things in the garden are wooden clothes pins, the flat ones fell out of fashion in favour of the 'dolly peg' style and then onto modern clothes pegs. The flat ones aren't really that common today outside of those produced for arts and crafts :)