WHEN IS FNAF 1?? The most IN DEPTH Guide You'll EVER Need - fnaf theory

[@secondagent5998]

Idk why you put the bear in the thumbnail but to answer your question: it's 2024 right now

[@CandiBuunny]

Oh my gosh you're RIGHT

[@Duckz4bucks]

@@CandiBuunnyI’m not surprised at all that FazEnt was illegal with payment rofl

[@somebodyreallycoolsakm]

that's debatable, it could be 2025

[@decayingfairy3996]

@@somebodyreallycoolsakmit would be 2000…

[@BA13REDYoutuber]

God I wish there was a way to retweet KZbin comments

[@DrButthugger]

I like the Candi bunny lore we’re learning: grew up sheltered, wrote a ton of scholarly papers, an affinity for spreadsheets

[@CandiBuunny]

You could almost write my biography at this point!

[@fork3810]

Next video: Comprehensive guide to what finding out year Candi’s first spreadsheet took place

[@TheHaddonfieldRegistry]

​@@fork3810over analyzing EVERY cell of candi's spreadsheet

[@BA13REDYoutuber]

Microsoft Excel is very addictive. I use it for literally everything from finances to planners to calendars, to even pixel art

[@calebkelly8221]

Candi LOOOOOOOOORE!!!

[@alexknj1]

Im so glad that the community seems to be past the "Scott doesn't do anything by accident" era. I don't blame anyone for thinking that way, except maybe Scott for not being more open about the series, but I think its what really held down early Fnaf Theory. Im also glad we're in this decentralized era, where instead of most focus being on MatPat, we've got this web of theorists that all intersect and reference each other. Really makes the space feel more like a community than ever. And one more thing, I love the idea that Micheal was flipping through his security logbook, saw the old coupon, then saw that the math problem was equal to 27, thought to himslef "hey, $16 back then is about $27 today!", and then decided to cryptically point that out on the coupon. Which means that either he knows inflation numbers off the top of his head or was bored enough to look them up. And that he either knew he was making a puzzle book, or thought that putting a cryptic inflation calculation puzzle woild be fun enrichment for the ghosts inside the book, who are children and probably dont know what inflation even is.

[@TheWizardMus]

In The Real Jake, Jake describes his older brother as being obsessed with money so genuinely Micheal could have inflation statistics memorized. In a better timeline Micheal could be the best econimist known to FNaF

[@Quinhala11]

What held it down was Scott's poor writing, retconning, and bad planning, not the community expecting the story to be cohesive and have standards. Now nothing really matters, anything could happen and there's gonna be some contrived explanation for why it's the case and an even more contrived explanation for why what used to contradict it doesn't apply anymore.

[@neptuneplaneptune3367]

Considering he worked at Fazbear Frights longer then we control him, I can easley see Mike just being seriously THAT bored. What else is he gonna do fore 6 hours?

[@WitchCecelia]

Idk, I think the title change to "survival log book" in red pen hints that Michael was trying to leave hints to future night guards without it being explicit. But yeah, definitely glad for this "second generation"/decentralized theorist community has definitely eschewed the old "Scott doesn't do coincidences" and giving special leeway for 1-3

[@alexknj1]

@@WitchCecelia Great use of "eschewed", gotta love seeing a rare word out in the wild.

[@ToyFreddyGaming1987]

4:18 is honestly so true. Its sometimes easy to forget that Scott was making the lore up as he went along, meaning that some things probably didn't mean anything when they were introduced. I think this is most prevelant with the "Shadow" animatronics. When they were first introduced, what did they truly represent. Personally I think they were created to simply be spooky Easter Eggs to catch the player off guard like the other Easter Egg animatronics in FNaF 2. They were only given story significance later in FNaF 3. I think this could also apply to the paycheck. It being 120$ could simply be a cruel joke that you *risked your life* for _below minimum wage_ (of 2014). Seems in line with the sense of humor Scott has.

[@UnwitheredTruth]

Holy moly you were not exaggerating when you said this would be the most comprehensive video on this subject. Really love how you presented all the different arguments so fairly. Also you have no idea how vindicating it is to have you point out the mobile phone image I used 😂 I put lots of those little details in my video which are purely for my own satisfaction, but this makes me know they're worth it. Glad you pointed out that the art of the phone isn't necessarily reliable. To add onto that point - Ralph describes the phone as "large" and most of the 90s phones were known for being the opposite. I also find it interesting that he doesn't own one - which I thought might be evidence for it being a newer, less adopted technology. Tbh that's the best breakdown of the "real value" code I've seen so bravo for that. I go back and forth on FNAF 3 being in 2015/2017 myself - cause on one hand it would make a lot of sense to be set in the year of the game's release, but on the other hand, FNAF 2 being the only confirmed closure on screen (and being the previous game), and the fact that we don't have confirmation that the MCI location ever closed in 85 (note Ralph saying it was "left to rot for quite a while") makes me think it might be 2017. Regardless I never believed 2023 and HRY223 is shaky evidence 😂 Thanks for the kind words and for not misconstruing my evidence! Very fair analysis 😁

[@Prince_Zero-10]

That's a good point about fnaf 3. Personally I don't mind the 223 evidence as Idk what it's supposed to mean besides a date of some kind but we do know fnaf 1 likely closed by the end of it's year thanks to the newspapers.

[@Prince_Zero-10]

​​@@UnwitheredTruth Just watched it. An intresting conclusion to say the least but I don't think that conclusion makes any sense either. Scott himself has said the Novel Trilogy are a different story and more specifically they are not meant to be used to solve the games. Yes similar things happen in both continuitys but they are not the same. As much as I did like your most recent video on SL and agreed with most of it, it is that same reason I disagreeed with the ending. Sorry if I come off as rude, I promise I'm not trying to. But I think the games and the Novels are telling two entirely different stories but I can understand if you disagree with that.

[@TechnoKillerX]

@@Prince_Zero-10 Bro ur talking about the original novel trilogy, the week before is cannon and takes place the week before fnaf 1 and i agree with the theory as fredbear and friends was cancelled😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@Prince_Zero-10]

​​@@TechnoKillerX Ah the video he recommended to explain 223 uses the novel trilogy. I do believe Twb is cannon. Sorry to cause confusion.

[@Duckz4bucks]

Your argument for ‘89 was so strong, unwithered! It was lowkey one of my favorite theories

[@aldenaoc8847]

fuck it, fnaf 1 took place in the 1700's George washington celebrated winning over britain with freddy.

[@eeeeee_____]

this is canon

[@bean-ir8fi]

I'd happily accept that ngl.

[@StarLightGem]

the Ben 10 route lmao

[@AbsolXGuardian]

Someone pointed out in UnwitheredTruth's video that Coppellia and Ralph having a Sega Gensis is an example of a very common error people make when writing historical fiction: they have a Sega Gensis with no regard for their income and plausibility of them being early adopters. While it was techincally out in '89, very few Americans had it. And Ralph is lower class. While this could point to a later date, such as according to the commentor the Genesis becoming more popular in the US and getting a discount bundle with the first Sonic game ('91), if you want to go for an earlier date, you can then assume they made the same errors when it comes to the phone, not quite realising how ridiclously expensive they used to be assuming that Brawen having upper class parents who'd want to be able to keep in contact with their wanna be reporter daughter is enough. Edit: I've started reading The Twisted Ones (the second silver eyes book), and the robotics technology Charlie is building in her dorm and learning about in school is far more advanced than makes sense for 1998. And this is just what is available to the general public. While she uses parts from a robot Henry build when she was a kid, she's learning how they worked in school, and it's not the only parts she's using. Yet she can make a machine learning system. Yes the trilogy is a different timeline, but the background rules are the same- especially if they're supported by evidence such as the Toys and the Funtimes existing when they do. Given this includes better miniaturization and cost reduction, I think trying to figure out the appropriate model of phone is impossible. It does also provide in-universe justification for Ralph having a Genesis. The same technological base that allowed for the Toys and Funtimes means that a Genesis is affordable to him come '89. There might have already been greater adoption of video game technology in general

[@Duckz4bucks]

And Scott was 100% not at all thinking about minimum wage when making his little horror game after taking criticism from some guy

[@TechnoKillerX]

there were still 500K units sold. and i dont think scott was thinking about taxes and home payment while making the game or the book lol

[@Duckz4bucks]

@@TechnoKillerXyeah but Ralph is working minimum wage at a Chuck E. Cheese type pizzeria

[@kalifogg6610]

I said something similar, but not with all the data, just that it might not be the indicator he thought it was due to my childhood memories and growing up

[@AbsolXGuardian]

@@Duckz4bucks Actually Ralph says he makes more than minimum wage, likely due to his seniority over any of the playable protagonists. But it's not much, he not going to be an early adoptor of video games.

[@danielmallory4687]

My dad at 30 something would wear a mask and scare me and his brother and my cousins would do it untill 25

[@sh1nyman483]

One addition and possible answer to the "History of Mobile Phones" segment of the video: I did a lot of research based on button layouts and antennas and asked around in vintage mobile phone communities, finding that Bronwen's phone resembles a Nokia 2110 (as you mentioned), BUT there is another option. The Nokia 6110 succeeded the 2110 and boasted a much larger standby battery life (with some options between 270 and 450 hours), but does not have the extendable antenna seen on Bronwen's phone. However, the Nokia 650 was a variant of the 6110 with the same features (and battery life), but also has the extendable antenna seen on the mobile phone in the Week Before! It was revealed in 1998 (aligning with the theory that FNAF 1 takes place in 1998 or 2000) and appears to be the closest match with its buttons, shape, and antenna. It's hard to find info on this model, though, including its retail price.

[@CandiBuunny]

Ooo thank you so much for sharing your research!!

[@sh1nyman483]

@@CandiBuunny Of course! I'm happy to see such a comprehensive guide that doesn't gloss over any details like the mobile phone. Great work as always!

[@Nostradankus]

The 6110 is exactly the kind of phone the picture immediately reminded me of. It looks to have the general "Nokia shape" you'd expect from a phone of the late 90ies and early 2000s but with a retractable antenna slapped on, probably to invoke the specific image of an "early mobile phone". Regarding the Nokia 650, googling that phone didn't bring up any results at all for me. All search engines I tried only found the MS Lumia 650, made by Nokia. So I highly doubt it could have served as an inspiration considering how obscure it is.

[@sh1nyman483]

@@Nostradankus Yeah, the 650 is definitely pretty obscure and it seems more likely that they just put an antenna on a standard 6110. You'd have better luck finding it if you Googled "1998 Nokia 650" though!

[@loorthedarkelf8353]

I love FNAF vids specifically cause the comments are so rich with folks who add to the conversation like this ❤

[@robertbrown5974]

Important thing I want to point out about the paycheck at 8:00. The FNAF1 paycheck doesn't line about perfectly with a minimum wage calculation, but the FNAF2 paycheck does, as you point out. You also point out that Scott gradually put more thought into the clues he put in the game over time as he grew more cognizant about his role as puzzle master, not just storyteller. Especially in response to the community. Matpat's first game theory about FNAF happened between the release date of FNAF 1 and 2, and included the minimum wage calculation to attempt to pinpoint the date. I therefore consider the naive minimum wage calculation as something Scott was directly and intentionally confirming with that paycheck, putting '91-'95 as the definitive time range in my opinion. Also, I fully believe in the Friday the 13th thing being something Scott would definitely do. But, that's mostly personal preference and because I think it fits very neatly.

[@dalmationblack]

I seem to remember matpats fnaf 2 theory called out that the paycheck lining up perfectly for 1987 really feels like confirmation of his fnaf 1 date and I'm inclined to agree, with the obvious doubts about exactly what year around that being up in the air

[@HorrorHomestead]

Here before this blows up

[@danielmallory4687]

Here while it's blowing up

[@CandiBuunny]

Oh hey I was just talking about you lol. The page 61 section is just called "the GiBi section" in my script notes haha

[@HorrorHomestead]

YO 36:50 is a crazy piece of evidence. I can't believe I haven't seen anyone else say that. ​@@CandiBuunny

[@Akyuu2608]

hi gibi

[@Esplodie]

Real

[@remingtonfiore9721]

I don’t have really any evidence for this, but the fact that Coppelia accidentally says Fredbear felt more like a “spooky” moment than her actually knowing who fredbear was at some point. It feels more like one of those, “the child somehow knows something they shouldn’t because children are more susceptible to spirits” thing.

[@wsgimfloof]

13:38 dude I practically fell over when i heard “save those with soul” you put so many references in your videos!! references aside, the amount of time and research you did for this video is amazing!! call that serious dedication

[@Zender22]

I caught that too, it's a wild reference to put in the same video where Candii says she doesn't know references.

[@CandiBuunny]

@@Zender22 To be fair I may not know most media but by golly I know fnaf references

[@CandiBuunny]

Thanks for calling that out!! It's so fun when people notice the little details!!

[@kerry14]

Love how comprehensive this is. I like how you approach it from every angle and explain your reasoning soundly. I also adore your love of spreadsheets! It made me smile. I still personally like to view it as 1989-1990 as Ralph waiting 5 years to work again is suspending my disbelief a little too hard. I can't see a good, single father (joint custody or not) waiting 5 years for Freddy’s to open with no job. Then work less than a year before quitting to try get a job elsewhere (like Copellia's school). One note with the coin thing: you can beat night 2 with the coin but to get the coin you need the special bonus item. So the first run through you will never get the coin and be left confused. I think it just needed to be worded better. Like "If you have the Coin and wish to give it to Copellia" etc instead "Do you give the coin to Copellia?" which will confuse players. Yes, I am crazy enough that I made a flow chart for the entire book :p I'm trying to comment more to up engagement as a new subscriber. I hope I made my points in a non-mean way because I did love this video. ^_^

[@CandiBuunny]

WOW you made a flowchart? I LOVE FLOWCHARTS TOO!!! Thanks so much for commenting

[@chaoticsilver8442]

2:21 "Chuck E Cheese was founded in 1997, had its heyday in the in the late eighties through the nineties-" So, it had its heyday a full decade BEFORE it was even founded? Didn't know Charles Entertainment Cheese was a time traveler.

[@CandiBuunny]

Ooops! That was definitely supposed to be 1977

[@Doomware]

The Time Travel Ball Pit is real.

[@Alkeeros]

​@Doomware If you step on a butterfly while moonwalking into the ballpit, the Freddiverse (like a multiverse, but trademarked by the Fazbear Entertainment company) gets weird. Do you want gender swapped Afton family?!? Because this is how you get gender swapped afton family

[@joshhale1340]

Oooo, an hour long video about when one game takes place? Clear my schedule. I have a video to watch

[@segaboy7]

This was extremely well done and researched. I love the idea that FNAF 3 is 30 years from the original Freddy's not FNAF 1 because for the theory that Cassie's dad is the Bonnie Bully Help Wanted and Ruin need to take place before the 2030s otherwise he'd be like in his 60s when Help Wanted 2 happens

[@gojira_breathes_428]

I’d like to mention that my dad is 50, although a far cry from 60, but it gives SOME leniency in that the Bonnie bully could be 60. Although it wouldn’t make sense at ALL for a 60 year old to have a 9-12 year old child. So I don’t even know why I brought this up.

[@fish2860]

dude you're my favorite upcoming fnaf theorist keep up the good work!!! so excited for each upload

[@CandiBuunny]

[@Flummoxyn]

This makes me wish that we learned how much Ralph was making since we know he makes at least a little more than minmum wage Cuz if its actually closer to a 1998 date (when the disney phrase was trademarked) and Ralph made more than the minimum wage around that time then it would be really easy to say that Mike was just being underpaid If Mike was there under orders of William then its not too much of a stretch to say that he wouldnt care about minimum wage enough to try and haggle up to a legal rate I just really wish we had more concrete information I'm really happy to see people taking on the FNAF 3 is in 2015 thing :D

[@GabrielSilva-xv8ly]

let me just say i absolutely ADORE every single one of your videos. youre one of the people who made me come back to the fnaf theory space, by how engaging, fun and very very very full of information your videos are! you clearly put so much work in every single one of them, and you always remember to stay humble and credit people who inspired you to your theories. thank you so much for bringing such a refreshing take to the community!!

[@CandiBuunny]

This was so kind and made me smile! Thank you for taking the time to write this!!

[@theghostlydreamer]

CANDI BUNNY UPLOAD LETS GO!!!!!

[@overfriedchikin3310]

its always a good day when theres a nee candi video

[@theghostlydreamer]

@@overfriedchikin3310 real!!

[@natstuff]

About the 911 call...there are actually a couple different ones in The Week Before. The one you mentioned on night 1, then another in a bad ending on night 5. In the night 5 call, the unnamed operator believes you because they can hear everything over the phone and they send two squad cars. This sounds a lot like what Wendy is describing in the night 1 call. So, is it possible that's what she's referring to? That night 5 is very Total Recall, making you question what's real and just how much of what's happening is a dream. This doesn't make sense in a linear timeline, but maybe some of the date contradictions are meant to indicate that the timeline isn't strictly linear. Even without getting Into The Pit with time travel shenanigans, what if all these different endings happen on different playthroughs? As in, Ralph dies at Freddy's and then his spirit is trapped reliving the week over and over, trying to find a happy outcome so he can move on? He dies in 1993, when Fnaf happens, but is still reliving the horror 20 years later, in 2014 when the game comes out? This opens more fun routes for rampant speculation too. Are the home segments real or a dream? Is Ralph disoriented because he's a ghost or because his nights are a dream or because he's been drugged and brainwashed and mind-disked as part of ongoing Freddy's experiments? Is Bronwyn just a grown up Coppelia searching for the truth about a father who disappeared years ago?

[@CEOofBdubs]

The content output is INSANE

[@Luigifan305]

"If you see somebody putting out a date that is after November 1987 and before 2014 you may *not* say they are obviously wrong." I mean, the fact that Coppelia has a Sega Genesis pretty blatantly rules out 1988 entirely, making it objectively impossible for FNaF 1 to take place before November 1989 at the absolute earliest. I also believe that if the intended date were 1995-1998, they could have easily given her a Saturn instead, or even a Dreamcast in 1999 onward, but they chose the Genesis, which suggests to me that they wanted to narrow it down to 1989-1994. However, I understand that this isn't concrete proof since not everyone buys every new system upon release.

[@kalkuttadrop6371]

I mean she could have imported one, it was out in Japan

[@nariahlisboa4807]

Terminal Error's theory that this book is a death loop is my favorite still

[@lunabruce1804]

TRUEE, samee

[@saigeswordmusic]

I really appreciate that in all the lore videos of yours I've watched, you always mention that some things may just be accidents or Scott didn’t quite think them through. Scott definitely didn't know FNAF was gonna be as big as it is when he created the first game, and he probably didn’t have all the lore planned out. so some things don't make sense or may have been accidents/mistakes and that's okay. most theorists don't acknowledge this, so I love that you do.

[@CandiBuunny]

One thing I love about early game accidents is that sometimes Scott decides to pick them up later and make them fit and sometimes he doesn’t. It makes theorizing so much fun because almost anything is possible!

[@spudkin564]

Happy to be a Cadet! So cool to watch this channel grow in real time. Every FNaF creator I've watched has been well established, which is neat, cause of the backlog, but it's been a treat watching you storm onto the scene and immediately start throwing theory-haymakers that can roll with the veterans.

[@CandiBuunny]

Omg thank you so much!!

[@JoshuaBublin]

A thing about the '20 years' line from Phone "Ralph" Guy is that it doesn't have to be exactly 20 years. A range of say 17-23 years would be accurate enough for casual conversation. It's pretty natural to round up or down a bit.

[@Lockendrik2121]

31:34 William Afton wasn't the first horrible father Scott created, it was Chipper from Chipper and sons lumber co.

[@teo9532]

Wow! Okay I was skeptical about the title but you knocked it out of the park with the effort and attention to detail! Actually fantastic and easily your best video yet! I’m also pretty set on 1992 for FNAF 1 and then FNAF 3 being set in 2015, the year it released. It’s just too perfect given everything we know. Especially the real value code and paychecks. But I’m glad this video was here to make me more confident in that date. Also, as far as The Week Before’s pop culture references are concerned, while all the references seem to end by 1989, they also mention the Sega Genesis… and even though that console released in late ‘89, it really struggled to do well in the USA until the release of Sonic The Hedgehog in June of 1991! By November of that year, they started also bundling the game with the console and that really bolstered sales. (Cawthon seems to be a Sonic fan as one of his fangames has an entire section about Sonic so he’d probably know about this too. Tbh, just knowing about the 90s Console Wars is enough to know about this.

[@quantum6637]

You, Gibi, Hyperdroid, and Unwithered are in my eyes the clear top theorists right now. Amazing video.

[@blanktester]

37:25 The key difference between analog and digital media is the format in which information is stored, as a wave or as binary. Digital media can be sent down a wire as a series of on-off pulses of electricity representing 1's and 0's. An analog signal is a literal wave, oscillating within a continuous range of values instead of just on or off. In both cases, the signal would need to still be decoded by a device, but analog signals can't be sent down a wire because you can't have electricity "half" running through a wire. In the case of cell phones, your audio is already a wave, so an analog cellphone relays a version of that wave *without converting it to binary* to the network. A digital cellphone converts it into binary, which is faster and cheaper for the network to send. Any kind of pre-computer recording device, including record players, wax cylinders, film cameras, etc, those are all analog because the wave patterns being recorded are being stored as waves in the material, like the grooves of a vinyl.

[@soyeahsauce]

37:51 The main reason we use digital nowadays for phone calls is because we use V.O.I.P. (Voice Over Internet Protocol) for basically all communication, landline, cellphone, smartphone, etc. however the reason we made the switch is because you can compress digital data but not analogue signals (basically because of bandwidth crunch). So you are correct about the whole "digital signals over radio waves" thing.

[@CombustableLemon]

I think it's really funny when people think Ralph wasn't being hyperbolic when he said 20 years. It was just a long time, don't think he was taking out his calculator. Edit: 27:07 LETS GO BABYYYYY PORTAL REFERENCE

[@Duckz4bucks]

If he was working since the beginning he wouldn’t need a calculator though, and 20 years would be an approximation. And he wouldn’t exaggerate by 15 years either. What’s more likely is Scott just changed something, which does indeed trigger us theorists.

[@WitchCecelia]

Counter: he happened to be recording that tape on the company's 20th anniversary and just used that as the number he decided to pull out of his ass lol. I do agree that taking the "20 years" line as concrete fact is kinda funny

[@CombustableLemon]

@@Duckz4bucks Why do people never consider hyperbole? WHen I eat takis, I don't LITERALLY breathe fire, but I feel like I am.

[@Duckz4bucks]

@@CombustableLemon I know it’s weak evidence, but 20 years doesn’t mean 5 years. It doesn’t work that way. What’s more likely is Scott forgot about that line.

[@thedarkdevil1661]

10:40 Being around Middle School age in 1983 means he's born around Fallfest 1970. 21:07 And finally, the week before makes reference to Disney copyrighting "the happiest place on Earth". This happened in mid-1998. 22:27 HOWEVER, there was a Simpsons episode (Season 4 Ep 4) that made a joke about Disney having this copyright too. ("Copyright EXPIRED") And this specific episode aired in October 1992. (The month before November) So either phone Guy is referencing a recent event, OR he's referencing a recent TV ep (which makes more sense with all the pop culture references Phone Guy makes). Although, 25:08 makes me question it, as sounds like it's (at the least) PAST 1983 + the bite, based on "Possible death (BLAH BLAH BLAH)" being mentioned. (Though it being an old draft removes this questioning) As for the rest...I approve. 50:53 1992 DOES make the most sense give the majority of evidence.

[@shiveretteex3606]

I've been watching a bunch of fnaf theories over the past few weeks, and all of you theories are absolute bangers. Looking forward to watching this when I'm free later Keep up the good work

[@basslinegrave]

i love how you put these videos together, with the sources and spreadsheets - taking it seriously but in a very fun and entertaining way. i would never guess i would find spreadsheets so fun lmao also you mentioned it yourself, with the existence of the funtimes (and the other animatronics as well) its rather hard to use our technology to figure out the time. it always makes me think how much different is the fnaf world from ours and how much we can use for theories... but i love how in depth you covered these ideas

[@marbenmin5878]

I'm slowly realizing more and more that Scott put A LOT more thought into the first game than we first thought. Whether this is a result of clearing things up thanks to TWB, or if he actually thought about things in FNaF 1 will be a permanent debate, but it's obvious he's got a story in mind now.

[@dragonorigins1153]

i literally found your channel watched your its me and golden freddy in fnaf 3 videos earlier today and now theres A NEW ONE?!?!?!?! 3 goat videos in one day is unheard of.

[@danielmallory4687]

Actually the federal reserves goal is a 2% inflation every year so scott could have used that number to guess the fututr inflation

[@CandiBuunny]

Ooo good to know!

[@skorupigo5544]

Ralph has a sega genesis. Sonic was a pack in bundle for the genesis. Sonic is about a rebellious teenager fighting an evil robotics engineer Fnaf is about a rebellious teenager fighting an evil robotics engineer Sonic 1 came out in November 1991 Mike's paycheck is dated for November. Mike is sonic the hedgehog.

[@CandiBuunny]

Confirmed.

[@Akyuu2608]

lol

[@jeremymorris345]

16:04 But Fazbears was a franchise before the events of FNAF 3 as the Phone Guy tapes talk about multiple locations being open.

[@jubnubbens]

I have an issue with the method used for page 61 of the Security Logbook to find the "real value", because that same page was used to find CASSIDY in the Word Search, again using the '5+4' and the 3 on the chalkboard in the second panel. I think that's a problem because then there's no reason that it would be '5+4', because both times we use it all we do is just add them together, so I think it would make a lot more sense for there to just be a 9 in one corner and a 3 in the other. And to me what sells the '5+4' being a relevant clue, rather than an afterthought to arrive at 9, is that all the tally marks in the logbook are all grouped in 5's and 4's, which to my knowledge still don't have any concrete use at all. I think that it's deliberately '5+4' so we can arrive to 9 when we need it to solve CASSIDY, and it can also be used as a clue telling us about the '5s & 4s'. Not to mention that the "for real value see page 61" clue is written in red ink like the tally marks which drives the connection home for me. I do love the spreadsheet anyway though

[@mr.penguindrewmateo8146]

Holy crap I never thought about the tally marks as that

[@CandiBuunny]

Really cool theory!!

[@danvsclips8326]

Happiest Place on Earth started being used sometime in the mid 80s, albeit nobody is sure when. (Variations of the phrase existed since the 50s, but as an actual slogan in those words late 80s). Oldest sign photo that could be confirmed was 1989. I also want to note there's a very well known Simpsons episode from late October 1992 which joked about people getting sued for using it. If you take the copyright directly it's 1996. If you want to know when the slogan started being used it's late 80s. If you figure Ralph is referencing a Simpsons episode he watched a week prior it's 1992.

[@Verycool1isver1]

Not into the video proper yet but I wanna put out there how much I agree with the whole week before being so good thing. I haven’t been *that* big on anything fnaf in a VERY long time but something about that book was so fascinating. The portrayal of the animatronics was just so interesting to me in a way I’m not KZbinr enough to properly describe

[@fnaf-ology]

I also have pop culture blindness but recently learned The Unwithered Truth missed a reference from The Godfather III, which was released in 1990, making 1989 impossible. I made a FNAF 1 placement theory video on my channel positing that Ralph actually worked at Fredbears - making Coppelia being 12, Freddys opening in 1983, and FNAF 1 1990 able to coexist (i say 1989 in that video bc it was before i learned of the reference so just pretend i say 1990).

[@fnaf-ology]

“It was my last week before retirement,” you say bitterly. “I was out. But they pulled me back in.” (TWB pg. 224) Original quote from The Godfather III being: “Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in”

[@TechnoKillerX]

bruh anyone can write that, it doesnt have to nessascerily be a reference

[@fnaf-ology]

@@TechnoKillerX true, it could be not a quote. But Ralph does make lots of movie references, on that page he literally only speaks in movie quotes (he's such a nerd)

[@WitchCecelia]

The only thing about him working at Fredbear's is that in FNAF 2, he says "some place called Fredbear's Family Diner" like he'd never heard of it

[@fnaf-ology]

@WitchCecelia I made a video on my channel detailing the theory and I go over that, if you're interested!

[@MusiciansRule07]

I am absolutely in love with the idea of us being Candi Cadets! 🍭🍬🍫I'll be picking up an air horn ASAP, LMAO! As for me, I always stuck with 1993 because of MatPat's theory and the idea of the movie coming out in 2023, 30 years later than FNAF 1 in 1993 is so satisfying. Plus, 1993 is my birth year so...yeah. THAT BEING SAID, just like I've accepted the name David Afton instead of Evan Afton, if someone comes up with a different year with enough proof (as much as FNAF allows proof...), that makes sense? I'll rock with it. Regardless, I'm always gonna love a nearly hour long video on Sunday when I do all my chores and prepping for the week! ❤❤❤

[@CandiBuunny]

1993 is still a solid year! I didn't mention this in the vid but there's a good chance Scott didn't have a specific date in mind and MatPat said 1993 and Scott was like sure why not hahaha

[@grumpfrog8602]

Nevada viewer here, never seen your channel before but your thorough presentation and excellent personality, not to mention the rare shout out of my home state, has made me a happy one of those 700 viewers. Keep it up! Im interested in watching more :)

[@CandiBuunny]

NEVADA VIEWER!! LETS GOOOO hahaha

[@syrei010]

Can you imagine being a 911 operator and hearing "Hey so just ate half of an employee's head, send some help" like wtf, specially AFTER the MCI? Girl give it up, close the restaurant, become a realtor or something idk do whatever you americans do for money, just stay away from children and robot (or robot children wink wink) [now queue my "Mhh actually ☝🏻🤓" moment, im so sorry ever since becoming a computer engineer its my duty to vomit tech info] As for the question of Analog vs Digital, as I understand it is (keep in mind that im no expert, I get this from the internet and my own understanding of things, plweas dont be mad if its not 100% correct): Analog: Analog technology transmits voice or data signals as continuous waves, modulating the amplitude or frequency of these waves to represent the information. - Variable quality: Signal quality decreases with distance, noise and interference. This causes calls to lose quality rapidly as they move away from the antennas. - Low security: Analog signals are easy to intercept and have no encryption, which means that conversations can be overheard by third parties. Digital: Digital technology converts voice and data signals into a series of bits (zeros and ones) before transmitting them. Obviously, it improves the characteristics of the previous technology: - Improved and stable quality: Digital signals are less susceptible to noise and interference, maintaining a more consistent quality. - Increased security: Digital transmission allows data encryption, increasing the security of calls. It is less sensitive to “noise”; the receiver can recognize the bits even if there is interference and “reconstruct” the signal accurately. As for the radio waves you mention, you are right, but the key difference is in how the information is encoded: - Analog: continuous variations of the wave, continuous values. - Digital: binary (0/1), again, this is better to edit/transmit info in general I hope I've explained lol and that it wasn't too much of a rant.

[@CandiBuunny]

YESSS I appreciate because it was kinda driving me crazy during my research lol. Thank you!!

[@v1ct0rygames32]

44:50 back in fnaf 1, as you said, it likely didn't have anything in concrete. but round about now? it's implied that the og freddy's cast actually dates back to the 70s in fallfest. if they dated back to 1970 on the dot (first fallfest), having 1989 as the date of fnaf 1 would make sense as that's roughly 20 yrs

[@littlemrdoom5997]

13:17 have you considered that chica might simply be a time traveler? It's not outside the realm of possibility considering that Bonnie does not abide by the rules of time, reality, or physics.

[@zephyr-i6z]

I just came from watching game theory, this couldn’t be more perfect timing

[@echothesilent4693]

FNAF takes place in Utah. Shown by the cut AR emails and the movie.

[@sh1nyman483]

How does the movie support FNAF taking place in Utah? The court papers reference Minnesota and the GFPD police car likely references Granite Falls. But, I do agree that the games take place in Utah based on the court documents from FNAF 6.

[@flickyfkosstitcher8547]

13:19 The second Pokemon Rangers game (released 21st November 2008) had an admin character who liked to dab, giving more range to the possible in-universe years for the Security Logbook to be published.

[@scarlettefoxx5585]

I LOVE BEING A CADET!!! OH! PIECE OF CANDY. OH! PIECE OF CANDY. OH! PIECE OF CANDY. OH!

[@JAAZSPER]

I LOVEEE THIS THEORY SM! also i love the cadets for subscriber's it has such a nice tone to it!! ive been loving your content keep it up!

[@CandiBuunny]

[@Jade_TheCat]

CompSci major here, TL;DR explanation of analog vs digital when specifically talking about sound: Digital Sound means the device encodes sound as samples in binary, and transmits them that way. Think about measuring the amplitude however-many-times per second and sending that number, so the sound can be recreated on the other end. This is how CDs, MP3 players, and yes modern Cell Phones work. Analog sound is where you take the output of a microphone and continuously send that along, creating a version of the actual soundwaves in another medium, aka an analog. This is how Vinyl records, Laserdiscs, and our old Telphone system worked, before Voice over IP and co took over. In cell phones, yes, both use radio waves, but analog is modulating the signal continuously with the raw sound wave (which can cause lossiness), and digital is modulating it with the instructions on how to recreate the original wave (which is less susceptible to losses). Technology Connections made great series on both analog and digital sound if you're interested!

[@spencr_xo]

Damn this really is the most in debth guide to fnaf 1's date there is

[@xHavki]

11:36 I think this is saying that freddy fazbears pizza was founded in 1983 not fazbear entertainment

[@flickyfkosstitcher8547]

It is, but people commonly assume the two started together; personally, I think the company started around '82, in preparation for opening the restaurant in '83.

[@cannibalisticrequiem]

"Mike Schmidt Afton" Ah yes, my favorite videogame protagonist: Michael Schmafton.

[@noahthompson5010]

You and Gibi for me are the only ones who can make this lore make sense. Like both of your explanations make sense and don't feel like reaches to me. Great job!

[@Mk-ly9re]

You mentioning missing pop culture references fills in a lot of questions I had about your videos. Sometimes you’ll mention something and it the obvious solution makes sense to me but you blow right by it. I love your videos they are very well made, keep up the good work!

[@DJBurns-jq8mn]

This is a bit long so sorry for that. Ralph worked there for just under 12 years and he said that the animatronics have been preforming for 20 years. Freddy's was established in 1983 so a possible year for FNAF 1 is 2003 with 1991 being when Ralph was hired. But that means Ralph wasn't there in 1987 to call us in FNAF 2. So it must be 1983 - 85 (impossible for it to be before during Fredbear's since Ralph didn’tknow about the Bite of 83) when he was hired as he knew about William using the Springlock suit to kill the kids and he was there when they discontinued the use of the suits along with he would need some time to be high enoughin the corporate ladder so be the one incharge of instructing security guards. That means FNAF 1 takes place in 1995 - 97. Further evidence is that Ralph recording his last message so that is the canon ending with the other endings be what ifs but also plausible events meaning the reporter still breaks in, ends up stuffed and her soul ends up in Golden Freddy. So the going to Freddy's when she was 7 thing is true along with everything else and since Freddy's first opened in 1983, the year Ralph takes her to Freddy's in 1990 at the earliest which lines up as Freddy's had been open for a while prior to Ralph working there. Ralph got the job in December when she was born so that makes December 1995 the date where FNAF 1 takes place. Still though great video and can't wait to see more in the future. Edit: Also this would mean that the animatronics date back to 1975 - 77 which can line up with the Mimic and the new game set in 1979.

[@mr.penguindrewmateo8146]

“Ralph didn’t know about the bite of 83”. Quote from page 195 “You can’t remember what year the first Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza opened, or its predecessor, Fredbear’s Family Diner, but one year does stick out. It was known as “the big bite” until it happened again four years later, kinda like how World War 1 was just “the Great War” until another one came along.”

[@DJBurns-jq8mn]

@mr.penguindrewmateo8146 I obviously mean he doesn't know the details relating to it, not that he didn't know entirely.

[@hannah-ud4tr]

Candi you are so awesome. You’re by far my favourite fnaf channel to watch and I think you deserve so many more subscribers and a lot more recognition! I love how much effort goes into your vids and I really appreciate the captions always being accurate, I struggle to watch YT without them. You’re a great theorist and I cant wait to see what video you come out with next !!!❤

[@CandiBuunny]

Thank you so much. This was incredibly kind

[@blanktester]

You're an excellent creator. I love your attention to detail and clarity when you script out your video. I also love spreadsheets and am a little jealous you get to do them for your job. Edit: I'm not fully through the video so you may point this out, but we know the exact number of hours that each protagonist works before their paycheck. If someone is getting paid on a Thursday, they are not going to be paid for that week's Friday on that paycheck, so they only worked 24 hours that week for that paycheck. No company would pay an employee early for a day of work they haven't yet done. They certainly won't if they're also firing you.

[@CandiBuunny]

Hm that's a really good point! I'm sure Scott meant for the paycheck to mean the 30 hours we see but you're right that's not super realistic!

[@lydiagalantmotherf]

Just one thing: I personally think the paychecks were written in D/M/Y, because the 11th December actually IS a Friday (if I counted correctly), which would fit better as the fifth day, after all, but that's just a very small nitpick, otherwise the rest holds up!

[@CandiBuunny]

Ooo that would be very interesting. I went through.... MANY years of life where I flipped between writing it D/M/Y and M/D/Y. Maybe Scott did too!

[@-alovelygaycat-]

I checked my Calendar app and you are correct. December 11th, 1987 was a Friday. The same goes for December 11th, 1992 and December 11th, 1998.

[@Toaster003]

That’s a clever idea but Mr. Hippo said FNaF 2 is in the fall so 🤷‍♀️

[@bean-ir8fi]

I know people say it a lot, but DAMN 1. I literally just found your channel today, and I'm already in love. Your voice and commentary style are very comforting and helped me feel involved in the video, while also serving as pleasant BG noise for my drawing/gaming. 2. Your commentary style is like that of a channel one would assume had a bigger sub count, and I'm honestly shocked by your number. Not that it's a bad thing at all!! But you definitely deserve to be discovered, trying to binge all of your videos has been so pleasant and oddly informative, and helped me rediscover my love of this franchise and the constant theory fodder. 3. I don't know anything about spreadsheets, Excel, and I cannot begin to hope I will ever have the patience to research as much as you did for this video, but it definitely made me think about a lot of stuff for future products.. like if I ever decide to look into writing something revolving around the American minimum wages, for some reason. I hope to see more from you, and I genuinely hope that you're doing well wherever you are ❤️ I'd love to call myself one among the Cadet Crew you have. Lots of love stranger ❤️

[@static928]

Out of most of the fnaf theorist, you’re honestly one of my top favourites. I love your videos and the style of them. You’re also so thorough and clear, and you make a lot of good points that put a whole new perspective to look at. I love all of it😊😊

[@WitchCecelia]

I love that in this comprehensive FNAF 1 lore dump, we also got mini/fun sized Candi lore facts too lol

[@EnigmaticStationary-gc3of]

I love vids like this and it's gonna be real sad when the next piece of random media is just like "I stepped outside into the November 4th 1994 air" and everyone's like "WAIT WHAT"

[@agustinacrapanzano1210]

Candi your videos are so good! Not only because they are very well made and have a lot of information, but because you are very charismatic and your personality is so contagious! I wish you the best with the channel and congratulations on your success 😊

[@CandiBuunny]

[@MouseySky]

I absolutely LOVED this video!! You didn't gloss over things I felt other theorists did, and laid things out clearly in a way I understood :D I'm sometimes hesitant to watch theory videos from names I don't recognize, but boy am I glad I did!

[@CandiBuunny]

Aw thank you!

[@martakazmierczak310]

Well I saw the runtime before clicking and thought “One hour. Perfect.” I enjoy longform content

[@shawnbay2211]

u being a numbers person with all the spreadsheets genuinely scares me. i am 4ever amazed by the gr8 minds of the fnaf fandom.

[@Lanicaster]

Candi you're brilliant and I adore you. The amount of time and effort you put into these, and how you seem so happy when presenting them --- your smile can literally be HEARD through the mic. You're amazing, and I hope you keep that joy in everything you do. (Side note before the actual theory comments: I ADORE that you seem so giddy to use spreadsheets, I always get funny looks when I use them lol) My only critique us that Fredbear isn't hard to come up with mistakeningly from "Freddy Fazbear". Forget the middle and mash the ends together and I don't feel like she 100% needs to have known Fredbear as a character or even CONSCIOUSLY remembered it. It feels like something she mistakeningly remembered rather than confusing characters. Regardless, I love how you present all of the evidence but don't try to *force* an answer, you just present it, offer your opinion and specifically state that you know there's no way to say for sure whats actually fact.

[@CandiBuunny]

Aw thank you so much! This made me smile

[@lovethatdarkness]

Before I get into the video, I'll put what I think/thought the year was here. Now, I'll fully admit that this might be wrong, and could be the result of some sort of Mandela Effect, or hearing it so often but never knowing or remembering its original sorce. So take what I say with a grain of salt. I forgot where exactly I heard this, but I recall fnaf 3 being said to take place 30 years after fnaf 1. And, that the year fnaf 3 took place in was 2023. So, I figured fnaf 1 took place in 1993.

[@txaianapm8378]

Minutes in, already loving your attitude on this. This is without a doubt the most in depth guide I'll ever need on when FNaF 1 takes place, thank you.

[@CandiBuunny]

[@Zenniiiiiii]

I've been a lurking viewer for quite some time, but I think I'm subscribing LOL. The way you convey stuff is just really exciting and fun and it's infective :D

[@CandiBuunny]

YOOO thank you!!!

[@FoxxGames]

Almost to 10k your rising FAST, when I found your channel you were at 1k that's WILD to think. Congratulations on everything and I can't wait to see where you go in the future! ❤😊

[@CandiBuunny]

I KNOW IM SO EXCITEEEEED AHHHHH!!

[@Browhatisyoudoing]

Idea: you should do a video on the DCI or who do you think did the bite of 87

[@CandiBuunny]

I might! DCI is more likely because I think about it more often

[@Gamingturtle090]

Destroying Matpats first FNAF theory about the real life murder? Finally a cause i can get behind as a loyal lolly lieutenant 😎*insert Australian flag here*

[@-piperspirit-]

Since, The Week Before is filled with different POV, I don't think any pages should be considered in error. It's not written as a fluid book, but with choices. The book proper could be like a tree, and each choice would be comparative to a tree's branches. They come from the same idea, just different POV.

[@HolyShadow_223]

Tysm for covering this topic, I’ve never really been confident on the date of FNaF 1 but this video really helps

[@Sussyman64]

BOI YOU TOLD ME WHEN YOU THOUGHT FNAF 1 TOOK PLACE YOU GOOBER. Tho since you’ve tortured me with fnaf theories I forgot when you said it took place 💀

[@jnglboy_48]

i was very upset to see matpat retire and all but i am loving this new wave of theorists. you and the unwithered truth have been absolutely blowing it out of the water with the details, writing and structure in ur vids. great video and love the spreadsheets!!!!

[@lilaott6495]

thank you candi buunny for FEEDING us

[@jackfoster4935]

I’VE BEEN A FAN OF THIS SERIES SINCE BEFORE FNAF 2 AND I’M ONLY NOW LEARNING ME AND SCOTT CAWTHON HAVE THE SAME BIRTHDAY!!!?!?!!?

[@Creeku1]

Since I havent seen anybody comment about it, the reason we went from analog phones to digital is simply due to the difference in complexity of the signals. An analog signal is much more complex in nature since its composed from a big arrange of values. A digital signal is much more simple, having only two possible states (0-1) at any point of the wave. This means a digital signal is a lot easier to compute and manipulate, and can carry more information at a smaller size, techincally at a lower speed, but computers have been made to optimize the speeds of interpreting digital signals, since digital is just binary data. Note that my information comes mostly of my experience as an engineer student that has worked with digital and analog signals for some years, so take it with a grain of salt. In conclusion, Digital is better because as computers and processors advanced, they became more optimized at dealing with digital data. That is why, when your copmuter or phone receives an analog signal (like your voice, an instrument, or voltage) it is converted into a digital signal through a process called digitization, and then converted back into analog when it leaves the computer/phone.

[@tricky-xe2ji]

Every theorist always ends up starting a cult. Im glad to join a personal army for a change

[@Alice-vd3fx]

Listening to your videos on loop keeps me smiling at work x3 thankyou for doing what you do Candi!

[@danielmallory4687]

The phone segment flash banged me with the idea that 90s no flip phones

[@danielmallory4687]

Actually car phones for anyone who wants to have a sad flash back

[@CapnSeaWolf4071]

Love this video, you always go so in depth! I also like the honesty of admitting your blindspots and encouraging community theorizing. Your stuff is always so high quality.

[@camacob97]

genuinely impressed with how consistently thorough and well researched your videos turn out

[@teainrain8010]

"behold! my beautiful colour coded spreadsheet", i subscribed immediately. Great video^^

[@locolord]

The only thing that I would add to this masterpiece of a video, and the detail that I personally think solves it, is that Scott specifically said that MatPat got "almost everything right" in his "Game Theory: FNAF 2, Gaming's Scariest Story SOLVED!" video. In that video, the main 3.5 things that are wrong are the idea that Phone Guy is Purple Guy, which we know is 100% wrong, the idea that the Crying Child possesses the Puppet, which we know is at least wrong now, the idea that Purple Guy used the Golden Freddy suit for the MCI, which we know is not the case, and, as a bonus, the idea that the Take Cake To The Children mini game takes place at Fredbear's Family Diner, although that could absolutely be true, it's kind of a 50/50. With all these points made in that video being confirmed wrong (except the bonus one), adding another, especially one as big as MatPat saying the date of FNAF 1 is 1993 to that list, at least to me, seems like it's tipping the scales a bit too much to be "almost everything right". TLDR: Scott Cawthon outright said that one of MatPat's videos was almost completely right and FNAF 1 taking place in 1993 was one of was one of the main points of the video. Who knows? "Almost" is a very subjective word and MatPat did make a lot of points in that video. So, maybe 3 or 4 out of a lot equals "Almost". I just tend to cling to this piece of evidence more than I probably should. Anyway, @Candi Buunny if you happen to read this far, 1. Sorry lol. And 2. Just know that I understand and respect how ridiculously long it probably took you to make that spreadsheet. I recently had to use Excel for a school project and I was so confused. I would much rather try to solve the FNAF lore than try to figure out how to use Excel. Point being, this was a great video. I thought it was hard writing this comment. I mean, it took me about an hour and a half to do all of the research and then write it, but I guarantee it took you way longer to do the research for this video.

[@CandiBuunny]

That's such a good callout! In the first version of the script I had a short section to say that 1993 was a possibility for the sheer reason that Scott might've only had a vague time period in mind and when everyone was saying 93 he may well have said "sure why not" hahaha

[@locolord]

@@CandiBuunny Yeah, that sounds like Scott lol.

[@aluminiumscp319]

The difference between analog and digital is that analog waves have several different states they can be in, while digital waves only have 2; this makes analog waves far more susceptible to disruptions by external factors than digital waves.

[@ILUvLyss]

Hi Candi Bunny!! Absolutely love your videos! Thank you for them and keep up the good work!! ❤️❤️❤️

[@CandiBuunny]

[@slothfulfrostgod5281]

My favourite part of fnaf theory videos is when the creator starts go insane from trying to understand weird real life rabbit holes. (Ive done so MANY times)

[@wiigod]

love the excitement in your voice, makes me hyped to know more of this whacky universe

[@yourfriendlyneighborhoodbe5996]

I genuinely can't lie. I don't like playing FNAF or horror games. But I LOVE listening to people talk about FNAF. So this channel had further fed my addiction. Thanks for the awesome content.

[@joshuaeverett9887]

Ooh, Candi's Cadets is all kinds of groovy! Also, great evidence gathering!