| Interactable ARG |
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| “ | Looking for something? We'll tell you a secret, if you can prove you're willing to pay attention. | ” |
| — Unknown senders, Playtime's Contacts | ||
The Chapter 3 Interactable ARG, otherwise referred to as the Leith Pierre Computer Search, was an alternate reality game held by Mob Entertainment to tease their third chapter to Poppy Playtime, "Deep Sleep".
Unlike its predecessor, Rowan Stoll's Computer Database, the ARG was completely interactable through a makeshift computer system revealed to contain information stored by Leith Pierre. The hunt began when Mob Entertainment revealed the website URL during the second Chapter 3 Teaser Trailer, which led to the discovery of multiple recordings and documents. Unlike the Computer Database ARG, it took 1 month to complete this ARG due to a setback with the developers being abandoned upon the higher-ups focusing more on their ongoing series, Adventure Mode!
The ARG revolved around the introduction of the Smiling Critters, a toy line created by Playtime Co. Like the rest of the Critters, CatNap became an experiment of the Bigger Bodies Initiative. This experiment was solely focused on interacting with the Playcare orphans and putting them to sleep; however, its toy counterpart would receive numerous reports from families claiming that their children had distressing nightmares after playing with the toy. The toy would ultimately be recalled and any evidence of CatNap's presence to the public was cut from promotional material.
One of the orphans situated in Home Sweet Home, Theodore Grambell, portrayed as a naive and mischievous child, was manipulated into sabotaging Playtime Co. He unwittingly became The Prototype's acquaintance and this relationship climaxed upon Grambell injuring himself. Ultimately, it was revealed that Grambell had later became the Bigger Body version of CatNap and had also become a devoted follower of The Prototype.
Password List
Press the Expand button if you want to view the following information.
H0I_Lp95! -- (Computer Log-In)
0mniscient_Eye -- (CCTV Access)
Spectre_Metus! -- (Harper_021 Folder)
etern4l -- (Bigger Bodies Initiative Folder)
Monstr0us_invivo -- (Confidential Reports Folder)
stowaway -- (Sinclair_022 Folder)
gold3n_path -- (1006 Folder)
hypnagogia -- (Smiling Critters Folder)
lavenderomen -- (Addendum Folder)
History
Prelude
On May 31, 2023, Mob Entertainment released the Destroy-a-Toy map for PROJECT: PLAYTIME's second phase: Incineration. In this map, a sticky note hanging on a desk can be found that reads "06/27 DON'T FORGET", implying that the date was important. On June 27, 2023, Mob Entertainment posted an image on all of their social media platforms, teasing the ARG and its relevance to Chapter 3. The image itself revealed a Playtime Co. computer with five applications: "My Computer", "CCTV Network", "Recycle Bin", "Command Prompt", and "File Explore". (The computer also had the old Playtime Co. symbol on top and references the IBM G54 computer.) When the image was brightened, it revealed Red Smoke, with the number 3 and a mysterious face in the mist, foreshadowing Chapter 3 and presumably the new character.
The computer also had a clock on the bottom right corner, with the time being 7:19 PM. This foreshadowed July 19th, 2023, when a teaser image for the second teaser trailer of Chapter 3 was unveiled to be coming out on July 26th. The announcement image for this teaser trailer also had secrets that could be seen when the image was brightened up. Huggy Wuggy's body had the words "REJOICE IN THE HOUR OF JOY" written on it.
Discord Secrets
In late June, strange things began to happen on the official Poppy Playtime Discord Server. The developer Tobias Cascia began sending cryptic messages which seemingly contained ARG clues, with these messages putting a lot of emphasis on eyes. Fans attempted to solve these puzzles, which led to them discovering many interesting findings such as a Google Drive link, and most notably, a compressed folder named "3.rar". Accessing this folder proved to be a challenge, however, an unexpected announcement would soon emerge.
On July 1, developer Micah Preciado would acknowledge the clue hunting and announce on the Discord Server that the folder was not related to any official Poppy Playtime promotion, which also meant that the previous puzzles were irrelevant as well. Although this was disappointing news for fans, Micah did elude to a real ARG in his message and even revealed a teaser image.
Logging In and Playcare Reports
At the end of Chapter 3's second teaser trailer, the website "www.playtimeco.org" was shown, leading people to the emulated computer seen in the previous teaser. On the bottom left corner of the monitor was a sticky note containing the password for Leith Pierre's account; "H0I_Lp95!". After players entered the password, they had to press the red button on the bottom right to power the computer on. Users (at the time) also had to zoom out to 67% if nothing happened when they clicked on the icons.
The computer showed the home screen with all of the aforementioned applications, as seen in the previous teaser. However, only two of them were active: CCTV Network and File Explore. Clicking on File Explore led to two folders: Playcare and Innovation. The Innovation folder had another locked folder within it titled "Bigger Bodies Initiative". The password for this folder was unknown at the time. Going into the Playcare folder led to an unlocked folder called "Reports", which contained a locked folder titled "harper_021".
At the beginning of the second teaser, there was a brief flash of a distorted image of the Gas Mask with the phrase "Spectre_Metus!" spread diagonally throughout the static. (This image first appeared in spectrogram audio that could be heard at the end of RESTRICTED_restoration.mp4.) Spectre metus translates to "fear of the specter" in Latin. Putting in "Spectre_Metus!" as the password for the "harper_021" folder unlocked it, revealing a video and an image.
The video, titled "Red smoke test 048", which could be played either on the computer itself, or on the Vimeo link, showed the Red Smoke being emitted from a black tube attached to some kind of machine. As the gas was administered, the screams of children were heard before the video cut to static, and then blackness.
The image was of a written incident report by Playtime Co. counselor Claire Harper. Said report concerned Marie Payne, the child who would later become Mommy Long Legs, detailing how she had a mental breakdown during the night of February 8 of an unspecified year. Claire was unsure of what caused the incident and demanded that something be done about it. Beside the main paper's top-right side was another paper with the code "0mniscient_Eye" on it (only seen when the brightness was turned up).
CCTV Network
The "0mniscient_Eye" code was for the CCTV Network application, with this password possibly being a foreshadowing of The Doctor's infamous eye that he would use on screens following his transformation into Experiment 1354. When unlocked, there were eight camera feeds from the Playtime Co. Virtual Security System, with them showing various locations from Chapter 2. A noteworthy addition was in the Hidden Labyrinth camera, where the door that The Prototype's arm had came out of to take Mommy Long Legs' head was now open.
The CCTV network also had an archive system, in which a specific date could be typed in to show the security feeds from that day. Two particular dates had pages available: June 18th, 1992, the same day of Huggy Wuggy's disappearance, and August 8th, 1995, the same day of Kissy Missy's relocation and The Hour of Joy. Both pages were password protected, and their passwords were unknown.
Redacted Email
Initially, the Mail icon could not be interacted with, but on September 19th, players found that after inserting one of three key words, "Harper", "Computer", or "Mail" into the CCTV app and leaving the tab open, players could open the Mail icon in a new tab.
Once opened, players could access an email sent by Elliot Ludwig on June 23, 1981, at 6:23. The email was sent to Leith Pierre and related to GrabPack concepts. Elliot mentioned that one of the "dang huggies" had gone loose, implying a Huggy experiment had breached containment. It's interesting to note that while the email implied that the GrabPack may have been created during later years, it doesn't necessarily provide a clue as to when the device was actually created. Fans pointed out that a vintage newspaper covering the GrabPack suggests the technology was innovative at the time, which implies that the device may have been created during the early stages of Playtime Co. rather than in 1981 specifically. But what is known for sure is that it existed by 1984, as proven by the Chapter 1 Console Trailer. However, despite the email sparking many interesting theories and ideas, it was later removed from the ARG by Mob Entertainment (presumably because of continuity errors). It was likely a prototype that fans weren't supposed to access.
Mail Application
On October 25th, the same day Phase 3: Forsaken of PROJECT: PLAYTIME released, Mob Entertainment posted a Playtime Co. poster on several social media sites. Said poster was about employees having to check their emails regularly, stating: "Employees: As a reminder, please consistently check your electronic mail while working safely and in complete obedience to the rules outlined in our orientation notebook." This also served as an early teaser for the Orientation Notebook.
After this, it was discovered that the Mail application was open for everyone, being accessible without the need for extra steps. Within was one new email from an unknown source sitting in the inbox titled "by the pricking of my thumbs." Once opened, two photos of a Transcript Submission next to a Huggy plush could be seen. The rest of the email read, "Looking for something? We’ll tell you a secret, if you can prove you’re willing to pay attention." The Transcript Submission was of a phone call between Joel Sinclair, Playcare's head counselor, and Thomas Clarke, a Playcare pediatrician who would later become Experiment 1199. They discussed an incident concerning a boy named Theodore. When the second image was brightened, the text "Monstr0us_invivo" was vaguely seen on one of the censored lines. Monstrous invivo translates to "I live monstrous" in Latin.
Confidential Reports
Opening the "File Explore" page, users found a new locked folder titled "confidential reports". Putting in "Monstr0us_invivo" as the password of the "confidential reports" folder unlocked it, revealing an image. Said image was of a report on the death of an anonymous Playtime Co. employee, stating that he had died of "multiple abdominal puncture wounds, resulting in a catastrophic and fatal loss of blood", and that he had also "likely been dead for several weeks before anyone found him." When this image was stretched out vertically, an inverted message was revealed at the bottom. Flipping the image revealed the word "Nephilim", who, in the Hebrew Bible, were a group of mysterious entities of unusually large size and strength who lived both before and after the flood sent by God.
Fans speculated that the anonymous Playtime Co. employee was none other than Rowan Stoll, an employee who was consumed by Boxy Boo, as revealed in the ARG that came before this one.
Incident Follow-up
Six days after the previous update, on October 31st (Halloween), an account called "Playtime Co." made an announcement in the official Poppy Playtime Discord server; said announcement was made by Joel Sinclair. He stated that Theodore Grambell, who had been talked about in the aforementioned Transcript Submission, was safe and being taken care of.
Mail Application
Checking back on the website, users found a new email by another unknown sender, titled "truth bubbles to the surface". The full email read, "We see we have your attention. Good. As promised; hidden in a box with old Hi8's and blank cassettes, like so much else buried there. PS: same time Friday?". Attached was an image of DogDay playing with CraftyCorn while she colored. At the top of this image, fans could see the text "HS02yv4w".
Confidential Reports
In the "confidential reports" folder, entering the same password as before (Monstr0us_invivo) granted users access to a new video alongside the old image. The video appeared to be a safety equipment test, and showed static footage of several Gas Masks, with breathing in the background. However, it suddenly cut to loud beeping noises in all different pitches, and this lasted for the rest of the video. Putting the video's audio through an SSTV decoder translated it to a glitchy image of the front of the Playtime Co. factory, with several "random" numbers, lines, and letters being placed around. In this image, users could see the text "HS01" and "RXT".
Bigger Bodies Initiative
Having put together all the unused codes that they had received in the last few weeks, fans were left with "HS01RXT", "HS02yv4w", and "Nephilim". Taking away both the 'HS01' and 'HS02' from both left the phrases "RXT" and "yv4w". Adding these together made the code "RXTyv4w". When players used a Vigenère cipher, inputted "RXTyv4w" as the ciphertext, and added "Nephilim" as the key, it revealed the code "ETERN4L"; turning all the letters to lowercase revealed the password "etern4l".
Inputting "etern4l" as the password into the "bigger bodies initiative" folder presented users with two more folders, labelled "1188" and "1006", the latter being locked. Opening the "1188" folder revealed three new documents of a project proposal for Experiment 1188, the Chapter 3 antagonist, who fans previously did not know the name nor experiment number of. The documents went into depth of the materials and methods that would be used for the experiment, its candidates, etc.
It was revealed in these documents that a reoccurring character in the ARG, Theodore Grambell, was one of the potential candidates. It also revealed that 1188 was planned to have retractable cat-like claws made of stainless steel, and that the experiment was previously considered to be made of Elastic Plastic, the same material Mommy Long Legs was made of.
From this point onward, Mob Entertainment released new updates every Friday, at precisely 2:00 PM EST/11:00 AM PST.
Smiling Critters Reveal
On November 3rd, the following Friday, Mob Entertainment posted a brand new image of 8 new characters called the Smiling Critters. An hour later, they posted a very similar photo, but with CatNap removed. At the bottom of this image was a jumbled mess of differently-colored letters. Said letters were an upside-down green "t o y", a red "s w a", and an upside-down blue "w a".
Missing GrabPack Document
Heading back to the ARG website, users found a new document talking about two missing GrabPack 2.0s and two missing Green Hands in the "Confidential Reports" folder.
Sinclair_022
After finding the document, users discovered a new locked folder titled "Sinclair_022" in the "Playcare" folder. Using the previous phrases from the Smiling Critters image, and mixing them up, resulted in the phrase "stowaway", which was the password for this folder. Inside the folder was a photo of an Internal Memo from Joel Sinclair talking about Theodore Grambell claiming to have an "imaginary" friend.
At the time, fans speculated that the friend Theodore was taking about was The Prototype, who they believed had escaped confinement.
Smiling Critters Intro
On November 10th, the following Friday, Mob Entertainment tweeted out a video of a heavily distorted and glitchy intro for the Smiling Critters. In the video's glitches, the text "gold3n_path" briefly appeared when CatNap first showed up on screen.
1006 Folder
Using the text "gold3n_path" as a password, users unlocked the 1006 folder within the Bigger Bodies Initiative folder. In this folder lied two images: the first being the cut-out pieces of the conversation from the 'Transcript Submission' images that fans had received earlier, along with a drawing by Theodore Grambell, of him sitting on a bed, with a hand poking out from the shadows. It quickly occurred to fans that this hand was identical to the hand of The Prototype, confirming their theories that he was Theo's friend.
Players edited the cut-out Transcript Submission text pieces onto the original images to form a complete version of Joel and Thomas's entire conversation. And when they separated all the letters with red dots under them from the cut-out pieces, they were met with the letters "y p g o g i". This method, when used with the red dots from the Transcript Submission's original version, gave the letters: "h a n a". Arranging them in order from top-to-bottom (after layering them in order) formed the code "hypnagogia".
Smiling Critters Folder
Going back to File Explore, users discovered a new folder titled "Smiling Critters", which could be unlocked with the recently-discovered code "hypnagogia". Inside this folder was a video of a full episode from the Smiling Critters show. This marked the first time that fans had met some of the Critter characters and heard their voices. The video also revealed the name of the Chapter 3 antagonist: CatNap, along with the names of three other Critters: DogDay, PickyPiggy, and Bobby BearHug.
Info-Cards and CCTV
Starting November 11th, Mob Entertainment began posting new info-cards of all the Critters daily, starting with Bubba Bubbaphant, and eventually ending with CatNap's info-card on November 19th. They quickly deleted this final info-card, and then re-uploaded it. At the same time, the CCTV system on the ARG website updated with 3 new camera feeds of Playcare. At the top left of CatNap's info-card, a sequence of dots could be seen (... .... ... .. . ..... ... ...), which, using a tap Code translator, translated to "omen". Combining CatNap's scent, lavender, with this new code, fans got the password "lavenderomen", which they used to unlock a new sub-folder in 1188's folder titled "addendum".
Addendum
Inside this folder, players discovered 5 new documents, all relating to Theodore Grambell and CatNap.
A new email was added to the Mail application, called "Preparations". Clicking this brought up the message: "Are things coming into focus yet? You may think you understand things, but how could you? There’s too much left to say, and not enough time. You don’t know the sacrifices we made to get this to you. This connection won’t hold for much longer. When the powers-that-be discover this place, and it will be discovered, it will be burned to the ground. But you’re already a step ahead. You’ve left no stone unturned, nothing left behind. You are perfect for this. We will be in touch. Goodbye." Attached was an image of an email, which stated that a shipment of CatNap dolls had emitted an incorrect scent.
Since this email ended with a familiar closing, fans realised that the writer is probably the same entity (or group of entities) from the VHS tapes in PROJECT: PLAYTIME is speculated to be The Prototype.
Connection Terminated and CatNap Recall
On December 1st, the website changed again. However, rather than adding new content, users were met with a lockout screen, which meant that users could no longer access the ARG website, leaving all content previously revealed to be lost media.
Although the ARG's conclusion was confirmed by a series of developers via the official Discord server around this time, a last video could still be accessed through the error message. At the top of this message was an error code that read "434442674B354A49734638". Breaking down this sequence into a series of symbols (each broken apart by a space after two symbols) revealed a hexadecimal code, which when decoded, formed the text string "CDBGK5JISF8". It was discovered that this string, when used in a YouTube link, led to an unlisted, extended YouTube video in which the Smiling Critters Cartoon is featured on the local news. In this extended version, it is revealed that the character CatNap was completely removed from the Smiling Critters set after causing children to experience "strange or violent nightmares".
