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This article may have information that contains spoilers for Poppy Playtime. Please read at your own discretion!
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| Elliot Ludwig |
| “ | There is nothing more gratifying to my soul than being the reason for a child's smile. To be the spark that ignites all their hopes and dreams. We owe everything to these children. This company and its toys are nothing without them. | ” |
| — Elliot Ludwig | ||
Elliot Ludwig is an overarching character of the Poppy Playtime franchise. He was the founder and overseer of Playtime Co. and an esteemed toymaker who desired to make children across the world happy with his toys. However, following his death, his company would come under the tyrannical rule of Leith Pierre and Ludwig's old protege Harley Sawyer, not even knowing that this would lead them both and the company into its eventual downfall.
The two would initiate the Bigger Bodies Initiative and transform orphan children into monstrous toys to use as slaves. The toys eventually banded together and killed every worker in the factory and took it for themselves. As a result Playtime was closed for good and Elliot's legacy and efforts were thus tainted.
Appearance[]
Elliot Ludwig is depicted through in-game photos as a be-suited man with fair light-colored skin, his face is always obscured by a large black rectangle. Elliot's voice is heard for the first time in the Chapter 3 Teaser Trailer and in Playcare Introduction.
Personality[]
Elliot Ludwig was described in the Elliot Ludwig Biography as "Divorced, but a family man at heart", who overcame the tragic loss of an unknown family member. He was a hardworking man who often stayed behind at all hours in order to achieve his goals, essentially creating the empire that is Playtime Co..
Elliot appeared to have a strong regard for love, happiness, joy, and smiling, especially when it related to children, with Elliot himself saying: "There is nothing more gratifying to my soul than being the reason for a child's smile.". A newspaper article about Elliot implied his workaholic behavior was solely intended to bring joy to children, despite personal tragedies. Elliot's speech in Playcare Introduction displayed his hope that the lives of children living in Playcare would be filled with joy and happiness.
Elliot seemed to have been a very friendly and kind man; he was deeply upset at having to remove Harley Sawyer from the Young Geniuses Program despite obviously having been a problematic child and even mentioned in his letter that he was agonizing over how to respond to his retort of "Don't be soft, Elliot". Though obviously derogatory, Sawyer's comments on Elliot being a soft man backs up this idea.
Though not confirmed, it is possible that Ludwig's whole personality was simply an act to make himself look good, as there is some evidence suggesting he may have secretly had bad intentions and been involved in some unethical experimentation.
History[]
Backstory[]
| “ | Playtime Co. was founded in 1930 by the brilliant Elliot Ludwig, a visionary and creative genius who devoted every waking second of his life to bring joy to children. However, this relentless work ethic came at the cost of his personal life, as his wife Molly divorced him in 1930. Despite both this and an unfortunate family death in the 1960s, Elliot never stopped creating, revolutionizing the toy industry to bring happiness to millions around the globe. | ” |
| — Elliot Ludwig's description on the old merch website | ||
Playtime Co.[]
Elliot Ludwig drawing a toy design.
At an unknown point in time, Elliot Ludwig met and later married a woman named Molly; the two would later have a daughter who eventually passed from unknown circumstances. Intent on making children happy, Elliot founded an American toy-making company named Playtime Co. in 1930. He devoted every waking second of his life to designing and crafting toys, often working overtime consistently. These toys soon made national headlines, letting Ludwig build more factories and hire more employees, essentially growing his empire. This behavior strained Elliot's marriage, and this relationship climaxed upon Molly divorcing him. Although a major blow had been dealt to his personal life, Elliot continued to fulfill his vision for his company.
Elliot Ludwig as seen in Playtime Co. promotional material.
By 1950, Playtime Co. was regarded as "the king of the toy-manufacturing industry" and Elliot was now a wealthy and successful entrepreneur. This was also the year he released a commercial dedicated to the new Poppy Playtime (a doll designed to behave and interact with its owner in a realistic human manner), alongside offering factory tours for a mere $2.99 a person.
Young Geniuses Program[]
Ludwig eventually went on to create the Young Geniuses Program, where intelligent kids would be recruited to try and lead science into the future and solve unanswerable questions. Judging from the outdated Playtime Co. logo seen on sheets related to this program, it can be estimated that the program was founded sometime around the 1950s to 1970s.
Official flyer promoting the Young Geniuses Program.
Elliot's motivation for starting this program is unknown, though there is a logical assumption that can be made. A document can be found talking about Experiment 814, which utilized a dead rat. If this experiment was the work of Ludwig, it would be proof that he was trying to innovate in science, which would then explain why the Young Geniuses Program came into being.
One member of the program, Harley Sawyer, was documented by Ludwig to have not cared for friendship but to have had a very strong drive for science. Elliot was confident in Sawyer at first, however, he eventually realized that the boy had zero humility and did not care for benefitting mankind with scientific innovation, but rather just making progress for the sake of progress. This ultimately led to Ludwig removing Sawyer from the program, much to his disliking.
Playcare[]
A poster promoting Playtime Co.'s Foster and Adoptive Care Initiative.
Radio revealing the mysterious behavior of Ludwig reported from his neighbors.
In the 1960s, an unnamed family member of Ludwig died, greatly devastating him. Despite this tragic loss, Elliot pressed onward toward his goal, creating a new toy: Bron the Dinosaur, who soon joined Playtime Co.'s growing roster of mascots. Elliot also created the Make-A-Friend Machine, which built toys automatically (when given the proper toy parts) and eliminated the requirement for manual labor.
In 1976, Elliot incorporated orphan adoption into the toy company's brand, encouraging employees to adopt an orphan and grant them a safe home. Elliot eventually announced the opening of Playcare (Playtime Co.'s new on-site orphanage underneath the factory) and voiced his hopes that the facility would enrich all who entered, concluding life was meaningless without smiles and joy. (It's likely this speech was the inspiration for the Smiling Critters' creation.)
Between the 1970s and late 1980s, Ludwig displayed a reclusive and bizarre nature that his neighbors noticed. They often observed Elliot depart from his home and return at ungodly hours but were unsure of why.
Death[]
Sometime between 1984 and 1990, Elliot Ludwig passed away, leaving behind a legacy of high-quality toys and joyful children. This legacy, however, was questioned upon the gruesome discovery of an eviscerated young child in his estate. Following the discovery, Playtime Co. rose in defense of its founder and expressed an eagerness to clear his good name. Elliot Ludwig's suspicious behavior before his death, however, only fueled the flames of controversy. However, after the Hour of Joy on August 8, 1995, Playtime Co. was permanently shut down.
Trivia[]
- Elliot Ludwig canonically divorced in 1930, as per the Game Jolt event.
- Elliot's wife, Molly, is named after Mob Entertainment's office dog, Molly.
- This would also mean that Ludwig was most likely born during the 1900s or even the 1890s.
- Untitled Tape reveals that Poppy Playtime is likely his daughter, likely as part of Playtime Co.'s early human experimentation, for currently unrevealed reasons.
- Elliot Ludwig was speculated to be affiliated with the Bigger Bodies experiments, particularly Huggy Wuggy, until the source that started off these speculations was redacted by Mob Entertainment.
- The Experiment 814 note found in Ludwig's office during Chapter 2 implies that he was on board with the idea of human test subjects.
- In the Chapter 3 Teaser Trailer, Ludwig says that "they owe everything to children", as their "company and its toys are nothing without them."
- Elliot Ludwig appears to have been inspired by Walt Disney as well as Ole Kirk Christiansen.
- It is unknown how Elliot Ludwig died. However, in the Chapter 4 Icepick ARG, Harley Sawyer is implied to be involved in his death.
- In the official merchandise website, the newspaper notes that "Like his namesake, he was a visionary and creative genius". It is unclear who exactly the newspaper is referring to, given that there are numerous well-known Ludwigs, possibly even referring to an entirely fictional one.
- Some examples could either be German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven or Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, both being creative geniuses in their fields.
- There is a popular theory that Elliot Ludwig was transformed into The Prototype.
Gallery[]
