FNAF Lore: 1970-1993 Summarized

The Beginning (FNAF 4) – 1970-1983: Two men, named William Afton and Henry Emily go in on a Chuck-E-Cheese-like establishment called Fredbear’s Family Diner. Afton was a pioneer in springlock technology in animatronics, allowing for animatronic parts to get pulled back and a human to enter, using the animatronic as a suit. This technology enabled a unique kind of entertainment, as the two men would use the suits to interact with children. Henry would operate the Fredbear suit while Afton would use a golden rabbit known to the community as Spring Bonnie. Fredbear’s was met with success allowing them to expand into a wider entertainment business called Fazbear Entertainment Inc. Additionally, William Afton founded Afton Robotics to continue his development of springlock technology in other animatronics. However, William Afton’s son Evan (also known as the crying child) was terrified of his father’s creations, knowing the potential risks. His older brother Michael Afton often tormented him over his fear of his father’s creations, wearing a Foxy mask to scare him constantly. In Five Nights at Freddy’s 4, we are playing through Michael Afton’s future nightmares (we’ll get to it later), with exaggerated “nightmare animatronics” being the antagonists for the player character. In between each night is a two-dimensional sprite-based minigame, detailing Evan’s torment and state of distress, until the final minigame. The final minigame shows Evan being harassed as usual, until Michael and his friends suggest Evan wants to give Fredbear a big kiss. They lift and hold Evan up to Fredbear’s mouth, with Fredbear chomping down on Evan’s head, eventually killing him. This event is known as the bite of ’83. When springlocks dampen in an animatronic suit, they close, and Evan’s crying was enough for Fredbear’s jaw to clench. Evan Afton goes on to possess and haunt the Fredbear animatronic, and a grieving William Afton begins coping with evil and murderous intent.

Circus Baby and Elizabeth Afton (Sister Location) – 1985: William wanted to better understand what happened to his son Evan, creating an animatronic with the sole purpose of capturing and killing another child inside of it. This animatronic was named Circus Baby. Circus Baby is equipped with sensors to calculate the number of children in the room at any given moment, with the hopes of luring one to be alone so it can be captured and killed via the claw embedded into its chest cavity. William’s daughter Elizabeth was in love with Circus Baby, managing to get away from her father into a room alone with Baby. After Circus Baby gave ice cream to Elizabeth, the claw grabbed her, crunching Elizabeth in the chest cavity of the animatronic. Like Evan, Elizabeth began to possess the Circus Baby animatronic as a result. Henry finds out about this but does not report his business partner to the authorities, as removing him from the business and the death of his own children appear to be punishment enough. It’s important to explain the concept of remnant here as well, as it will come up later when talking about Sister Location. When people are killed, their souls release what’s called remnant, allowing them to possess the animatronics.

Charlie and The Marionette (FNAF 2) – 1987: FNAF 2 introduces a new animatronic, called The Marionette or The Puppet, created by none other than Henry Emily. Though William had been removed from the business, out of fear for his child, Emily created The Puppet with the express purpose of protecting his daughter Charlie. Amid rage towards his business partner, Afton kills Charlie outside of the restaurant when The Puppet is trapped inside, failing to do its one job. The Puppet eventually makes its way outside, crawling next to Charlie, with Charlie going on to possess The Puppet. Charlie’s murder causes Fredbear’s Family Diner to shut down, only for it to be reopened shortly after in 1987. In FNAF 2 you play as security guard Jeremy Fitzgerald, working at the newly reopened restaurant now called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. Receiving phone calls during every night of work, Jeremy is told about an ongoing investigation, as none of the animatronics seem to be acting right. Apparently, someone has been sneaking around the back of the restaurant, using a yellow suit. In later installments, it becomes clear that William Afton had been using the Spring Bonnie suit to lure children away at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, killing them when he had them alone. Five children ended up being killed this way, with their bodies stuffed inside the main animatronics. Their names and animatronics they possess are as follows. Gabriel and Freddy, Fritz and Foxy, Susie and Chica, Jeremy and Bonnie, and Cassidy and Fredbear. It’s clear through yet another minigame that The Puppet is the one who assigns each soul to each animatronic, giving them life once again. Because William Afton used the role of a security guard to sneak into the Spring Bonnie suit, the animatronics that are now possessed by his victims are hostile to anyone with a security uniform, attacking player character Jeremy Fitzgerald in FNAF 2. The final shift Fitzgerald works, his job is to monitor the animatronics during a birthday party, making sure they stay in line. However, the event that ensues becomes known as the bite of ’87, as one of the animatronics bites Fitzgerald in the head, tearing out his frontal lobe. The final night Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza is open, a new security guard named Fritz Smith works only one night before closure. It’s important to mention that Fritz Smith is an alias for Michael Afton, which leads into the first FNAF game.

Writer: Dylan Wood

Artist: Tony Molina