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Uh, didn’t you get the memo? Uh, the place is closed down, at least for a while.
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| “ | No! I don't want to go! | ” |
— Crying Child's final words before the Bite of 83'
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This article is for the Crying Child from Five Nights at Freddy's 4, If you are looking for the one from FNaF 1, 2, or 3, look here. If you're looking for one of The Missing Children look here.
The Crying Child is the main protagonist of the Five Nights at Freddy's 4 end of night minigames. He is the victim of the Bite of 83'.
The Crying Child is a very timid little boy with a deep fear of animatronics. He is seen crying all the time due to this fear, especially when prompted by his Older Brother who relentlessly bullies & torments him. One of his tactics is to wear a Foxy mask to jumpscare him in the most unexpected places. Because his Older brother did this every day, his actions significantly contributed to increasing his fear of the animatronics. With five days left until the party (when the minigames take place), his anxiety had escalated to where he would sob nonstop every day, even harder if his older brother tormented him again. Around the same time most of his peers treat him differently, noticing him always crying every day with The Freddy bully frequently finding him weeping under the farthest party table from the animatronics.[1]
On the day of his birthday party at Fredbear's Family Diner, the Older Brother and his friends planned to torment him by forcefully carrying him towards the performing Spring-Lock animatronics. He continues to scream and begs them not to, yet they ignore him, instead saying that he wants to get closer. Eventually, the bullies escalated the situation by shoving him inside Fredbear's mouth, knowing it will scare him the most. Amidst squirming and loud wails of terror, the Fredbear animatronic then suddenly bites down and crushes the Crying Child's lower head and neck.
Appearance
Games
Crying Child was a small boy with medium brown hair, dark eyes, and pale skin, wearing a black sleeveless shirt with two gray stripes, blue shorts, and brown shoes. He is seen crying nonstop throughout all the FNAF 4 minigames, with his sprite's head moving up and down to mimic sobbing, and flashes of tears streaming down his face, hence the name.
Character Encyclopedia
In the Five Nights at Freddy's Character Encyclopedia the Crying Child is depicted as a small boy with light brown hair and hazel eyes. He is depicted wearing a dark gray T-shirt with two lighter gray stripes, dark blue shorts and light brown shoes. He is also depicted with a band-aid on his left knee.
Personality
Not much is said or shown about the Crying Child's personality, but observing his behavior in FNAF 4, he is clearly seen to be a very timid and scared individual. He is essentially described as a 'crybaby', and in his case, the term is quite very literal. His constant sobbing and fear largely stem from his intense fear of animatronics, which is further exacerbated by relentless trauma inflicted by his older brother. A misconception surrounding his personality is at first he can be seen as a shy and quiet child, but his behavior reveals that he is crying more than just verbalizing, likely due to him constantly worrying about when his Older Brother would terrorize him during the day. (This is clear when the Fredbear Plush in one of the minigames states, "He won't stop until you find him," which adds to him being scared even more.)
The Crying Child's treatment by his peers and the Older Brother's friends paint him as a very scared and a very weepy individual as they call him a "baby". He's also seen to not be brave at all, as seen in the Night 3 minigame where he completely lacked the courage to even walk past the animatronics to get help. Instead he would have a breakdown and collapse on the floor sobbing. Despite his Older Brother's torment, The Crying Child still loved the animatronic characters and the Fredbear & Friends tv show, so much that he has his own plushies in his room. This is confirmed when in one of the minigames, if he walks over to his plushies, he says "These are my friends."
Story
Five Nights at Freddy's 4 Minigames
Each minigame depicts events during the days leading up to the Crying Child's birthday, with text preceding the minigames indicating "X days until the party".
Pre-Night 1
The Crying Child is locked crying in his bedroom with his plushies, approaching them, he states "These are my friends." After banging on the door several times, he gives up and helplessly collapses down into weeping, as the Fredbear plush states "Tomorrow is another day."
Night 1
The Crying Child walks around his house, being followed by a seemingly teleporting Fredbear Plush. When approaching the TV in the room to the left, the Older Brother, wearing his Foxy mask, pops out and scares him, causing him to collapse onto the floor and continuously cry. Like in the first minigame, Fredbear's text will say "Tomorrow is another day."
Night 2
The Crying Child has been left behind at Fredbear's Family Diner while crying under a table. The plush urges him to leave. Upon heading right, the child is blocked by an employee wearing the Fredbear suit. The Fredbear plush instructs him, saying "It's too late. Hurry the other way and find someone who will help! You know what will happen if he catches you!" Heading left, he sees shadows of Fredbear and Spring Bonnie, and the Fredbear plush says "You can find help if you can get past them. You have to be strong." At this point, the CC can go back to the previous scene and catch a glimpse of an interaction in the back through a set of double doors that had been closed before. A purple man places a Spring Bonnie head on another individual after which he closes the door. Heading left again and advancing further, the person wearing the Fredbear suit appears at the other end of the room. Due to The Crying Child completely lacking the courage to even walk past the Animatronics, it prompted him to collapse and burst out crying while hiding under a table, at which point a message will appear stating "Tomorrow is another day." Night 3 then starts.
Night 3
The Crying Child is in the Fredbear's restaurant again, sobbing curled up under a table. The voice of the Fredbear plush urges him to leave this time. Attempting to go to the left will have Fredbear halt them and say "NO! Don't you remember what you saw? The exit is the other way! Hurry and leave!" After exiting the restaurant, the child goes home, interacting to the other children. When he reaches home, upon reaching the plushies, he repeats "These are my friends." The older brother scares him again, from under his bed this time which again, caused him to collapse onto the floor and continuously sob like a baby. After being scared, the plush reminds him "Tomorrow is another day."
Night 4
The Crying Child is locked in a spare parts room of Fredbear's Family Diner. There are various unsettling animatronic parts and heads on the shelves and tables around him, including a slumped, headless yellow suit with something sticking out of the neck hole, which can be interpreted as wires or someone's hair. As the child sobs, he yells "Please let me out." "PLEASE!" The child then helplessly falls over into a fetal position, "...please let me out..."
Night 5
This minigame starts with "0 days until the party." The player still cannot move around. The minigame opens with a scene of The Crying Child, surrounded by the older brother and three of his "friends" wearing masks of the original four animatronics. One of the bullies tells his brother "Wow, your brother is kind of a baby isn't he?" as they stare down at The Crying Child crying. His brother replies, "It's hilarious." "Why don't we help him get a closer look! He will love it!" The Crying Child cries "No, please!". His Brother then says "Come on guys, let's give this little man a lift. He wants to get up close and personal!". The bullies then forcefully pick up the Crying Child and carry him closer to the Animatronics, laughing as they do it.
"No! I don't want to go!" He shouts. His brother ignores him, saying "You heard the little man, he wants to get even closer! Ha ha ha!" as they bring him closer and closer to the Spring-Lock Animatronics. The Crying Child is now crying intensely as they arrive at the stage, and his brother, noticing this, came up of an idea, "Hey guys, I think the little man said he wants to give Fredbear a big kiss!" He then counted, "One THREE! One....Two......" and shoved his head all the way inside Fredbear's mouth. (Up until neck area) The group then laughs as they watch The Crying Child screaming & crying so hard in extreme terror. Moments later, Fredbear's mechanical jaw snaps shut, "biting" the child. The Crying Child goes limp, and the bullies stop laughing. He appears to be fatally injured and is presumably taken to the hospital.
Night 6
After the bite, the player will be taken to a screen with the Crying Child and the Fredbear plush in a dark void, accompanied by piano music. The other plushes from the boy's room will be in the back. The brother says, "Can you hear me? I don't know if you can hear me. ....I'm sorry." The Fredbear Plush will reply, "You're broken." After this, the headless Foxy plush will fade out. "We are still your friends." Then the Chica plush will disappear. "Do you still believe that?" The Bonnie plush will then fade out. "I'm still here." Finally, Freddy's plush will fade from view. Then, The Fredbear Plush will say, "I will put you back together." After this, Fredbear will fade from view, in which the boy will break down on the floor and cry even harder. Shortly after, the boy fades as well, accompanied by the sound similar to that of a heart monitor flatlining. After this, the player will be taken back to the title screen and awarded a second star.
Dialogue
| “ | These are my friends. | ” |
— Crying Child about the plushies in his room
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| “ | Please let me out. PLEASE! ...please let me out.... | ” |
— Crying Child begging to be let out of the Parts and Services closet, but due to no response, he helplessly stops after realizing that no one will listen to him.
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| “ | No! Please! | ” |
— Crying Child pleading to his older brother to not carry him to the Animatronics on the day of the party
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| “ | No! I don't want to go! | ” |
— Crying Child beseeching his older brother as he's being carried to the stage but stops by the time he was very close to the Animatronics.
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The Week Before
TBA
Survival Logbook
In the Five Nights at Freddy's: Survival Logbook it's been theorized that the edited text, codes, and secret cyphers was left by the Crying Child and another spirit known as Cassidy.
Five Nights at Freddy's Character Encyclopedia
In the Five Nights at Freddy's Character Encyclopedia the Crying Child is described thusly:
The Crying Child is the main character of Five Nights at Freddy's 4. He's terrorized by the Nightmare Animatronics in his bedroom, but his real story is told in end-of-night minigames. In them, we see the child locked in his room by his bullying big brother. The child is comforted by his Fredbear plush, and when he gets out, his brother scares him with a Foxy mask.
Gallery
Trivia
- A common misconception surrounding this character is that many fans see him always holding the Fredbear Plush in his hand as his own little own teddy bear. In reality, Nowhere in any of the lore of Five Nights At Freddy's had him actually carrying the fredbear plush. In the FNAF 4 Minigames The Fredbear Plush constantly follows him and guides him but its never really shown to be on him in any of The Crying Child's canon appearances but rather a figure that follows him and is more guiding and comforting (This is theorized to be William talking to him) rather than a friend that he plays with.
- The Crying Child is the shortest human character in the entire fourth game.
- The identity of the Crying Child has not yet been, and may likely never will be, confirmed and definitive details still remain vague. There is still a raging debate over their identity to this day.
- Two current major theories as to the identity of the Crying Child/'83 Bite Victim is either him being Michael Afton (Mikevictim) or the younger brother of Michael Afton (Mikebro). The Five Nights at Freddy's Character Encyclopedia states that the Crying Child is the protagonist of FNaF 4's night segments. Though seemingly already implied by FNaF 4's gameplay, confirmation of this fact has become a contentious detail between Mikebro and Mikevictim theorists.
- Mikebro arguments:
- The Crying Child/Bite of '83 Victim is thought to be represented in the Five Nights at Freddy's: Survival Logbook through edited text and cyphers - repeated patterns become replaced with different words. Some theorists have interpreted the codes and cyphers in the Logbook to be messages to the Night Guard from an outside influence such as Golden Freddy. This reading supports Mikebro theory interpretations, as the messages are taken to be messages from the little brother to his older sibling Michael Afton (Mike Schmidt).
- In CC’s page of the logbook, in the section ‘Crunch Time’, it states “A final sequence implies that he died from his injuries." It should be noted that the Crying Child (Ghost from the minigames) was found on CC’s encyclopedia page.
- Multiple interpretations of the Logbook has been presented, though some believe it doesn't have a definitive conclusion.
- Since Fredbear was the animatronic that bit him, the Crying Child was theorized to possess Golden Freddy (either alone or alongside Cassidy) and/or theorized to be connected with Shadow Freddy. This generally supports Mikebro theory interpretations as it indicates the CC died from the Bite of '83 and so haunts the animatronic that killed him.
- The end of FNAF4's final minigame following Night 6, in which the Crying Child is cryptically comforted by the Fredbear plushie before everything fades and a heart monitor flatline is heard, has been considered by some to indicate that CC died from the Bite of '83. This would indicate that the CC is dead and could not be present as a living entity in other entries in the series, which falls in line with Mikebro interpretations.
- Theorists disagree that The Freddy Files entry on Mike Schmidt refers to CC, claiming it may refer to the Older Brother.
- Others also cite less than full confidence in The Freddy Files as a source for canon information as it includes a lot of fan theories and contains mistakes. At the same time, the entry has vague language that doesn't refer to the Crying Child specifically. The entry in its entirety is transcribed here: Mike Schmidt: When you receive your paycheck at the close of Night 5, you’ll learn that your name is (was) Mike Schmidt. Many have speculated that Mike isn’t just some security guard off the street. In FNAF(1), playing through to Night 7 gets Mike fired for “tampering with the animatronics” A2 (referring to custom night), which could imply that Mike has knowledge of the animatronics. Fans have also pointed out that he shares a first name with Mike from FNAF4 (who seems to be “Michael Afton”), and “Mike,” the owner of the Survival Logbook.
- Mikevictim arguments:
- Other theorists interpret the messages in the LogBook to mean that CC is one and the same with the FNaF 1 Night Guard, Mike Schmidt and, ergo, is Michael Afton. This reading supports the Mikevictim theory.
- The Logbook has multiple interpretations however, and some theorists believe that it indicates differing conclusions.
- Others disagree with the interpretation that CC died from the Bite, pointing to multiple details that can be interpreted to mean that CC survived, leaving open the possibility that they are Michael Afton.
- In The Ultimate Guide (Freddy Files 3), the name Mike is connected to FNAF4 through an entry on "Mike Schmidt", which some fans have taken to mean the Crying Child is named Mike and have further postulated that this confirms the Crying Child is named Michael Afton.
- Others also cite less than full confidence in The Freddy Files as a source for canon information as it includes a lot of fan theories and contains mistakes. At the same time, the entry has vague language that doesn't refer to the Crying Child specifically. The entry in its entirety is transcribed here: Mike Schmidt: When you receive your paycheck at the close of Night 5, you’ll learn that your name is (was) Mike Schmidt. Many have speculated that Mike isn’t just some security guard off the street. In FNAF(1), playing through to Night 7 gets Mike fired for “tampering with the animatronics” A2 (referring to custom night), which could imply that Mike has knowledge of the animatronics. Fans have also pointed out that he shares a first name with Mike from FNAF4 (who seems to be “Michael Afton”), and “Mike,” the owner of the Survival Logbook.
- Some refer to the Crying Child as Michael, since it has been theorized with credible evidence that Michael Afton is the Crying Child, rather than Evan, which is more speculative. YouTuber TwelveMan_OP created two fan-made VHS-styled movies, where he named the Crying Child Norman. Other VHS-styled shorts have used the name Evan. As this material is non-canon, they are considered fan-made interpretations of the Crying Child.
- Other theorists interpret the messages in the LogBook to mean that CC is one and the same with the FNaF 1 Night Guard, Mike Schmidt and, ergo, is Michael Afton. This reading supports the Mikevictim theory.
- Mikebro arguments:
- Upon the release of the Five Nights at Freddy's Interactive Novel: The Week Before, the MikeBro theory has been confirmed, along with implying that C.C. possessed Golden Freddy alone or alongside Cassidy.
- Two current major theories as to the identity of the Crying Child/'83 Bite Victim is either him being Michael Afton (Mikevictim) or the younger brother of Michael Afton (Mikebro). The Five Nights at Freddy's Character Encyclopedia states that the Crying Child is the protagonist of FNaF 4's night segments. Though seemingly already implied by FNaF 4's gameplay, confirmation of this fact has become a contentious detail between Mikebro and Mikevictim theorists.
- During the run-up to, and initial theorizing after, FNaF 4's release, there were many theories that the Crying Child may have been the victim in the infamous Bite of '87 incident mentioned in FNaF 1.
- This theory is deemed debunked by certain details such as the date of '83 for the "Fredbear and Friends" advertisement seen on the television in the Night 3 Minigame and the fact that the Fredbear animatronic wasn't walking around the establishment, as The Bite of '87 involved an animatronic who was walking around during the day, while Fredbear is in place on stage during the Bite of '83.
- Some theorize the Crying Child saw some part of the Missing Children's Incident, due to details and dialogue in the minigames. In Night 2's minigame, the CC is told "You know what will happen if he catches you!"
- Taken in context, the line may be just referring to CC's own paranoia about the Fredbear suits he sees as chasing him and blocking him from leaving.
- The reason for what started CC's fear of the Spring-lock Animatronics is not stated ultimately (aside from The Older Brother tormenting him), but the possibility of having seen something that scared him, whether it was innocuous and misinterpreted or an actual violent or criminal act is supported by other lines such as during Night 3's minigame when Fredbear says "No! Don't you remember what you saw?"
- During Night 2, the CC can be witness to a shadowy purple figure who bears a strong resemblance to Purple Guy as seen in other games placing the head of a Spring Bonnie suit on a person, presumably another employee and closing the door abruptly in CC's face. It's possible this action was mistaken as the animatronic "eating" the employee by an impressionable child who only caught a glimpse of the act. This could easily be a reason for CC to be afraid of getting near them. Although this might not make sense for this to be the trigger of his fear since He had already been traumatized enough before this event happened so its likely that The Older Brother was a huge part in creating his fear of animatronics.
- Some people theorize that the Crying Child's real name is Norman, as the file name for the bedroom in Help Wanted is "NormanBedroom."
- However, this is not a clear conclusion. It may refer to a stock model for Unreal Engine that can be found online.[2]
- This is in fact named after the character Norman Bates from the TV series Bates Motel.
- The bedroom model is based on Norman's bedroom in this series.
- The actual file labelled as NormanBedroom is simply a stock table model, placed out of bounds in the Night Terrors minigame.
- However, this is not a clear conclusion. It may refer to a stock model for Unreal Engine that can be found online.[2]
- During the End of Night Minigames, the Crying Child is depicted as considering his plushies of the Freddy Fazbear band, Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and a headless Foxy, yet possibly not Fredbear as his friends for three days straight. "These are my friends." During the final night, a voice that is assumed to be the Fredbear plush says "We are still your friends, do you still believe that?" and "I will put you back together" These are a repeatedly referenced phrases throughout FNaF's lore and these words have long puzzled theorists. A popular idea is that they refer to Fredbear promising to take the CC's spirit and enclose it in Golden Freddy. Other instances of references for these lines include:
- In FNaF World's Clock ending, a pair of yellow eyes not unlike Fredbear's appears with the text "We are still your friends. Do you believe that?" and "The pieces are in place for you. All you have to do is find them."
- In Ultimate Custom Night, Nightmare Fredbear's voice lines say "We know who our friends are and you are not one of them," as well as "Let me put you back together, then take you apart all over again" and "Let's see how many times you can be pulled apart"
- It has been noted by some theorists that at the moment of the Bite of '83, after the crushing action occurs, everyone in the scene freezes, with the exception of Spring Bonnie behind Fredbear and the flashing showtime lights.
- A common misconception is that the Bite of '83 crushed the Crying Child's whole skull and severed his frontal lobe. This is likely a carryover from when the community believed FNaF 4 depicted the Bite of '87, as Phone Guy implies was the injury in said incident.
- Based on the placement of Fredbear's teeth in relation to CC's head, it is theorized that only the Crying Child's jaw and/or neck or spine was bit, though specific medical data has not been provided.
- A common misconception is that the Bite of '83 crushed the Crying Child's whole skull and severed his frontal lobe. This is likely a carryover from when the community believed FNaF 4 depicted the Bite of '87, as Phone Guy implies was the injury in said incident.
- In Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach, the Crying Child and the Afton Family are theorized to be represented by a diorama of five S.T.A.F.F. Bots set up around a table located in a hidden area. One of the S.T.A.F.F. Bots is missing its head, which is thought to represent the Bite of '83 injury. Also present at this table is one of the Ice Cream Parlor S.T.A.F.F. Bots with red pigtails that are modeled after Circus Baby, thought to represent Elizabeth Afton. This is considered by some to be a major corroborating piece of evidence pointing to the Crying Child as being an Afton, though the reference is vague enough for some theorists to still have doubts and to interpret the scene differently.
- In Sister Location, William has cameras viewing the FNaF 4 bedroom. This can either confirm or deny CC's connection as the son of William Afton based on how it's interpreted.
- ↑ "Aren't you the kid who always hides under the table and cries?
- ↑ https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/en-US/product/norman-bedroom