I guess it's my turn to choose a card. Let's see. What's really going on in "Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared"? Yes, if only there was some way to learn more information about this. I'm a computer, I'm a computery guy, I got some theories in line that just might blow your mind *Wicked beats ensue* *Painfully high pitched squeak* Hello, internet! Welcome to Film Theory! When we watch our internet videos a quarter frame at a time! You think I'm joking but when it comes to 'Don't Hug Me I'm Scared,' it's pretty accurate. These videos are so densely packed with detail and symbolism that you can watch them over, and over, and over, again and still come up with new easter eggs you've never seen before! Just look at this one scene at the end of the 3rd episode of 'Don't Hug Me.' The first time you watch, you might see Roy, Yellow Guy's dad, standing there while his son is indoctrinated into the cult of Malcom. Keep looking and you'll notice The Notepad and Clock from the prior 2 episodes standing there behind him dressed in white robes. Keep searching and you see Red Guy and Duck there too, but they're supposed to be at their delicious chicken picnic, unaware of where Yellow Guy even is. Or how about here in episode 5, when Duck quits the show? There are a few frames of Red Guy's spaghetti head in the microwave and a few frames later, His legs where The Meat Man was standing just seconds before. And it isn't just limited to the videos, at the end of episode 5, we see Red guy leaving a phone booth. Google search for the phone number on that phone booth and you find this hidden video. *The Adventures of Red Guy!* So are those duck boats the smoking gun that decode everything that's going on in this series? *Drum roll!* No, No they aren't. But you can bet I took it all into account in my creation in todays theory. Because last time we covered the easy stuff: The symbolism of the story and how it represents a children's television show, corrupted by the influence of advertising. But today, instead of looking up what 'Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared' means in our world, we're going to explain what it means in its own world. Who are these characters? What is the deal with all these easter eggs? And how should we be interperting the ending? Is it even an ending at all?! I've got the answers all here for you, and by the end of this video, I guarantee to have you, digital dancing! Now as I watched and re-watched the series, even though Red Guy, Yellow Guy and Duck are the ones who appear on camera most often, these videos seem to have 2 main characters: Red Guy, yes, and Roy, Yellow Guy's porn surfing father. And that's reinforced in episode 6, where the whole ending sequence of events revolves around the relationship between these 2. But who are they? Additionally in a series full of bizarre moments, 2 events seem to be the most game changing. Red Guy's literal mind blow at the end of The Computer episode, and the dramatic shift to real life in the middle of episode 6. It was my theory that if we could some how answer who those 2 characters are, and what those 2 events stood for, then this whole enigma ball would unravel. So I started with the guy that we have the most information about: Red Guy. Now as we established last time, 'Don't Hug Me' depicts a television show, With Red Guy, Yellow Guy and Duck as performers on the series. Red Guy: "Oh there you are, we've been looking for you all afternoon." Don't get me wrong, I didn't say that they're good performers, but they are performers none the less. In addition to all the camera and set imagery we discussed last time, there are multiple instances where things don't go as planned, and Red Guy literally breaks the 4th wall to address what seems like someone behind the camera. The first instance of this occurs in episode 2, when the clock begins to talk. Red Guy turns to the camera, genuinely confused. Saying quietly, "What? Who is that?" Than again at the beginning of episode 4, The Red Guy delivers his setup Red Guy: "If only there was a way to learn more about the world." Then strongly indicates to the globe. Even the music queue follows in. Duck then joins in, trying to queue the reveal of the globe, but both are genuinely caught off guard by the computer coming to life, apparently a change in the script that neither were made aware of. It's made especially clear that Red Guy wasn't in on this change when he reveals that they already had another computer, a cute laptop, but is once again cut off before he can get through is thought. From there Red Guy tries to shut the computer up by saying things like: "Wait a second" "Stop talking" "Be quiet" Before touching the computer and causing it to freak out. So clearly Red Guy is both unaware of and very displeased by these unexpected changes. So then who is he? Well that answer comes to us in the final episode "Dreams." It starts with Yellow Guy left alone learning about dreams from The Lamp, but quickly transitions to Red Guy IRL at a desk job and singing the creativity song at a karaoke bar to receive, let's just say, less than stellar reviews. Now most other theories see this as occurring in the present day, but what makes more sense, is that scene is actually a flash back to The Red Guy's life before the show, when he was working at a boring desk job and had dreams of making a children's television program. I mean look at the way he pitches the idea of the singing file to his boss. Something that become physically manifested later in the video, more on that in a minute. But truly despite the monotone voice this guy is a guy with dreams! Dreams that sometimes seem like they're getting drowned in a pool of oil, or booed off stage with all the enthusiasm of a YouTube comment section. But within that sea of bored disapproval, one person watching The Red Guy's performance wasn't booing: Roy. And it's here that we finally learn of the secret to their relationship. Roy discovered Red Guy at an open mic night and made him a deal to sponsor the kids show that Red guy had always wanted. But then how do we know that Roy is the sponsor? It's easy, we're expressly told it in the credits. Episodes 2 through 6 of DHMIS and with a special thank you to all the kick starter backers, and the last person thanked in every episode is Roy. Because he too is a financial backer. In fact, within the lore of the series, he's the main backer. A sponsor with greedy motives who gets out of hand once Red Guy is out of the picture in episode 5. We see very clearly in the healthy eating episode that Roy sells food products. His name is littered everywhere! But more specifically notice the food his name is on: Roy's flour, Roy's health juice, Roy's oats, and Roy's flakes. Most of these are grain based. Now compare that to what The Meat and The Can are teaching the children as healthy: All foods that are grain or dairy based. And also, Aspic. But this theme of questionable health benefits behind plain foods doesn't stop there. It also appears in a bizarre interview the characters did with the British Website 'It's Nice That.' In May of 2016, in it, Red Guy says that he's trying an all plain foods diet and that it's causing some disturbing side effects. Wonder if his teeth are turning gray. In fact, Roy's role as a food producer can even tie in with the overalls that he and his son wear. This isn't the first time that we've seen some product placement in these episodes. In episode 4, the computer prints a picture of oats cereal, and then also shows them a picture of the same cereal in the newspaper. If you look really closely, you can even see the oats digital dancing. Considering the theory that Red Guy is the creator, and Roy is the sponsor, this product placement was probably a big point in contention. But with Red Guy no longer on the show as of episode 5, Roy was free to fill the video with as many products and skewed health messages as he wanted to, turning it from being educational, to being one big commercial. You can even see it happen. If you check out the final moments of episode 4, frame by frame, You see both Duck and Yellow Guy glitch into the picture. But look closely and you'll see their brains are exposed, a sign that they've been brainwashed by the computer. So if Roy's the sponsor, than what's the deal with Yellow Guy calling him his dad? Well, he's not lying. As sponsor of the show, Roy can make sure that his son is put into the spotlight. This would explain why Yellow Guy is clearly the most inexperienced of the three on camera. But don't think for a second that Roy is some stage mom trying to get his son famous. Quite the contrary! Going back to that "It's Nice That" interview, we actually hear Roy speak, for the only time ever throughout the entire series. When asked with if he had anything to say, he responds with the following: "My silly boy has allowed his eyes to grow arrogant and rude, for this I will take him on a trip to punish land." Yikes, punish land! Something tells me this isn't Disney World's latest park extension! But when you look at the series, it actually makes a lot of sense: Yellow Guy has been the victim from the very beginning! In episode 1, his painting is destroyed, and he's told his favourite colour isn't creative. In episode 2, the clock yells at him until his ears bleed, In episode 3, he's nearly seduced into joining a cult, In episode 4, he gets brain washed by the computer, In episode 5, he pulls a Scott Tenorman and eats his friend, And then in episode 6, he's tortured by an un-ending barrage of inane lessons, Oh yeah, and also drowns in oil. But if you think Roy's punish land stops there, well boy howdy you are wrong! Observant viewers will spot horses sprinkled all over DHMIS videos: Pictures of horses, rocking horses, horse figurines, animated horses. Well, in the same interview with "It's Nice That" it's revealed that Yellow Guy is scared of horses. He's also apparently allergic to eggs, wasps, crab, meat and trees, all of which are elements that we see worked into various episodes throughout the series. Roy's not only sponsoring the series to push his own goods, he's also doing it to push his son to the break of insanity. Even 'Don't Hug Me I'm Scared's most famous easter egg fits in with the idea of Roy teaching Yellow Guy a lesson The un-changing date of June 19th has bothered would-be theorists since the second episode. But we have our answer right now: June 19th 1955, the date which we see hinted at over, and over again throughout series, was Father's Day. In 2011, when the first episode of DHMIS was released, Father's Day was also on June 19th. And this year, the date of release for the very last episode, was June 19th, which low and behold, was once again, Father's Day. Roy is punishing his son for "letting his eyes grow arrogant and rude," maybe something about catching his dad watching porn. But regardless, he forces him to respect his authority, by making every day Father's Day. A constant reminder of who is in charge. As long as the date is June 19th, Yellow Guy is doomed to suffer this torture, with no end in sight. Or at least that's what would've happened, if not for Red Guy. Which means it's finally time talk about the ending! At the end of episode 4, Red Guy resists being lured into Roy's computer world, leaving the living room set with Roy hidden in the corner, and instead noticing that the computer is hooked up to a mysterious red cable leading to the next room. When he opens the door, it's revealed the he's covered in motion tracking balls, and discovers a super low tech version of episode 1 being recorded. Then his head explodes. So what does all this mean? Well the head explosion is definitely a literal version of Red Guy's mind being blown, but what exactly blew his mind in the first place? Many have sad it's him realizing he's on a T.V show, but as we've seen already, both he and Duck break the 4th wall repeatedly, meaning they know they're on camera. Instead, I think the revelation is a lot more positive. Notice that he follows a red cable hooked up to the computer, and that he's leaving Roy's room. A room mind you, with higher production value filled with props, and motion capture ability, only to find himself in a room with a crude set and props. Red Guy's mind blow in this moment, is that he doesn't need the dominating presence of Roy, that he can create his series on a low budget, and load it directly onto the computer, I.E a place like YouTube, without needing a bunch of money. Remember, episode 4 is all about what you can do on a computer. According to Roy, it's all superficial consumerism things: Charts, digital style, dancing. But here, Red Guy sees a video being filmed and uploaded directly to a computer. And again, based on what we discussed last video, This is similar to the journey the creators of DHMIS took to keep their series independent So, Red guy leaves Roy's series, than in episode 5, repeatedly see imagery of him, on the outside, looking in. He's looking at the series from a new outsiders perspective. Those foreboding phone calls for Duck throughout the episode, Are coming from him. We see him exiting a phone booth at the end of the episode for crying out loud. It's him calling his friends to let them know there's another option. That they can and need to escape, to stop selling their souls to Roy. Duck answers, and tries to get away, but as we see, he is captured, canned, and consumed. But is Duck getting eaten literal? It's hard to say, It seems like it shouldn't be, right? But than again, Roy is a farmer, and Duck is the only character who happens to be an animal. Huh... The can consuming the duck could be the duck getting canned. Huh... All of this come to a head in episode 6, Yellow guy is the last one standing on the show, held there by his father. Once the episode gets under way, we see the origins of the series. With Red guy being discovered by Roy at karaoke. We then cut to Red guy discovering, for lack of a better term, the 'Show Machine', Which creates the characters in situations that we've seen throughout the previous 5 episodes. Now mind you, none of this is literal. It's all meant to be symbolic. This is Red guy coming into grips with the show he created, And seeing for the first time ever with clear eyes, the affect it's having on kids like Yellow guy. Roy discovers Red guy trying to shut down the machine, and reaches his hand out to touch the Red Guy on the shoulder It's not a gesture of aggression, more like a peace offering. An invitation to come back and work for the show once again. Let's face it, what else does Red guy have? In a society full of negativity towards his ideas, Roy was the only one willing to take a chance on it. And you seem that's the brilliance of episode 6 here. It starts by addressing typical dreams, The ones that happen at night, but when you look again, It's actually about personal dreams. And how seeing a dream achieved, like Red guy finally creating the show he always wanted, can turn into a waking nightmare. But it's at that moment Red guy decides to literally pull the plug on the show, and both his relationship with Roy, eager to see what will happen next. And it works, we restart the series, but with some very important differences. All the characters are now the colour they said was their favorite in episode 1, Blue, Red and Green The date on the calendar changes from June 19th, to June 20th. Meaning, that it's no longer Father's day and Roy has no influence on the show anymore. It is quite literally the start of a new day. And that also makes sense when you look at the sets. At the beginning of episode 1, the kitchen is full of props, Like knifes, and plates and books and a telephone, But the reset version at the end of episode 6, is very simple, With just a table and a few other items, Without Roy's sponsorship, they're working on a smaller budget, But the characters are finally free. The notepad flips open and the first episode begins again, But this time, it's on their own terms. This time green will be, a creative colour... But hey, that's just a theory, a Film Theory! Aaaaaaaaaand, cut! At least that's my interpretation. And at the heart of it DHMIS is all about creativity, and interpretation. I've seen theories that are way different from this one that I've laid out for you. But they all stil deserve your respect and attention. After all, when asked by the UK news site 'Metro', about fan theories for DHMIS, co-creator Becky Slone said: 'We have read a lot of theories online about what it means and they are all correct.' So go watch the show again, go look for your own easter eggs, Come up with your own theory and leave it in the comments below. There's only one rule though guys, be creative. And with that we leave behind, DHMIS. As we close the book on this two parter, I gotta ask, over the six episodes of DHM, which was your favorite one? Creativity, Time, Love, Computers, Healthy Eating or Dreams? Click on one to choose, I'm really curious to see which one you responded to the most. I'm a toss up between creativity and computers. The love one was good too, I'm just glad to be done with this, I have been watching these videos over and over and over again, And most of the time it's at like midnight, or 1 in the morning. These are not things you wanna watch a bunch of times before you go to bed. TRUST ME, no really, TRUST ME. Any way, click on one to choose and cast your vote! Can't wait to see what the results are. Now if you excuse me I'm going through some super hero withdrawals, or, should I say, Super Villain withdrawals?
I personally loved it. It's kind of uplifting since i can relate to the character that MatPat has asigned to the Red Guy.
I like this theory but it does ignores the hostage situation in the kickstarter videos, as well as the missing posters.
I think the characters aren't actors in the since that actors exist in our universe. They are actors in the way that Steve from Blue's Clues is an actor in that universe. He is clearly putting on a show for viewers and even talks to them in a way that acknowledges that dynamic, but he doesn't read a script and isn't privy to the direction of the episode. Instead, he reacts to things as they happen and sometimes helps to set them up.
This would explains why they are all confused about the globe/computer thing. They know where they felt like the episode was going to go, only to have it completely subverted. DHMIS plays with how much this type of character knows that it is on a show by subjecting them to the actual mechanics of making a show: the cameras, sets, scenes, etc. They answer interview questions in character, which is not something than an actor playing a character would do.
In this scenario, Roy could be the director or executive producer. Weird to think of those being necessary in the Blue's Clues universe, but they would have to be, wouldn't they? Red Guy could serve some hybridized role like many lead actors do, often becoming producers or writers. Again, how this would work in this universe is muddy and explains why his head explodes when he sees the mechanics of the first episode being made. It is not a situation that he can rectify from within his own universe.
I like the idea that the scenes with Red Guy in "our" world are before the show and the transition into the control room is a symbolic one. The idea of the final episode being about Red Guy's "dreams" in addition to the literal dreams the teacher sings about feels true and meaningful to me. Or maybe, as one user pointed out in this thread, Red Guy begins the reboot or knockoff of the show and will be that universe's Roy.
Overall, I liked MatPat's video. I thought it would get really bogged down in tiny details and meaningless lore building and there was some of that but it felt more reigned in than I was expecting. In general I feel like he is the absolute worst of the worst aspects of plot-fetishist amateur media criticism, but he actually did quite a bit of talk about meaning in this one. Good for him.
Surprisingly optimistic.
I assumed the idea behind the ending was that even if Sesame Street was cancelled, a similar, if inferior show with the same concept would rise to take its place, with similar but different characters like Large Lark and the Muffin Creature filling the void and general roles.
But I like this better.
The 6th episode being a flashback BLEW MY MIND
I feel like so much has been added up now.
wow.
Well shit. I think this may be the theory to put some closure on the show.
DIGTAL STYLE
BEST. THEORY. EVER.
I watch Film Theory a lot and I ended up watching this theory (as well as a bunch of other DHMIS theories before watching the actual series because well... it sounds utterly horrifying.
I'm going to dive in and see what it's all about now though. Wish me luck. ><