Unlike most toys created by Playtime Co., which hunt down the Player in Poppy Playtime, Doey the Doughman is not exactly evil.
The hottest trend in mascot horror, Poppy Playtime, released its newest chapter, "Safe Haven." Chapter 4 stars Doey the Doughman as he helps Poppy and the Player bring down The Doctor.
While Huggy Wuggy was a mindless beast, Mommy Long Legs a sadistic predator, and CatNap a religious fanatic, in the latest chapter, Doey was nothing but a friend to the Player—until he was not.
Is Doey Evil Under All That Dough?
Doey the Doughman, voiced by Michael Kovach of The Amazing Digital Circus fame, was one of several experiments in Playtime Co.'s Bigger Bodies Initiative, headed by Harley Sawyer, to address the declining workforce in the factory, using orphans as his primary test subjects.
Doey, unique among Bigger Body toys, was created using three orphaned children: Jack Ayers, Kevin Barnes, and Matthew Hallard. Despite his horrifying origin, Doey became one of the kinder experiments in the factory, caring for and guarding Safe Haven's peaceful toys who did not participate in the Hour of Joy.
While initially frustrated with Poppy's plan to destroy the factory in her blind bid to kill The Prototype, he still helped her and the Player in their mission. Unfortunately, by the chapter's end, The Prototype successfully destroyed Safe Haven, leaving Doey distraught.
Overwhelmed by his emotions, having lost all his friends, he blamed Poppy and the Player, becoming the final boss of the chapter. After an arduous chase, Doey leaves the Player with no choice but to kill him as he cries out in anguish and apology.
A Character Forged From Tragedy
What also made Doey unique in Poppy Playtime was that, despite being the face of Chapter 4, he was not the central antagonist of the chapter. That would be Sawyer's "The Doctor," an unwilling and cruel collaborator of The Prototype (read more about The Prototype here).
While every smile from the previous mascots, Huggy Wuggy, Mommy Long Legs, and CatNap, hid more sinister intentions, Doey's smile, like himself, was completely genuine despite his horrid history at the factory.
Comprised of three children, Doey inherited many of their personality traits: Matthew Hallard's kind-hearted and considerate nature, Jack Ayers' innocence, and Kevin Barnes' temper, which showed itself in his final moments at the end of "Safe Haven."
One tragedy in Doey's past that likely shaped him was the killing of Ayers' parents, who Doey mistook for scientists. It is likely what Doey was referring to when he was weeping over his fallen friends, how "[he] was only made to hurt things:"
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I failed you. I was never what any of you needed. I was only made to hurt things. My fault. My fault..."
Even in Doey's final moments, he apologized to the Player for his actions. Abused like so many other toys at Playtime, Doey died a tragic death, likely to become another part of The Prototype.
Poppy Playtime Chapter 4 is now available on PC.
