Poppy Playtime: If Rich Isn’t Doey, Then It’s Possible He’s the One Who Sent the Letter — Let Me Explain.
Yes, you’re reading this correctly. My last theory about Rich being Doey in Chapter 4 turned out to be crucial in showing just how off I was, and like any good theorist, I had to go back to the drawing board. Chapter 4 not only gave us a deeper understanding of the story, but it also left us with so many unsolved mysteries that we’ll likely be researching for months until Chapter 5 drops.
In my previous theory, I was pretty confident that Rich was the one who wrote the notes in the Rejected Room, especially considering he was demoted after complaining about his job at Playtime Co. The sly remarks he made about the rejected toys made me believe he might have been turned into one himself. But as it turns out, that wasn’t the case at all. Doey was just another tragic experiment from Playtime Co. and the unfortunate children involved.
However, one theory remains unchanged: I still believe it’s Rich’s handwriting. The more I look at it, the more I realize that his handwriting bears a striking resemblance to the letter sent to the Player. Let’s dive into that and explore why this might be the case.
The Rejected Forms Look Similar to The Player’s Letter
I’ll do my best to color-code everything accurately. While working on another theory, I considered the possibility that the Prototype was designed to lure the player back to the factory. As I examined it more closely, I thought to myself, “Wait, haven’t I seen this handwriting in these colors before?” Then I noticed that the rejected forms match the exact same colors — red and orange.
The first thing that came to mind was the Sir Poopsalot document because it’s color-coded the same way — red and orange. There’s no denying that whoever wrote this wanted the player to recognize them through the subtle hints in the letter.
Familiar Mistakes Written From the Letter
This letter contains a few misspellings, but what stood out to me were a few key details. One example is the way “Wer’e” is spelled — a minor mistake that suggests the writer may have been rushing or not concerned with proofreading at all. From my understanding, if someone is writing in a hurry or in a frustrated state, they’re likely not focusing on perfection, just on getting their message across. Similarly, someone simply speaking their mind in the moment might make the same kind of errors.
Even the word “Whoever’s” is another example of a mistake. Someone writing purely based on their emotions in the moment is likely to make these kinds of errors without proofreading, which is pretty common.
Similar Letters Written
I color-coded the letters to compare them, showing that they match the documents in the Rejected Room. If you look closely at the letters “o,” “a,” and “h” — along with a few others — you can recognize the same handwriting pattern between them.
And in Chapter 4, we see the same tic-tac-toe reference again, this time hidden beneath the Safe Haven painting.
This person is still at Playtime Co., and I believe it’s Rich. His tapes continue to leave us questioning whether he’s dead or alive. It has to be him writing to someone, urging them to come back, but we’re too distracted by Poppy and the Prototype to see it clearly.
So, Who Sent The Letter?
As we come full circle in figuring out who wrote the letter, the bigger question is — who sent it? Just think about that for a second. We’ve seen Rich’s character development throughout the chapters, from being a hot-headed coworker who constantly complained about Playtime Co., to getting demoted to the Rejected Room, and then somehow being given another chance as Head of Shipping. That’s a huge shift for one person across multiple tapes.
It would make perfect sense if he was the one who sent the letter. He knows the factory inside and out, at least from a warehouse perspective, meaning he would know exactly where and how to send things.
Will Rich Appear Again in Chapter 5?
I believe Rich’s story will come to some kind of conclusion in Chapter 5. If he’s truly the one who sent the letter urging the player to return, then we’ll likely see him — dead or alive. Either way, it will provide answers to the lore.
His story stands out to me because he started at the bottom and worked his way up, despite everything that happened at Playtime Co. Whether he becomes the next villain or an unexpected ally, his journey has been one of the most memorable in the game.
As much as Rich cared for the children in Playcare, I’m sure he would want someone to come and help if he were trapped inside, even after the Hour of Joy. He made this letter cryptic, knowing that only the player would understand its true meaning. He sent it to someone he knows best, someone who could potentially help him resolve whatever is keeping them trapped or hidden.
