OK, so I guess the one thing that I should probably make clear to begin with is that this is NOT a joke.
Just hear me out! That’s all I ask!
I know that a lot of things about this don’t seem to make sense at first, and I can explain everything. In this post, I will go over what the commonality between BB and the Crying Child is, how BB existed in 1983, how the crying child possessed BB to begin with, and what the purpose of the Crying Child possessing BB is.
Let’s start with this explanation:
BB has been misunderstood. Beyond superficial appearances, there is someone who is closer to the crying child than people give any credit for.
I think this is as good a start as any.
I think the first misunderstanding is BB’s emotional state. Like, I know a lot of people in the community make art or headcanons or jokes or stuff: that’s one thing, but, in debating the lore, as in discussing the actual canon, I have, I kid you not, seen other theorists write BB off based off of the expression carved into his face. Crying Child or not, the kid in BB in any case cannot be any happier than the others over this situation!
Some people don’t like that he laughs at us during gameplay, but can we really take his laugh at face value? He laughs when nobody is there. He says “Hi” and “Hello” when nobody is around. If BB is trying to scream or cry, then what’s stopping THAT from just coming out as a laugh, too? Can we really just say BB is as carefree as he looks? No, we cannot.
There’s more to BB in FNAF2 than meets the eye. And, rest assured, I WILL dig into that later this post.
But before that, you might be wondering,
But before that, most of you probably have some other pressing questions that we ought to get out of the way first. “Did BB actually exist in 1983?” “How would the crying child possess BB, and why?” “What evidence is there that singles out BB as a better candidate for who the crying child possesses So let’s get on with that.
I have embedded a lot of links in this post, generally to provide an expanded explanation of whatever point I’m making at the time. So if you have a question for me, check and see if I have a link embedded in the relevant portion of this theory, and give the linked post a read! Thank you!

Did BB exist in 1983? Isn’t he a toy?

Well, let’s start this by explaining in two words:

Nightmare BB!

Nightmare BB is the only one of the Halloween animatronics to be canon, as singled out by Scott here:
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https://preview.redd.it/ncrdbh434g2b1.png?width=311&format=png&auto=webp&s=009a287ea07a461ad13bbe5798728bacfc3d0ae3
This theory is going off the idea that the Crying Child was the one that had the Nightmares and thus had to have seen Nightmare Balloon Boy.
There’s a strong amount of evidence too: I’m fairly certain the main reason for believing that anyone besides the crying child had the Nightmares was the logbook, but I’ve found inconsistencies in it.
The Steam Page clearly says that we are playing as the crying child during the night segments,
Fredbear plush and the other plushies saying “We are still your friends” makes a lot more sense if the crying child had just finished being tormented by Nightmarish versions of them,
The minigames with the child parallel the gameplay directly: Fredbear attacks the night before the child is bitten, and Foxy begins attacking the night after we first see FoxyBro’s jumpscare.
Finally, while Golden Freddy is not the crying child, the only way the Nightmares would have gotten into UCN is if the crying child told TOYSNHK about them and showed him what they look like.
Furthermore, Nightmare Fredbear’s UCN dialogue directly references the crying child. (Such as “We know who are friends are, and you are not one of them!” and “Let me put you back together…so I can tear you apart again”. Nightmare Fredbear. The head of the Nightmares. Only references the crying child in his dialogue.
So in conclusion, the evidence that the crying child had the nightmares is quite strong, and the only thing that contradicts has inconsistencies of its own. There’s a good case to be made here.
And that means that, since Nightmare BB is canon, the crying child saw Nightmare BB at one point and thus Balloon Boy has to exist.
But, if you still don’t believe me, there’s more proof that Balloon Boy existed in 1983:

The Staffbot Table

The owner of the StaffBot table is none other than Charlie, based on the fact that the door to it is clearly named “Charlie Door” in the files.
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https://preview.redd.it/s83pqs274g2b1.png?width=427&format=png&auto=webp&s=2bec498ffe47a19e70ad5cd5cce51ce22c407717
I think that from this, we can logically say that Charlie created the Staffbot table, selecting five staffbots to surround a poster of Fredbear’s.
Incidentally, these bots can all be linked to Fredbear's somehow:
The magician bot, with his nice hat and tie, relates to Fredbear.
The headless bot is the crying child himself, who was bitten by Fredbear.
The Circus Baby bot relates back to Circus Baby’s doppelganger, found outside of Fredbear’s.
And lastly, the nanny, the head of the table, would probably represent Charlie herself, the unofficial leader and protector of the missing children.
And finally, the server bot: a dead ringer for BB. All part of a circle surrounding a Fredbear’s poster. I, therefore, believe that this is a sign Balloon Boy was at Fredbear’s as well, nicely corroborating Nightmare BB’s canonicity.

Curse of Dreadbear

Also, while Curse of Dreadbear certainly has animatronics appearing outside of 1983, I would specifically like to bring your attention to the plushkins and their masks, which are of:Freddy, Chica, Foxy, and…Balloon Boy?You would expect this quartet to have Bonnie, to make a whole member of the OG four. If BB was made in 1987, this makes the masks all the more out of place. It’s a subtle sign that, like the Withereds, BB predates the toy’s existence.

What about SaveThem?

What about SAVETHEM? Why would BB’s possession backstory take place in a minigame he never appears in?
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https://preview.redd.it/zqskhekg4g2b1.png?width=917&format=png&auto=webp&s=da511e0086458b05e221128a36051e3e12f84be1
There are other possibilities for the remaining child, Shadow Bonnie (who I do think is a spirit) or Endo-02, etc…because there’s just too much pointing to BBVictim for me.

Process of Elimination

But this is just the first step: You’ve seen how BB is an option, but I still need to show you that BB is the option.
So now that we’ve established BB exists in 1983, we can add him to the list of animatronics we know existed in 1983. This list goes like this:Fredbear
Spring Bonnie
The Puppet
BBFreddy
Bonnie
Chica
Foxy
Golden Freddy
And then we can do this:Fredbear
Spring Bonnie (William Afton)
The Puppet (Charlie Emily)
BBFreddy (MCI Kid)
Bonnie(MCI Kid)
Chica (MCI Kid)
Foxy(MCI Kid)
Golden Freddy(MCI Kid)
Looking at the two final choices, while it may be tempting to choose Fredbear, I ask: what would be the point? Where has Fredbear figured into the actual lore at any point after crushing the crying child’s head? Aside from UCN, we have never seen Fredbear ever again after this. If the crying child possessed Fredbear, that would be it for the protagonist of FNAF4.
But one of the hints Scott gave was “Four Games, One Story”. So looking at the context of the franchise as a whole, especially in the context of the first four games, Fredbear doesn’t show up at all. Golden Freddy does, but he’s not Fredbear, and he’s already possessed. And even if you are of the “Golden Freddy is Fredbear” camp, well, Golden Freddy is already possessed.
But if the crying child, whom FNAF4 centers on, plays a role in this one story of four games, then why would he be Fredbear? Fredbear only debuts in FNAF4, if the crying child possessed him then that would mean that while everything else is happening, he’s either been long-scrapped or is just rotting alone in an abandoned diner…yeah, I don’t think he’s Fredbear.
Also, the crying child FEARS Fredbear! He had to be dragged to Fredbear kicking and screaming. In what world would his ghost willingly be attached to Fredbear after death?But then we have BB. The crying child did have nightmares about BB too, (which is a key way to verify how to prove BB is in 1983) but there are some signs that the crying child’s fear of BB is much less severe:

1. Nightmare BB’s jumpscare isn’t deadly.
2. Nightmare BB can provide help to the player.

And the role BB plays in the franchise is actually pretty big, especially within the first four games: He helps with Happiest Day in FNAF3. His voice is a game mechanic, also in FNAF3. He is canon as a Nightmare in FNAF4. All these things and more I will touch on. BBVictim is more than possible: it works.

How did the Crying Child Possess BB?

Now, let’s answer some critical questions about how The Crying Child would possess BB and why.
There are some theories about HOW possession works, involving “remnant”, and about pain following flesh, but remember, the only book series Scott ever said we could use to solve the games was Fazbear’s Frights. For that reason, I will leave the books out of this reasoning. Does remnant exist in the games? Yes. Does it play any kind of role in any FNAF4?
Not really, as Remnant wasn’t mentioned at all in any of the games until FFPS.
Also, I may repeat this a lot, but remember, whatever is in FNAF1 - 4 we should be able to reason out without outside help. I’m gonna use evidence in later games, of course, but if the evidence is only found in books / later games, then we should be careful. Since this post is focused on solving FNAF4 and not after.
We know very little about how possession works in reality. Let me show you what we DO know for certain: and how it makes it entirely possible for CC to possess BB.
Focusing on 1 - 4,
We learn:A) The puppet can tether souls to others

1. The puppet appears to be more powerful than the others regarding this ability (Give Gifts, Give Life is the only known example of someone tethering someone else’s soul to an object.

B) No contact possession is possible.

• Golden Freddy’s body / spirit is clearly seen not connected to a suit, his head simply jumpscares us, smoothly transitioning from his child’s body to his FNAF2 self.
• Charlie’s death at first appears to refute this, but there are some SERIOUS inconsistencies between the final scene of Security Puppet and the shot of said scene in the true ending, indicating that it is likely a metaphor. As it stands, Charlie’s death still can speak in favor of no-contact possession.

SO YES the crying child can die in the hospital and reach a Fazbear Establishment from there.
Quick Add: From what we see in FFPS, the sixth FNAF game, while remnant is clearly connected to possession, it doesn’t really add any rules: we don’t know where it comes from, how you get it, or anything - just that it attached Mike’s soul to his rotting body and that heat weakens its power, nothing that contradicts the simple rules above.
So to recap: No contact possession is possible, Puppet can help other kids possess stuff…
This works for BBVictim.

What is Charlie’s Role in All This?

The puppet is an especially strong player in the process of CC possessing an animatronic, even though, yes, The Fredbear Plush is the one who says they will put the crying child together.
But, here’s the thing: Charlie is the Fredbear Plush! I definitely shouldn’t lose my fellow Charlieplushers on this subreddit :D
But for the uninitiated, you are either welcome to look at this Charlieplush master post here, while I will lay down the basics here.
Charlie has always been shown to be an especially capable spirit. She is the only ghost shown to help other children possess animatronics. Phone Guy calls her out as “always thinking”, and “can go anywhere”.
In general, I’m trying to say that Charlie may have additional or stronger abilities than the other spirits, like temporarily possessing a Fredbear plushie to watch over a kid who clearly needs her help.
Plus she can leave her body, which would help her temporarily possess the plush.
Willplush falls flat given the plush speaks when Will is nowhere near the private room, helps out William’s victims by planning Happiest Day in FNAF World, and has strange periods of time when its eyes are unlit and unlit (almost as if whatever is controlling has periods of “entering” and “leaving” it…like, say, the ghost Charlie possessing it?)
With that in mind, with the “core four” games in mind, Charlie, and ONLY Charlie works as the Fredbear Plush.

The Crying Child/BB in FNAF World

But there’s another connection I need to go through: FNAF World. The crying child possessing BB also covers CC’s role enigmatic role in FNAF World.
We all know about the opening where two disembodied glowing eyes tell someone “I will put you back together” and later, “We are still your friends.”Clearly, the plush is speaking to the crying child.
However, there is more we can learn about this scene.
So, you know how FNAF2 ambiance (CMPTR_LOW_TECH_STAT) plays in the opening of FNAF World, as well as the clock ending?This subtle detail explains a lot about FNAF World…to me, it says that the opening and clock ending take place in 1987, in the FNAF2 building.
This makes perfect sense if the crying child is Balloon Boy, and the Fredbear plush is Charlie.
But what does Charlie mean by “I will you back together?” the same thing she meant back in 1983 - stabilize his spirit now that his body is broken. Find a place for it to inhabit. Since FNAF World’s secret route, in addition to being linked to the crying child is also linked to the happiest day, could it be linked to the arcade games?
Also of note is the fact that the clock ending follows a series of minigames with a distinct connection to the happiest day.
We know the crying child had a big role in Happiest Day as well from FNAF World.
So, how does BB play into the happiest day?

Happiest Day

BB…actually has a big role in Happiest Day. He helps out with a lot of tasks, he ties in with Mangle at four tasks, helping RWQ reach Jeremy to give him a cake, helping Mangle and Toy Chica reach their objectives with balloons, and giving cake to Gabriel.
But there's still one odd thing about BB that is only shared with The Puppet: you can go to his minigame at any time, whenever you like. And you have to go there twice.
I am of the firm belief that in these minigames, it really is BB’s spirit represented as the player of BB’s air adventure, likewise for Mangle, Golden Freddy, The Puppet, and Shadow Bonnie.
If it turns out the trail of breadcrumbs was for BB/The Crying Child, who has an involvement in practically every minigame, then that fulfills BV’s happiest day role as alluded to in FNAF World!

What BB actually does in FNAF2

So now that I’ve told you about BB and what he’s done and who he is, we have to return to FNAF2.
I’ve been thinking carefully about it a lot, and I’ve come to some conclusions that, as I said before, BB has been misunderstood.
The below picture, with BB’s carved-on smile cropped out, and a full battery meter, both show that BB’s happiness is superficial and he does not modify the battery power. (Yet another thing that started off as a joke that I’ve seen some theorists casually pick up)
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https://preview.redd.it/oau4720n4g2b1.png?width=512&format=png&auto=webp&s=86f8ec8de7cdcf4da7a665a23a9e23eb68cec186
Those audio recordings, likewise, as I said before, are just audio recordings-and he only has three of them. He uses them for other things than just to laugh. He could be scared he’s in the same office as the killer. He could be scared of a lot of things, with the Crying Child’s ghost.
BB’s manipulation of the lights in the office is what is called a passive skill. It’s something that Bonnie and Chica also do. It’s just something that happens when animatronics are near certain devices. Being so close to all those generators probably futzed with the electricity. It’s called Micro EMP obstruction.
OK, but you must be wondering where I’m going with this, so I’ll cut to the point.
If we’ve established that BB isn’t directly interfering with our equipment and he’s not actually happy about all of this, to what extent is he intentionally causing us harm?Keep in mind, he could attack us directly via jumpscare but does not.
Now I can practically hear you all protesting that BB is too small to attack the guard like that, but is that actually a thing? A threshold where it’s simply impossible for an animatronic to attack a guard?

• Puppet is some fabric, and a ceramic mask - and attacks the player.
• Golden Freddy - noncorporeal, also attacks the player! Shadow Bonnie: also incorporeal and crashes your game!
• Or what about bidybabs and the minireenas? Mini-music man? Need I say anymore?

Size/durability doesn’t factor in - if a robot wants you to die, you will die.
And there are other things that suggest the crying child/BB isn’t putting in his all here: for one, look at the Freddy Head:
Most animatronics either are or aren’t fooled by the Freddy Head. There’s no in-between. Foxy and The Puppet are not fooled. Everyone else is…except for BB. His reaction to the Freddy Head differs depending on where he is. If you show it to him in the vent, he’ll run. If you show it to him while he’s in the office, he’ll freeze and start vocalizing his laugh ad nauseum while your lights stop working.
While Mangle also will not leave the office once he/she successfully gets inside,
you can clearly see his/her head is tipped at a 90-degree angle to not trip the facial recognition system.
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https://preview.redd.it/q9vn5r8s4g2b1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=d9fcab4c7cd18637b613b101680ea479f29f71f8
Also, Mangle actually has an endgame to staying in the office - attacking Jeremy / Fritz,
and BB doesn’t, which, as we’ve established above, actually wouldn’t be because he’s just too small.
And furthermore, if you do get him with the mask? Here’s what he does: he will, always, without fail, run all the way back to his starting position! Why?! That’s so inefficient! He slowly works his way up to the office and then completely resets his progress! Most animatronics, with the exception of Toy Freddy, Foxy, and Freddy, do not go back to their starting positions, and even they don’t have to walk as far as BB. Observe, BB’s walk pattern:
https://preview.redd.it/7yx1d4rw4g2b1.png?width=512&format=png&auto=webp&s=1f6c973fa49588072c3ac45cdc999d43360edfb7
This is what happens if you repel him with the mask.
So just to make sure I haven’t lost anybody here,

1. BB treks all the way across the restaurant to your office. If you show him the mask in the vent, he will run back to his spot on Cam 10, when he could lurk by a closer place.
2. If a small robot has enough murderous intent then it can and will kill you, which begs the question of why BB does not.
3. There’s no real reason why the head doesn’t work on BB.
4. As this theory suggests, the crying child’s spirit possesses BB.

Now look here: we know the crying child has a bad habit of freezing in place when he’s scared and overwhelmed.
https://preview.redd.it/6el40mj15g2b1.png?width=512&format=png&auto=webp&s=40912980ed254b8efc178c1cdf50809062bfeb2d
This is the second minigame where we find the crying child overwhelmed in Fredbear’s. In this minigame, he is able to stand up after a moment of coaxing.
The first one, however, the crying child locking up due to overwhelming distress is pretty much the main point of the game.
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What if, what is actually happening when the crying child /BB goes into the office is that he gets scared and starts freaking out, but it comes out as laughter?
I’ll lay out the scenario: The Crying Child / BB, having been killed by accident and apologized to by his brother, has no real motives for revenge on any of that stuff. But he is still afraid of the dark just like he was alive, so he gets sick of staying still alone in the dark and tries to go find somewhere to go.
When he reaches the office, if the guard puts on the mask while he’s in the vent, he’ll be afraid and run back to his starting position because he’s scared of the mask.
“But what about when he stays in the office and laughs?”
Well, for some reason, something different happens. He locks up, the way he did in some of the FNAF4 minigame segments. He locks up and can’t move and starts crying.
“It sounds like he’s laughing.”
Ah, but remember what I said? His laugh could just as well be a sign of fear. Only three prerecorded noises - that’s all he has. That is all the crying child has.
So basically his Micro EMP interference causes problems with the light, but if you don’t scare him back to his place with the mask then he’ll freeze up in place and panic in the form of laughter!

Other Hints

And the cherry on top is that there is STILL more to suggest that the crying child possesses Balloon Boy.
Fruit Punch Clown
Fruit Punch Clown is a small, seemingly innocuous minigame from Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza Simulator. However, within the context of BBVictim, it gains a brand new meaning: you see, the objective of the minigame is to “Surprise” as many children as possible. These children are represented by models of Balloon Boy, instead of Helpy.
And how does Fruit Punch Clown accomplish the act of “surprising” the children? He stands behind them and startles them. The game ends with the frame of every kid looking pretty frightened while Fruit Punch Clown just grins.
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https://preview.redd.it/l22unnh16g2b1.png?width=512&format=png&auto=webp&s=60ab5ff44664ff440058cd6149fbdefa2e48c426
Does this look familiar, or what?
Oh, but it gets better: Fruit Punch Clown as a rare line of dialogue:
"Tell anyone about this and I cut your throat."
Some have speculated that this refers to William Afton, but the question is, if William really caught someone watching him commit a crime, would he be content to threaten the witness, or simply go straight to cutting their throat? To me, this sounds more like something a mean older brother would say.
Finally, there’s a hint at BBVictim in Security Breach: BB World.
BB World keeps BB relevant, and also there are hints that we haven’t discovered all the dialogue in the minigame - which in turn hints that there is another spirit in the arcade besides whatever is making that sinister "Good Night" text.