Written by:Mikayla Coleman
Content warning: this article contains themes pertaining to psychological horror
Nostalgia — derived from the Greek words “notos,” meaning return, and “algos” meaning pain — has been a hot commodity in the contemporary art, horror and gaming scenes. Modern games such as “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and “Undertale” have enthralled audiences with the feeling of longing for the past and simultaneously terror-filled experiences. A new alternate reality game has hit the scene with a wonderful harmony between the horrific and the familiar — “Welcome Home.”
“Welcome Home” is an interactive horror alternative reality game, or ARG, where users explore a website by clicking, highlighting and isolating images to unravel the mystery surrounding a beloved and forgotten 1970s children’s television show.
“You are to accompany a colorful cavalcade of puppets as their beloved neighborhood begins to skew and distort into a nightmarish memory that they can barely recall. Through illustrated books, recordings and an array of old merchandise, you will find what dwells within this colorful home,” says the project’s creator, Clown.
Despite its bright and friendly appearance, through exploring, audiences will become attuned to the dark underbelly of the world of the neighborhood.
The game’s cast consists of several muppet-inspired characters with their own unique quirks, including Eddie Dear, Howdy Pillar, Barnaby B. Beagle, Frank Frankly, Julie Joyful, Sally Starlet, Poppy Partridge and the series’ beloved main character, Wally Darling. A thorough description of each character, detailing their individual attributes, interests and relationships, is listed on the project’s website, which can be accessed at www.clownillustration.com/welcomehomeyou.
Clown, the artist behind ClownIllustrations, is a Northern Californian artist specializing in illustration and character design. Clown is currently working towards a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio arts. Their artistic interests are vast, including sewing, building puppets and creating stories and art that blur the line between macabre and delightful topics.
“Welcome Home is a way to explore what I can do as an artist and try out new things, especially with limited materials” says Clown.
The production of “Welcome Home” has been in progress since 2018, and with good reason. Clown’s immense attention to detail is what gives Welcome Home an immense amount of utterly-70s charm and believability.
Recently, “Welcome Home” has gone viral on a multitude of social media platforms, particularly Tiktok and Youtube, where fans of the game have shared their theories and findings while poking around on the project website. The project is still in-progress, but has a massive audience waiting for the continuation of the friendly and freaky friends that make up “Welcome Home.”
Contact the author at howleditor@wou.edu
