#wh speculation

Found somethinggg. The backround audio to /ourhome when sped up, sounds like a song, carrying the same jingle as in the Homewarming commercials.

Split it in two because the audio software I used is greedy.

Added the Homewarming jingle near the end so you could see what i mean.

It seems like a different track than what is directly in Homewarming however, with far more drums in it, and big pauses between.

So, I know the main focus of this update was Poppy, which I was happy to see (though I'm not happy to see what happened to her).  I do have a theory cooking about her, Sally, and the Commedia Dell'arte, but Frank n' Eddie are my favorite pair, and I've been stewing over this particular theory since the July '23 update.  This tiny line from the Looky-Loo storybook is what cinched it for me.

Source: Merchandise Page, Looky-Loo Storybook

This line isn't read out loud, but we can see it at around the 9 minute in the video, above Eddie, looking so polite.  It reads,

"Villains!" I shrieked, "I can deny it no longer! I admit the deed!—tear up my flower bed!—here, here!—it is the ticking of my beloved alarm clock!"

This isn't the actual line from The Tell-Tale Heart.  The original line reads "Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed!—tear up the planks!—here, here!—it is the beating of his hideous heart!"

Source: The Tell-Tale Heart

The Tell-Tale Heart is about someone murdering their roommate, cutting him into pieces, and hiding the evidence under the floorboards of their house. 

And I think this is what Frank is going to do to Eddie, in an attempt to protect him in a perverse, misguided way.

This rewritten lines seems very specific to Frank and Eddie.  We know Frank loves his garden.  And who's the only character in the Neighborhood who owns a clock?  Eddie.

At the end of the Homewarming video, Frank sees how distressed Eddie is.  As many have theorized, Frank seems to be somewhat aware of what's happening, although we don't know to what extent.  But he sees that Eddie is now in the line of fire of The Powers That Be, and he becomes worried for him.  

I think Frank will dismantle Eddie and hide him in his garden until he deems it 'safe' for Eddie to come back, once the 'eyes' are off him.  (Kind of reminds me of the Eye of Sauron from Lord of the Rings).  An unintentional—or perhaps intentional—side effect of being dismantled and put back together, with new parts, is that Eddie doesn't remember things well. 

Including, possibly, his and Frank's relationship.

This goes along with the theme we've seen several times in WH now, including this new Halloween update.  The puppets unintentionally—yet seriously—harm their loved ones in order to protect them from something they deem far worse—whatever that may be.

As these posts by kykudos, oniongrass, and nikkiiiscute discuss, there is an image from one of the hidden bug clips of Frank's garden with 9 clothespins—one buried in the dirt.

Source: Welcome Home Hidden Audio ('til it's back on the official site :3)

And there's the references to burial in Bug-a-Bye and Goodnight, too.  This post by the-nosy-neighbor goes quite a lot into this song very well, especially how it might indicate Frank could put Eddie into a suspended state!

Source: Transcript Page, Bug-a-Bye and Goodnight

Now I have been thinking about this dismantling/reassembling thing for a long time, especially since the last Halloween update.  Eddie is one of the puppets with a new costume, and he is Frank(enstein)'s monster.  And he has a big yellow band-aid on the back—Frank's color.  If Eddie is taken apart, Frank will patch him up again.

Source: Clown's Tumblr

(Also, I'm curious about the blue hand and face in Eddie's costume design. That's Barnaby's color. Does Frank use Barnaby's spare parts to put Eddie back together?! 😳 Especially since I feel like Barnaby's time on Mister Bone's Wild Ride is fast approaching—but that's yet another post 😅)

But based on the Tell-Tale Heart line, Frank may have been the one to do the dismantling in the first place, which is quite dark.  Based on the below picture from the former staff member page—clearer image here from Clown's Tumblr—Frank may be aware they're puppets and made up of various parts.

Source: Welcome Home Wiki until it's back on the official site :3

There is also an intense piece on Clown's Ko-Fi here (please support Clown if you can!) that shows butterflies doing SOMETHING to Eddie. Are they putting him together? Or taking him apart to join them in their hibernation? 🤔

Frank also likes gelatin. As he tells Poppy in their hidden audio, 'it holds perfectly sliced fruit beautifully'.  Perfectly sliced, cut up fruit, eh?  Gelatin is a preservative that we also see in the cookbook recipe, and we all know Eddie has an unholy encounter with his single pea.  So yet another symbol of suspended animation that is related to Frank and Eddie.

Source: Merchandise Page, Cookbook

So it seems like Frank has some experience in preservation, hibernation, etc. and knows how to use it, if it comes to it.

The next big update will likely be spring-themed.  A long time ago, Clown posted that Frank has a holiday in spring. Of course this isn't canon until it's on the website, but either way, I think Frank will have an important role in the spring update, which I believe will also focus on Julie.  We may see him wake up Julie from hibernation...and Eddie from his dirt nap.  

Source: Clown's Tumblr

(I've been so curious about that shadow behind the flower.  At first I thought 'OMG, it's Eddie's hand!', but I don't think so. 😅 I dunno what it is, but it doesn't quite seem flower like to me...🤔)

This Ko-Fi post (again, please support Clown if you have the means!) was posted around Easter this year and had a bunny/Easter theme.  Clown says "What is there to say though... Well! We know what the next holiday is in our Home Sweet Home, I'd say."  A huge theme of Easter/Spring are Rebirth and Resurrection.

As this post by serene-hatterene so beautifully details, Frank may feel pressured to kiss Julie to wake her up to prove his heteronormativity.  Maybe to further protect Eddie, too, to prove they aren't a thing.  Seems like Julie's family may show up this update, too, and we know family can cause a lot of pressure for couples during holidays. 😬

My last item isn't that strong, but I have been thinking of since the July '23 update.  In Eddie's Big Lift, Frank says the following line:

Source: Transcript Page, Eddie's Big Lift

The tense of "You always did work too hard" always bothered me.  Why doesn't Frank just say, "You always work too hard!"  And Eddie doesn't seem to know what he's talking about. Frank sounds almost wistful here.  It's like he's talking about his ex—a former version of Eddie, pre-dismantling, perhaps?

(Also, 'Enjoy the ground, Mr. Dear'? Dude, if this theory is right, that line is even more screwed up than it already was. 😳)

Here is my order of how I feel these events actually happened:

Secret Bug Audios (Eddie and Frank flirting) -> 1st Halloween Audio (Eddie still seems like his chipper, knowledgeable self) -> Homewarming -> Springtime (and Eddie's Resurrection)? -> Eddie's Big Lift

Not quite sure where this last Halloween update lands, but I feel like it's later.  Eddie seems ignorant of the potential adverse effects The Brickening (TM) could have on Poppy.  I feel like he's been more sensitive to Poppy and others in the past (but maybe I'm wrong, I'm biased towards him, heh).  Perhaps after his Reconstruction, his memory has now been reset, and he has "fallen into line" with the other Neighbors and their weird, pile-onto-one-person ways.

Hello neighbors! Not exactly my usual content, but since when was I consistent :P I have a lot of thoughts about the new Welcome Home update, so I thought I’d make a post discussing my thoughts n findings, and try to analyze them to make sense of Welcome Home. 

SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

Welcome Home is an upcoming web series by @\PartyCoffin, aka Clown, about the educational puppet show of the same name and The Welcome Home Restoration Project’s efforts to scratch the itch recover this seemingly lost show that means so much to them all.

[rubbing my hands deviously before remembering i should put this under the cut so people can avoid in-depth spoilers]

It may just be a throwaway line, but when questioning whether his gift for Julie makes sense, he berates himself and tells himself to “indulge in the whimsy, Eddie”. The way he said it also seems as though buying into the crazy that is the neighborhood is something he’s had issues with in the past as well. Of course this could simply represent the breakdown leading up to his existential crisis, but it feels like more than that.

A puppet realizing it’s a puppet is still one which only knows a world of whimsy, if anything he should be taking comfort in and leaning into it since it’s what he is familiar with it. To a puppet developing sentience, the whimsy should be the familiar bit, not the part that’s difficult to indulge in.

Unless, it wasn’t familiar to start with and is something he’s been shoehorned into. Personally I believe this lends credence to the theory I’ve seen floating around that Eddie (and perhaps others) is somehow a human soul. Theoretically, if he is from a more realistic setting and the ‘whimsy’ of welcome home is not innate to him, it would make sense that his willingness/ability to ‘buy in’ would be the first to go when beginning to break down.

This especially makes sense when paired with his established separation from the rest of the neighbors, lack of origin, and noted memory issues stated in his character profile.

Whoo boy! Who knew that my knowledge of useless things will come in handy!

So our girl Sally is playing Pedrolino on this Halloween?

Now here is some VERY interesting information on this character:

Pedrolino is a primo zanni, or comic servant, of the Commedia dell'Arte. Zanni is a character type of Commedia dell'Arte best known as an astute servant and a trickster. English word "zany" originates from it. The longer the nose on the characters mask, the more foolish the character.

Zanni as a servant of Pantalone (a greedy asshole guy), and is ignorant, loutish, and has no self-awareness. The simple act of thinking does not seem to be natural to Zanni. He is a very faithful individual who prefers to live in the present day. Zanni never looks for a place to sleep. Wally, is that you?

The evolution of the character Zanni created two distinct types, one of a silly servant and another of the cunning one.

Later Zanni were valet buffoons, clowns, and knavish jacks-of-all-trades. All possessed common sense, intelligence, pride, and a love of practical jokes and intrigue. They were, however, often quarrelsome, cowardly, envious, spiteful, vindictive, and treacherous.

But back to Sally! Pedrolino's function is to keep the play moving. And he possesses a a two-faced aspect. Look at her house, at the picture where one of her eye is closed, at her connection with the fcking clock on the square, at connection to Eddie.

Now, if Sally is Pedrolino, then Brighella is Howdy and Arlecchino is Wally, and Pulcinella is Frank. Why? Well, Howdy and Wally share the colour scheme and Pulcinella has evolved into Punch. And who likes to hang out with Mr. Punch? It's Judy. Or should I say Julie?

Oh and also this youdo_iamsohappy_.png

Let's apply it over the map:

Now what is this supposed to mean? What do we win? And who re we playing with?

There is a thing about our girl Sally.

In her description there is this:

She has seemingly accomplished her aspired stardom, as there are only nine visible neighbors in Home, all of whom know her.