Since debuting in August, 2014, the Five Nights At Freddy's (FNAF) franchise has taken the world by storm – by not only receiving millions of downloads, and billions of views across the YouTube platform but also through novels, toys and other merchandise. It is not often that an Indie PC game - that is almost entirely solely developed - can generate this level of popularity and hype.

One of the interesting things about the entire series is the lack of story details that are provided throughout each entry in the series as many fans are still questioning basic facts that have still yet to be answered from the original game. While this may often be seen as a negative, the FNAF series has seemed to thrive on the unknown as it creates a constant talking point among the FNAF community.

To help put things into perspective, some YouTubers are still gaining millions of views per video for simply sharing their theories and opinions on the series. To further this, there have been no new entries into the series in almost one year – which is a significant time period when it comes to video games retaining popularity and interest.

While it may appear that the game lacks critical story details, Scott Cawthon - the developer of the series - is a very smart man as he has hidden a substantial number of clues throughout the games and novels that are slowly helping players piece together the true story behind the FNAF series.

Here are 15 fan theories that are so crazy that they may actually turn out to be true!

15 Freddy Has A Hand Print On His Face

One of the most interesting facts that many fans missed throughout the Five Nights At Freddy’s series is that Freddy has a shape that sits across the left side of his face the closely resembles a hand-print. This mysterious shape has sent a number of fans into detective mode as they try to find out who this hand-print belongs too.

One of the many theories involving this particular shape is that the handprint belongs to Phone Guy as the Toreador March plays just before his last call cut out – which is right when Freddy strikes during the power outage.

Taking this theory even further, people have gone as far as believing that the handprint could belong to the murdered children, or even when Freddy tried to rip off his own head – which is seen throughout a number of posters randomly throughout the game.

14 The Entire Series Is Just All One Big Dream

This particular fan theory is very commonly used throughout various other forms of media – from television shows, films, and even other video games. While the theory does have significant evidence to prove its claim, there is one thing that really sets itself out from the others – Scott Cawthon, the developer of the series, has even hinted at its possibility.

The Dream Theory is essentially the belief that the entire plot of the first four games in the series are just one big coma-induced nightmare of an animatronic bit victim from 1983. Many believe that the bite did actually occur, but not in the way that it is being played out in the games.

Scott seemly implied this theory when he was quoted saying “What is seen in the shadows is easily misunderstood in the mind of a child” and “Four games, one story.” This had lead many fans to believe that the plot to the FNAF series isn’t real and only the fourth game has a legitimate story.

13 You Play As Mike Schmidt

One of the most commonly assumed fan theory throughout the series in that you play as Mike Schmidt – the original Five Nights At Freddy’s guard. Fans of the series have often believed this theory due to several hints and the fact that Mike is actually the default name on the keypad in FNAF: Sister Location.

The theory states that he was scooped at the end of FNAF: Sister Location and eventually returns to Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza – keep in mind that the series is not in chronological order – in the form of a human animatronic. This would be a very good explanation as to why he was fired at the end of the very first game for odor and also why the animatronics are looking to stuff him inside of an actual suit.

Furthermore, there is a silhouette seen at the end of FNAF: Sister Location that shows a human figure with blue eyes – just like Mike Schmidt.

12 Ennard Was Responsible For Creating Mangle

One of the more unpopular theories among the community is that Ennard created Mangle after the events that occurred in the custom mini-game of FNAF: Sister Location, where Purple Guy can be seen regurgitated the remains of Ennard down into the gutters. Many had always assumed that Purple Guy had a little bit of Ennard instead of him throughout the series.

Given that Purple Guy is now empty of animatronic, Ennard was left with a number of parts that could have been used to create Mangle. As weird and crazy as this theory may sound, it would come as no surprise if the fans were actually correct about this theory given that Scott has often been known for these kinds of reveals.

11 It Was William Afton That Said “I Will Put You Back Together”

The line “I Will Put You Back Together” has been said on multiple occasions – but it wasn’t until recently that fans were able to put together a solid theory surrounding who is actually speaking the line. Fans were able to conclude that it is William Afton who speaks this line as he is trying to put together his ‘broken’ son by fusing his mind inside of an animatronic.

When showing the animatronics blueprints during FNAF: Sister Location, many players overlooked some very important details. Hidden within the animatronics, the blueprints seem to confirm that children are indeed stuffed inside of the animatronics as their bodies can be seen squeezed inside their chests.

Just like many of the Five Nights At Freddy’s fan theories, nothing is officially confirmed by the developer - leaving many to decipher the clues on what exactly is true within the series.

10 FNAF Sister Location is Located Under The FNAF 4 House

During the Freddy Breaker Room challenge, the player is presented with a map that details the blueprints to the Sister Location bunker. However, many fans quickly noticed three other smaller areas on the map – as you can imagine, this quickly became a FNAF theorist heaven.

After some research, the popular fan theory came to the conclusion that the Sister Location underground storage facility is actually located underneath the house seen in FNAF 4. The areas found on this map include the plush trap hallway, the path to Freddy Bear’s and also the crying child’s bedroom. This feature was so overlooked that players didn’t even realize that they were restoring power back to these areas – Obsv. 1 and Obsv.2 - during the power re-connection mini-game.

To further this fan theory, the novel FNAF: The Silver Eyes even seems to confirm this information when Henry’s daughter Charlie uncovered some mysterious holes in the ground of the FNAF 4 house.

9 Michael Afton Is Springtrap

After beating the Very Hard Golden Freddy mode, a fan was able to unlock a hidden message and video that has sparked a number of new theories. This particular theory has been one that has been around for quite some time, however, there was never any solid proof behind its claim.

That has all changed when the FNAF: Sister Location cutscene showed a quick glimpse of what appeared to be Springtrap while Michael Afton was speaking. This has led to fans theorizing that Michael Afton is Springtrap as he claims “I should be dead. But I’m not. I’ve been living in shadows” – a line very similar to Scott's when he made reference to the Dream Theory.

While many theorized that Purple Guy was behind Springtrap – who we now know as William Afton – it seems to make a lot more sense that it’s his son, Michael Afton that is behind the worn-down animatronic.

8 The Children Of FNAF 4 Represent The Animatronic Characters

This fan theory is very closely related to the Dream Theory in which people believe that the FNAF story isn’t actually real, but instead just one big dream. This particular fan theory seems to go to the next step as many have theorized that the children the child meets throughout Five Nights At Freddy’s 4 are actually representations of the series’ animatronics.

The theory explains that the girl playing with her Chica toy at the end of the third night could have led to the construction of Chica in the child’s mind. Furthermore, the child holding the balloon could represent the character of Balloon Boy in the game. While nothing has been officially confirmed, you simply cannot deny that it offers a significant chunk of evidence towards the Dream Theory where the child is simply creating the harrowing story of the FNAF series in his mind. Either that or the children with their toys just happen to be a coincidence.

7 The Animatronics Are Mind Controlled

Some theories have the potential to completely change everything that we know about a series and this is one them. Hidden within the third night during Five Nights At Freddy’s: Sister Location, many overlooked one tiny little detail that has the potential to change everything that we thought we knew about the game.

Remember in night three when you were tasked with removing the power module from Funtime Freddy? Well, that power module is actually a mind control disc – that’s right, mind control. How we know this is through the FNAF: The Twisted Ones novel in which people were getting sick whenever the twisted animatronics were showing up. It was later discovered that the sickness was brought on by a high-pitched noise that the disc was generating. Fans have quickly managed to relate this to the hallucinations of FNAF 3 and the high pitch noise that was coming from the building. Best thing yet, guess who created these discs – none other than William Afton.

As crazy as this fan theory may sound, it has significant potential to change everything that we know about the game.

6 You Play As William Afton In FNAF Sister Location

One of the biggest debates to revolve around Five Nights At Freddy’s: Sister Location is who exactly the player controls within the game. While nothing has been officially confirmed, this particular fan theory seems to have the most evidence to back up its rather steep claim.

After the release of FNAF: Sister Location, many players have strong reason to believe that you play as William Afton - the purple man - as he visits the location to make peace with tragic event that occurred – losing his daughter. This is seemly confirmed by the way Baby – believed to be William’s Daughter – continually speaks to him as she asks questions like ‘isn’t this why you came here?’.

Ultimately though, William gets scooped and stuffed with a vengeful animatronic soul – this would explain William Afton’s motive behind the killings in the previous Five Nights At Freddy’s games.

5 Afton Is The Owner Of The FNAF 4 House

Found within FNAF: Sister Location inside of the breaker room mini-game with Funtime Freddy, is an underground establishment map that features the blueprints for the final chapter’s house. Fans found that when typing “1983” into the keypad of the secret room, it displays three different cameras that have been placed inside the house to peer into each of its rooms.

Many fans have theorized that this house actually belongs to William Afton, who was experimenting on his children with the actual Nightmare animatronics – in which he would take the failures downstairs to Sister Location to get scooped. Others believe that Afton had these plans in his possession as he was a protective parent. However, after the death of his daughter, William wanted to ensure that he was watching his children at all times and would communicate with them through the walkie-talkie if they were ever in danger.

4 The Websites Are Having Their Own Conversation

Starting earlier this year in April, a mysterious message from the FNAF World website was hidden within the source code saying “Be quiet.” What many people still don’t realize is that these messages have continued from both websites – ScottGames and FNaFWorld. These messages have since formed the following conversation:

ScottGames: You are crowding us.

FNaFWorld: Be Quiet.

ScottGames: You can’t tell us what to do anymore.

FNaFWorld: Yes, I can. You will do everything that I tell you to do.

ScottGames: We outnumber you.

FNaFWorld: That doesn't matter, dummy.

ScottGames: We found a way to eject you.

FNaFWorld: You would be lost without me.

ScottGames: Ha, ha! Say goodbye to our friend!

FNaFWorld: I can put myself back together.

While nothing is official, many have theorized that it’s a conversation revolving around Ennard. Many believe that the Funtime Animatronics are represented by ScottGames and are rebelling against Baby who is covering as FNaFWorld.

3 Michael Afton Is Actually Mike Schmidt

That’s right; many fans of the FNAF series believe that Michael Afton – the son of child murder, William Afton – is actually Mike Schmidt.

Now hear us out of this theory because as crazy and far fetched as it may sound, it actually has some very convincing evidence as to why people believe that Mike Schmidt isn’t exactly who he says he is. The popular fan theory believes that Mike Schmidt is using a pseudonym to cover up the fact that he is Michael Afton to avoid any suspicion from Freddy Fazbear Pizza that he is actually related to the notorious murder, William Afton.

The theorists believe that William is taking on these aliases as he is trying to free the souls of the children that his father mindlessly murdered.

2 FNAF 6 May Return To Fazbear Fright

Much like the fan theory where we learn that Michael Afton may indeed be Springtrap, eagle eyed fans were able to uncover some very juicy information during a hidden cutscene found after completing the Very Hard Golden Freddy mode. This particular cutscene was very dark, however, after adjusting brightness levels, fans discovered that the scene was taking place in a burnt down building. As the scene neared the end, fans spotted a sign that read “Fazbear’s Fright."

While Scott Cawthon claims that the development of FNAF 6 has been halted, it hasn’t stopped fans from speculating or posting fan theories. Many fans currently believe that FNAF six will return to the famed location of Fazbear’s Fright in which Michael will be searching for his father - William Afton. Given the devastation that he has caused to not only his family, but also the families of his victims, many believe that Michael is seeking vengeance for what he has done.

1 The Animatronics Were Initially Built To Kill

This is one of those weird theories that play with reality as while FNAF is a game, some of the events that do occur are very realistic. Popular YouTuber, MatPat has even gone as far as producing a series that is dedicated to cracking the FNAF story. One of his particular theories involves proving that ordinary animatronics do not have enough power to kill a child.

Through the video, MatPat goes on to explain a large number of calculations that eventually prove that the original force that the animatronics were built with were actually far too powerful for their purpose. You have to wonder, why someone would give an animatronic – that was built solely for a children’s restaurant -so much bite power that it could kill a child.

It really does give off the feeling that something much more sinister was planned for these animatronics than just being a form of entertainment for children.