Who Is Mr. Cupcake? The Five Nights at Freddy’s Fan Favorite Explained

Mr. Cupcake may be a deranged animatron, but he can still be pretty adorable. With pink frosting, big blank eyes, buck teeth, and a single candle on his head, he’s almost as cute as he is creepy. Nearly a decade after the release of the initial indie video game, the whole world is now getting to know Five Nights at Freddy’s and its crew of murderous robot plushies (now in theaters and streaming on Peacock). Freddy, Foxy, Bonnie, Chica, and other animatronic characters terrorize Freddy Fazbear’s, a once-happy children’s pizzeria that is now a venue of doom.

But the unlikely sidekick Mr. Cupcake — also known as Cupcake or simply “Carl”— is poised to become a fan favorite. When pressed on this important matter by NBC Insider, even director Emma Tammi agreed: “I love them all. I really, really do. I was just recently talking about the scene where Cupcake is flying through a vent. Cupcake, in general, is a real favorite and is so fun.”

Who is Mr. Cupcake in the Five Nights at Freddy's video game series?

FNAF fanatics are famous for diving deep into the lore of the video game; there are online communities dedicated to teasing out minor details and books written with the help of game creator Scott Cawthon to unravel its mysteries. But Mr. Cupcake is seemingly straightforward. As the sidekick to Chica the chicken, Cupcake is often seen “innocently” sitting on a plate held by Chica or placed on the security office desk. When Chica performs on stage with the animatronic band, this chill little dude usually hangs back. In the game Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted, players toss Mr. Cupcake around, but that’s generally the extent of his movement. Though not a threat in the game franchise, he’s still far from the typical sweet treat of childhood birthdays.

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Thanks to his blank stare and quiet demeanor, many players believe Cupcake is a spy for Chica. When he disappears from Chica’s plate, it’s a sign that something terrible is brewing. In the games where players must fight Chica, looking into Cupcake’s eyes provides clues to the chicken’s next moves. A few hardcore fans even theorize that Cupcake is the franchise's Vengeful Spirit.

Who is Mr. Cupcake in the Five Nights at Freddy's movie?

Cupcake and Chica in Five Nights at Freddy's, directed by Emma Tammi. Photo: Universal Pictures

In the movie, Cupcake is no longer a creepy little prop sitting on a plate. Our first clue that something is awry comes when we spot him uncharacteristically on stage with Chica as the band performs. One night, a group of vandals break into Freddy Fazbear's Pizza with baseball bats and tire irons, likely anticipating an easy smash-and-grab. As they break pinball machines and steal quarters from the games, one hapless thug ends up alone in the kitchen, confronted by Chica holding Cupcake on a plate.

RELATED: Five Nights at Freddy's: How is the Movie Different From the Games?

Cupcake’s eyes narrow, his candle lights up, and then, in a shock for longtime fans, he attacks, mauling the guy’s face! As the other animatronics chase down the vandals, one intruder finds refuge in the workroom, but not for long. He spies Bonnie, Chica, and Cupcake on the security cam footage, and when Chica gently places Cupcake into a vent, we all know he’s a goner. The crazed Cupcake flies through the vent with murderous intent but smashes up violently against a metal screen. The discombobulated man tries to escape, but he's intercepted by Foxy. The animatronics are truly a killer team.

Is there any precedent for Mr. Cupcake’s change in character?

In the fourth game of the series, Five Nights at Freddy’s 4, Mr. Cupcake has an evil counterpart: Nightmare Cupcake. With dried purple frosting, fangs, and parts of his endoskeleton peeking through, Nightmare Cupcake makes a fitting companion to Nightmare Chica, a shredded and decaying version of her usual self. Cupcake’s murderous rampage in the movie is one of the many nods to the video game’s fanbase and is sure to fuel more theories going forward — and perhaps a few nightmares.

Five Nights at Freddy's is now playing in theaters — click here for tickets! — and available to stream on Peacock.