Last year something exciting happened to Winnie-the-Pooh: He and his cadre of woodland critters entered the public domain. The rights to A.A. Milne’s beloved characters had spent decades held hostage by The Walt Disney Company, who milked him for numerous beloved shorts, movies, and shows. Once Winnie, Eeyore, Rabbit, et al. were free, people have gone above and beyond to give them makeovers. There was that horror movie adaptation. And there’s a forthcoming body horror game that’s making people wish Disney had never let its rights lapse.
The new trailer for Winnie’s Hole is pure NIGHTMARE FUEL.
Players will embody a virus tasked with capturing cells to grow more limbs and overtake Winnie the Pooh in the 2D strategy dungeon crawler roguelite RPG. pic.twitter.com/Fx1CM7VRu2
— IGN (@IGN) October 3, 2023
It’s called Winnie’s Hole, and believe it or not the title is not the most shudder-inducing thing about it. It comes from the Australian game studio Twice Different, and, as IGN reported a while back, players play a “virus traveling through Winnie the Pooh’s body.” It gets worse:
“As you spread throughout the bear’s rotund vessel like a cancer, you branch out the map and gather the resources you need to capture healthy cells and mutate them to grow as many extra appendages and eyes to transform Winnie into a monstrosity of your liking and adapt his form for survival.”
The game was announced back in June, but sometimes traumatizing things take a while to fully horrify the general populace. After IGN brought the game up again a few days ago, on Wednesday it finally went viral. And when it went viral, a lot of people couldn’t handle Winnie-the-Pooh going David Cronenberg.
winnie the pooh doesn’t like murder or mutating or blood or any of those awful things u post with him… he likes eating honey and going on adventures with his friends n thats that https://t.co/QZDZXxb7LV pic.twitter.com/cg41ee0eqE
— SPOOKY WARIO stan account (@BigDummy05) October 3, 2023
can disney un-public domain this guy https://t.co/ZaTmZ3ReEa
— Solid JJ (@SolidusJJ) October 3, 2023
THE NAME???,? I CANT DO THIS ANYMORE BRO https://t.co/NFX867gwMZ
— Jakeneutron (@TheJakeneutron) October 3, 2023
why can’t we leave winnie the pooh alone and just let him be happy 🙁
ngl this game looks kinda sick though https://t.co/16M6XhJ3X4
— violet! is seeing FOB (@Vamp1reViolet) October 4, 2023
These Winnie the Pooh parodies are making me want to get rid of the public domain as a concept https://t.co/C8klrCUcvv
— Elsie (@Meelsie143) October 4, 2023
Disney really messed up letting Pooh enter public domain pic.twitter.com/xNZVIILOUI
— Javar Madison Jr. (@Outlaws_GhostM) October 3, 2023
Some couldn’t even handle the title.
why in god’s name would you call the game “winnie’s hole” https://t.co/uPkRnm4P7j
— danny @ NYCC Artist Alley B-11 (@Danny8bit) October 3, 2023
Some over-analyzed the premise, deducing that it made no sense for a toy bear to be plagued with a virus wreaking biological rebellion.
Here’s the thing, I’d be down for this concept if it wasn’t Winnie the Pooh. Not that I think Winnie the Pooh is some hallowed property that can’t be horrored but a virus would have no effect on pooh. He’s full of stuff and fluff. He has no flesh to mutate. https://t.co/jxmLD4ZdJV
— Zane Schacht – Voice SKELETON!!!! (@VoicesByZane) October 4, 2023
Some speculated about other children’s IP entering the public domain.
As soon as Three Railway Engines becomes public domain, someone is going to make a movie about Henry dying in the tunnel https://t.co/hgHkwEi6tL
— Thomas Facts (Parody) (@RWSTTTE) October 4, 2023
Mickey Mouse knowing this is gonna happen to him soon: https://t.co/3o0MWM4MvA pic.twitter.com/WjWwaddlgX
— TRAFON(s Backup Account) (@RiseFallNickBck) October 4, 2023
Some hatched conspiracy theories about all these kid’s Ips getting edgy treatments, like that Grinch horror movie from last year.
conspiracy theory that these winnie the pooh horror things are at least partially bankrolled by Disney to turn the populace against the concept of the public domain https://t.co/ob8rH0sx4Y
— Tirk (@frogkaro) October 3, 2023
Some mocked other “nightmare fuel” reboots.
every piece of winnie the pooh media since it hit public domain https://t.co/hmDo8ODyLb pic.twitter.com/YLtgGCXjBr
— Andy Davis Peoria Regionals (@momandianism) October 3, 2023
Others welcomed the nightmare fuel.
People have pointed out that ever since Winnie the Pooh went public domain, the big Pooh projects have centered around perversions of the character. Sorry if you’re attached to Disney Pooh, but this is the desired end goal of an IP. Something that belongs to everybody. https://t.co/8NF3GWs72k
— Pumpkin Spice Skeet (@dumbbitchskeet) October 4, 2023
I’m seeing a lot of people hopping on this calling it uncreative, etc.
The whole POINT of public domain is that you can do whatever you want with a property. No one has to be precious w/ Pooh anymore. That’s what’s great!
Let the people make shlock. It’s freedom incarnate! https://t.co/iOojdtvk2V
— Nick Lives (@SlickNickLives) October 4, 2023
Finally, the real origin story
— catsen (@catsen) October 4, 2023
You can watch the trailer for Winnie’s Hole (again, *shudder*) below.
(Via IGN)