Bendy and The Ink Machine is rated T for Teen by the ESRB due to Violence and 12+ on Common Sense Media for 1/5 Positive Messages, 3/5 Ease of Play, and 5/5 Consumerism. Viewer Discretion Advised.
I have a confession to make. I love the Bendy franchise. I've watched the cartoons, I've read the employee handbook, I've played Bendy and The Ink Machine thrice, and I've even pieced together a timeline of it, from the founding of Joey Drew Studios in 1929 to the events of Bendy and The Ink Machine in 1963. This timeline took me a long time to make, so I hope you like it.
In 1929, Joey Drew Studios was founded by Joey Drew and his friend Henry Stein. Bendy sprang to life on the silver screen in the 1929 cartoon “Little Devil Darlin’,” and was joined by Boris the Wolf in “Sheep Songs.” However, Henry Stein, the creator of these amazing characters left in 1930, after only a year of working for Joey. Joey unsuccessfully tried to replicate Henry’s talent by “collecting the finest talent money can buy”. The final member of Joey Drew Studios’ “Big Three”, Alice Angel, debuted in the 1933 cartoon “Sent from Above”, and it was announced that Alice Angel merchandise would be on shelves the next year. "'Siren Serenade,' the first Alice Angel cartoon to not feature any other Joey Drew Studios cast members like Bendy or Boris" was released later in 1933. Next up is the cartoon “Hell’s Kitchen’, where a dash of spice makes all the difference. Alice Angel plushies are released along with Bendy and Boris ones in the winter of 1934, just in time for the holidays. In 1935, "Bendy found himself in a bit of a pickle when 'The Butcher Gang' landed in theaters" and he "was juggling a bit more than flaming batons in the 1937 cartoon 'Nightmare Faire.'" Suddenly, "The Butcher Gang returned in 'Demonic Tonic,' where they shrunk our favorite little devil in a bottle for their own amusement." (Cartoon descriptions are taken from Joey Drew Studios Employee Handbook Pages 134-135 with slight edits)
Now, let’s talk about theme parks. Well, really just one theme park, in particular, the failed amusement park Bendyland. In 1940, Joey Drew had the idea of a Bendy-themed amusement park at dinner sometime in 1940 and began the unsuccessful endeavor with the help of the famed amusement park designer Bertrum Piedmont. At an unknown point in time between 1940 and 1943, the Gent Corporation sponsored the cartoon “Construction Corruption," beginning their rather... interesting partnership. In an effort to make Bertrum’s costume designs even more lifelike, Joey tried to make living cartoons, causing him to contact Gent. This lead to the installation of Thomas J. Connor’s improvement on Gent’s Ink Makers, The Ink Machine! Between 1940 and 1946, the first-ever attempt at making living cartoons resulted in the creation of a soulless abomination in the likeness of Bendy currently known as Ink Bendy. During WWII, Joey Drew Studios re-released some of its oldest cartoons such as “The Dancing Demon” as war propaganda. In 1946, the events of the novel Dreams Come To Life rolled out, causing Daniel “Buddy” Lewek to be hired as a gofer and eventually transformed into Buddy Boris. Also, Tom’s fired from Joey Drew Studios and possibly Gent during the events of Dreams Come To Life. Later in 1946, Joey Drew Studios was under investigation due to “hazardous working conditions, harassment, and excessive backpay”. On February 23, 1952, Allison Pendle and Thomas J. Connor were married at 2:30 PM at the First Light Presbyterian Church. Joey Drew was invited to come but declined. Finally, Joey Drew Studios went bankrupt on August 16, 1959, due to a lawsuit from the law firm Snooks, Spitner, and Snooks. However, This isn’t the end of our story. It’s only the beginning of the Bendy series, starting with Bendy and the Ink Machine in 1963. After all, there are rumors that Bendy will return sometime this year, so keep an eye out for new Bendy timelines when it does.