Welcome Home ARG is an elaborate and eerie alternate reality game (ARG) created by fans of the classic 90s children‘s television show Welcome Home. Through collaborative investigation of a fictional in-universe website, players can uncover the sinister secrets around the show‘s sudden cancellation and restore its lost episodes.
This guide will provide everything you need to fully experience this immersive game – from background history to detailed walkthroughs and tips. Follow along to learn how to play Welcome Home ARG.
A Nostalgic Trip Back to 90s Kids Shows
To understand the appeal of the Welcome Home ARG, it helps to look back at the landscape of children‘s television in the 1990s. This decade saw an explosion of innovative live-action puppet shows like Welcome Home.
With their quirky characters, practical effects, and blending of the real world with the fantastical, these shows captured the imaginations of an entire generation. Though mainstream hits like Barney existed, many kids were drawn to more subversive programs like Welcome Home that dealt with complex themes in a darkly whimsical way.
Welcome Home aired on PBS from 1996 to 2000, amassing a cult following despite averaging only 2.5 million weekly viewers at its peak. Its cancellation after just 4 seasons left many devoted fans longing for proper closure.
The Rise of Immersive ARG Experiences
The early 2000s saw the rise of a new form of interactive storytelling – the alternate reality game (ARG). ARGs use websites, phone numbers, email, physical locations, and other media to tell a story that players can influence through collaborative investigation.
The first major ARG was 2001’s The Beast, promoting the film A.I. Welcome Home ARG arrived in 2016, riding a new wave of nostalgia-fueled internet fandom. Let’s see how it stacks up against other notable ARGs:
| ARG | Year | Platforms | Participation Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Beast | 2001 | Websites, emails, phone #s | Tens of thousands globally |
| I Love Bees | 2004 | Websites, phones, live events | Over 600,000 players |
| Welcome Home | 2016 | Fiction websites | Hundreds so far |
As you can see, Welcome Home is more niche than history-making ARGs like I Love Bees, but provides the same addictive experience on a smaller scale for dedicated fans.
Inside the Strange World of the Clown Illustration Website
The hub for exploring the Welcome Home ARG is the in-universe Clown Illustration website located at clownillustration.com/welcomehomeyou. This site was created by a fictional group calling themselves The Welcome Home Restoration Project.
Through its six main sections – Welcome Home, The Neighborhood, About Us, News, Guestbook, and Links – fans can dive into an unsettling combination of nostalgia and horror. Almost every page contains hidden secrets and puzzles to unlock.
For example, in the seemingly-innocent neighborhood map, certain house images contain devilish hidden characters only visible by highlighting them. The Guestbook page reveals geographic coordinates in the comments that lead to real locations related to the show. Even viewing the page source code unveils cryptic notes and clues.
Uncovering Every Secret – Tips and Strategies
Dedicated players have uncovered hidden videos, encrypted audio files, secret sheet music, and much more over the years. Here are some tips to help you find everything hidden inside Welcome Home ARG:
-
Read between the lines – Look for subtle oddities, color changes, and inconsistencies in text on pages.
-
Think outside the box – Don‘t limit yourself to the main site. Follow external links and clues wherever they may lead.
-
Leave no stone unturned – Interact with all page elements by highlighting, clicking, and dragging items.
-
Retrace your steps – Revisit pages as the game evolves, since they may change over time.
-
Stay organized – Keep a journal recording clues, mysteries, and potential breakthroughs.
-
Work together – Collaborate with other fans on forums to make connections. Two heads are better than one!
Dedication and persistence will lead you to shocking revelations about the fate of Welcome Home in both fiction and reality.
Ratcheting Up Engagement Through Social Media
As a social media marketing expert, I see great potential in leveraging platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and Discord to increase awareness and engagement with the Welcome Home ARG.
- Create official accounts for the game and utilize relevant hashtags like #WelcomeHomeARG.
- Share clues and mysteries that encourage community participation.
- Allow fans to influence the direction of the game through social voting.
- Partner with influencers and media outlets to expand your reach.
- Analyze social metrics to identify content resonating with your audience.
Viral online promotion can bring in thousands of new players collaborating to move the game forward and unlock its secrets.
FAQs – Your Most Pressing Questions Answered
Let‘s explore some common questions that arise for newcomers to the game:
Who is Wally?
Wally is the upbeat clown protagonist of the original Welcome Home show. But cryptic messages in the ARG suggest Wally had a hidden dark side that may be connected to the show‘s fate.
How dangerous is the Welcome Home house in real life?
The actual house from the show is located at [COORDINATES] and some fans have explored it. The decrepit interior matches the unsettling vibe of the ARG. Enter at your own risk!
Would a revival of the actual show be possible?
It seems unlikely most of the original puppeteers and crew would return after 25+ years. But the ARG could potentially serve as a backdoor pilot gauging interest for either a limited reboot or continuation series on a streaming platform.
Is the mythology connected to real occult groups?
While the references to mysterious rituals and disappearances match some actual events and conspiracy theories, most of the "history" was invented by the ARG creators to weave an engaging supernatural narrative.
Conclusion – A Must-Play for 90s Kids
Welcome Home ARG offers a truly immersive journey back into the eerie world of a beloved cult classic show. By collaboratively investigating a fictional website, players can roleplay as detectives uncovering the tangled mystery around Welcome Home‘s demise.
For 90s kids who grew up on subversive shows like these, few other ARGs can match the nostalgic horror vibe of exploring Welcome Home‘s dark secrets once again. Just be prepared for restless nights after learning a clown‘s twisted true nature!
