It’s the most debated moment in horror gaming history. Honestly, if you’ve spent more than five minutes in the Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) fandom, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You've seen the memes. You've heard the scream. The Bite of 87 isn't just a piece of lore; it's the foundation of a multi-billion dollar franchise that Scott Cawthon built from a single phone call in a dark office. But here’s the thing—most people actually confuse it with something else entirely.
When Markiplier yelled "Was that the Bite of 87?!" during his playthrough of the fourth game, he actually helped cement a massive misconception. He wasn't looking at 1987. He was looking at 1983. It sounds like a small detail, but in the world of FNAF, those four years change everything. One was an accident caused by bullying; the other was a systemic failure of a robot that led to the downfall of a local pizza chain.
Why the Bite of 87 Still Matters Today
To understand why this matters, you have to look at the FNAF 2 "Phone Guy" dialogue. He mentions that the animatronics used to be allowed to walk around during the day. Then, something happened. A human lost their frontal lobe. It's a gruesome image.
The victim survived, which is the weirdest part. Biologically, the frontal lobe handles motor function, problem-solving, and impulse control. If an animatronic—likely Mangle or Toy Chica—clamped down on a person's head, the legal and financial fallout for Fazbear Entertainment would be catastrophic. That’s exactly what happened. The 1987 incident is the reason the bots are tethered to the stage during business hours in the original game.
But wait.
If you go back to FNAF 4, we see a kid get his head crushed by Fredbear. That's a different event. We call that the Bite of 83. It took place at Fredbear’s Family Diner, not the "New and Improved" Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. The distinction is vital because the 1983 event involved the "Crying Child," the son of the series' antagonist, William Afton. The 1987 event? We still don't even know for sure who the victim was, though many theorists point toward a security guard like Jeremy Fitzgerald.
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The Science of an Animatronic Jaw
Could a 1980s-era robotic mascot actually crush a human skull? It's a terrifying thought. According to engineering analysis of similar real-world animatronics from the era (like those from Creative Engineering, the makers of the Rock-afire Explosion), these machines used pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders.
A standard pneumatic cylinder can exert hundreds of pounds of force. If a child’s head is placed inside the mouth of a machine designed to move heavy metal limbs, the result is predictable. In the game, the Fredbear animatronic was in "performing mode," meaning its jaw was moving up and down to simulate singing. When the older brother and his friends shoved the Crying Child into the mouth, the mechanical resistance wasn't there to stop the jaw from closing. It just kept going.
Clearning Up the Mangle Theory
Most fans agree that Mangle is the most likely culprit for the 1987 incident. Why? Look at its jumpscare. Most animatronics scream in your face. Mangle swings from the ceiling and bites down directly on the player's forehead—specifically the frontal lobe area.
- The Toy Animatronics: These were equipped with advanced facial recognition software linked to criminal databases.
- The Glitch: Some fans argue the "bite" was a defensive reaction because the software flagged a person (potentially a guard) as a threat.
- The Outcome: This event led to the entire Toy line being scrapped.
It’s a mess of a timeline. Scott Cawthon is famous for "retconning" or adding layers that make us question what we previously knew. For years, the community thought the FNAF 4 minigame was showing us the 1987 event. Then, the TV in the background of the bedroom showed a date: 1983. The community exploded. It was a classic bait-and-switch that forced everyone to re-evaluate the entire history of the Afton family.
Tracking the Timeline of Tragedies
If we look at the timeline objectively, the "bites" act as bookends for the company's decline.
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The 1983 bite happened at the very beginning. It was the inciting incident that likely drove William Afton into his spiral of madness and "Remnant" research. His son died because of his own creations. It’s Shakespearean, really.
Fast forward to 1987. The company tries to reinvent itself. They build shiny new robots. They spend a fortune on "facial recognition." Then, another bite happens. This one is the final nail in the coffin for the brand's public reputation. By the time we get to the first game (which actually takes place in the 90s), the restaurant is a run-down, grease-stained shadow of its former self.
Common Misconceptions Explained Simply
A lot of casual fans think Foxy did it. There's a "Out of Order" sign in front of Pirate Cove in the first game, and his jaw looks broken. It makes sense on the surface. But Foxy wasn't even active at the FNAF 2 location during the day when the bite occurred. He was sitting in parts and service.
The actual victim of the 87 bite likely wasn't a child. Since the animatronics were aggressive toward adults but fine with kids, it was almost certainly a staff member. Jeremy Fitzgerald, the night guard who was moved to the day shift for a birthday party, is the prime candidate. He was told to "stay close to the animatronics" to make sure they didn't hurt anyone. He did his job, and he paid for it with his frontal lobe.
The Impact on Horror Culture
The reason we’re still talking about a fictional bite from a 2014 indie game is because of the mystery. Cawthon never showed the 1987 bite. He only described it. That’s a classic horror trope—the thing you imagine is always scarier than the thing you see.
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The 1983 bite, on the other hand, was shown in 8-bit graphics. It was shocking because it was the first time we saw the animatronics as truly dangerous physical objects rather than just "ghosts in the machine." It turned the monsters from spooky mascots into lethal industrial equipment.
Actionable Steps for Lore Hunters
If you're trying to piece together the truth behind these events, you can't just play the games. You have to look at the source code, the teasers, and the "Fazbear Frights" book series.
- Re-watch the FNAF 2 Night 6 phone call. Listen specifically to how Phone Guy describes the day shift position.
- Examine the FNAF 4 TV easter egg. This is the definitive proof that the Fredbear incident happened in 1983.
- Compare the jaw structures. Look at the "Withered" animatronics versus the "Toy" animatronics. The Toys have much smaller, sharper mouths—perfect for a targeted bite.
- Read "The Ultimate Guide" (the actual book). While it has some errors, it clarifies the distinction between the two events.
The Bite of 87 and the Bite of 83 represent the two biggest turning points in the franchise. One created a killer; the other destroyed a business. Understanding the difference isn't just about being a "completionist"—it's about understanding how a story about a haunted pizzeria became a modern myth.
To get the full picture, look into the "Missing Children Incident" (MCI) which happened between these two dates. It provides the "why" behind the animatronics' aggression. The ghosts aren't just haunting the suits; they are confused, angry, and lash out at anyone who looks like their attacker. The bites weren't just malfunctions. They were tragedies born from a cycle of violence that started with one man and a purple car.
Check the dates on the paychecks at the end of FNAF 2. They explicitly state November 1987. That is your anchor. Anything that doesn't fit that year belongs to a different part of the nightmare.