| Spoiler warning! This article contains plot details about an upcoming episode. |
Ron is a secondary character who helps the protagonist—also named Ron—of the 2024 indie horror game, Bad Parenting 1: Mr. Red Face. He is a magical, talking doll created in the image of the young boy he was created for by his master, a mysterious yet aggressive creature known only as Mr. Red Face (alternatively spelled "Mr. Redface").
He is often referred to in the in-game text simply as "Doll" to differentiate between the two characters.
Background history[]
The doll was made in the image of its subject, the human child Ron.
Ron the Human is sent to bed early on his birthday when his mother comes home late, leading to an argument. His mother promises that if he goes to bed, he will wake up with a present from Mr. Red Face. Ron excitedly complies and Mr. Red Face does indeed visit him in the night. Ron unboxes this gift in the morning to meet Ron, the doll, who was made in his image. This talking doll says that it serves its master.
When the human Ron asks to play some games, the doll Ron tells him to check the closet for toys. However, when Ron tries to go into the closet, he finds that he can't get inside. Instead, the doll suggests they go eat breakfast because he is hungry. But the human Ron must eat the food because the doll can't eat. They can feel the nourishment, as well as any other senses or emotions that Ron feels, through their linked minds. The doll shows Ron some magic, first making his food never-ending so that the instant he finishes it fully, it will reappear, and second causes a wine bottle to act like its being drunk and slamming onto the dining room table. On the third hit, Mr. Red Face flashes in front of Ron's eyes and the bottle shatters, scaring the young boy. Afraid that his father will punish him for breaking the glass bottle and asking if he is still asleep, the doll reassures him that Mr. Red Face has absconded with his father to punish him for being a bad parental figure. This upsets Ron who insists that his dad is a good person, and desperately begs to be allowed to save his dad. Relenting, the doll tells Ron that Mr. Red Face won't be happy that he is trying to save his father but that he can be reached via shortcut through the closet in Ron's room. Ron tries to access the closet in his room but to his dismay, he still cannot get the doors to budge. Thinking on his feet, the doll suggests that they use his parent's closet. To do so the doll teaches the boy how to perform a ritual that involves tuning the radio frequency to tune in to the other side of a portal to open a gateway; on the third attempt, he accesses the right portal and the boy steps on through; the doll remains behind.
The doll after being beaten up by Mr. Red Face.
The boy is then observed by the doll in Ron's room, where he is being disciplined. The doll hovering in midair, surprising the child. Mr. Red Face then shows himself and attacks Ron, who blacks out. The child notices that the doll has bruises and injuries from the events that occurred the night before. Shocked, the boy asks what has happened and the doll tells him. After being asked about Ron's mother's wherabouts, the doll tells the boy that Mr. Red Face has now taken Ron's mom away to punish her, too. Ron refuses the doll's request for him to just run away and save himself, and the doll relents once Ron shows him the 'spell' that he had obtained. The doll confirms that that spell will defeat his master, and Ron returns to his parents' closet and reenters the portal to the dark forest.
The toy is losing its color.
The doll follows Ron into the forest this time and poises next to the door leading to Ron's mom, peering in and giving the boy some advice, including telling him to hide once he has thrown the spell into the room so that Mr. Red Face doesn't see him, as the spell will act as a sort of bait to reel him into the room. Ron follows through and Mr. Red Face comes and enters the room, shutting the door behind him. A green flash is seen and the door fades away.
With his master defeated and the magic fading away, black smoke starts billowing out of the doll. The doll says that it's fading away, but that's what it wanted all along.
The doll tells Ron to go and see his parents, and Ron does so. When the child learns the truth about what has actually happened, he doesn't believe it. But the doll reassures him that it's true: The doll is the "knowing" part of Ron, and the real Ron died 14 days before. Now, the two of them are in a repetitive cycle, going through the same events every single day.
After telling Ron this, the doll probably fades away into nothingness, its purpose having been fulfilled.