Young Horses

Young Horses, Inc. is an American indie game developer based in Chicago, Illinois. They are responsible for developing Octodad, Octodad: Dadliest Catch, and Bugsnax.

Websites

• Young Horses official website
• YH on Twitter
• YH YouTube channel
• YH on Facebook
• YH on Discord

Young Horses Discord

The Young Horses Discord server is a user community on the instant messaging platform Discord, dedicated to the Young Horses games Bugsnax and Octodad. Aside from discussion of the aforementioned games, users can share fanwork and chat with the developers of the games, who occasionally talk about behind-the-scenes information and upcoming updates to Bugsnax.

As per our policy we separate any additional 'lore' the developers share on social media from the actual content we engage with. The below section holds a portion of this 'lore' - the developers have clarified for most of their shared content that it is merely 'loose canon', due to previous fandom controversies surrounding these contents.

Spoilers

According to writing editor SageCoffey on the Reddit Q/A, Cromdo would have a child to which he lost the child custody case. (This is not alluded to in the game.) The question was prompted due to his #1 Dad tie in his tie collection. In the Discord server, main writer Kevin Zuhn explained that Cromdo could not afford court expenses. The writing editor came up with the bit of lore to explain the #1 Dad tie and did not intend for a "darker", realistic reading of the concept, according to Zuhn. Prior to the release of The Isle of BIGsnax, Snorpy and Floofty did not react to each other's deaths, even though they are siblings. This writing mistake is due to time crunching as claimed by Kevin Zuhn in the Young Horses Discord server. "The ending lines were some of the last content written into the game, and I was very much running out of time. The system was set up so that pairs in a relationship would have something to say about each other, but it didn't feel right having Cromdo comment on Beffica or Shelda comment on Floofty since they were mostly enemies. I didn't think ahead to be able to let Snorpy or Triffany comment on Floofty as well as Chandlo and Wambus since they can only say one thing at a time and the tone needed to be consistent. Even if I made this mechanical blunder, they do care about Floofty and would mourn their passing." Grumpuses do not have access to newer technology, such as computers. This was claimed by Kevin Zuhn in the Discord server. "As far as we're concerned, Grumpuses don't have access to computers yet, and definitely wouldn't have touch screens or smartphones." Upon death, Bugsnax will turn to goop. "Oh, and re: what Wambus says about Bugsnax. He says "You have to eat 'em raw or they turn to mush." The reason for this isn't really about cooking (live Bugsnax are effectively immune to fire. At worst it's an inconvenience to them) but moreso what happens if you try to cut or prepare them. Or to put it bluntly, if a Bugsnak isn't alive, it turns to goop." People asked why Floofty managed to keep Bugsnax past their death, and Zuhn reacted with "Yes, Floofty definitely has a way to preserve the Bugsnax for observation. Definitely doesn't help with the taste, though." However, they did not explain how Floofty does it. ZUHN has stated that Snaquiri is non-alcoholic.

Octodad

The Octodad series is a pair of games developed by Young Horses, and the first projects by the studio. The series consists of Octodad, a free game made as a student project in 2010, and Octodad: Dadliest Catch, a bigger, better, and more polished Octodad adventure, released in 2014.

The games star the titular octopus as he masquerades as a human father, trying to perform everyday human tasks without raising suspicion. Of course, this is far easier said than done, as his unwieldy tentacles turn even the simplest actions into destructive chaos, and the entire game into a slapstick spectacle.

Tom Taylorson, the voice of Octodad, is the voice of Strabby, White Strabby, Bunger, BBQ Bunger, Fryder, Sweet Fryder, Snaxsquatch and Alegander Jamfoot.

Fryda Wolff, the voice of Octodad's daughter, Stacy, is the voice of Eggabell, Poptick, Caramel Poptick, Kweeble, and Golden Kweeble.

References to Octodad in Bugsnax

• The music that plays in Clumby's office is a slowed-down version of the Gervason's Grocery theme from Dadliest Catch.
• One of the papers on Snorpy's conspiracy board says "NOBODY SUSPECTS A THING", a common theme of the Octodad games and the subtitle of the theme song of Dadliest Catch.
• Cromdo has a set of ties on the wall of his hut. Examining them will give the description "A rather dadly collection of ties. Could Cromdo be hiding a secret?"
  • Additionally, these ties are all found in Dadliest Catch.
• Floofty's description of Banopper is "The natural enemy of all cephalopods." Banana peels are a frequent obstacle in Octodad's adventures, and he views bananas as demon spawns from his darkest nightmares.
• A Grumpus's nose transformed by a Banopper resembles Octodad's "mustache".
  • It is likely also a reference to the decoy Octodad creates in the original game, which similarly uses a banana to represent his "mustache".