Michael, Don't Leave Me Here

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Part of a series on Five Nights at Freddy's. [View Related Entries]

About

Michael, Don't Leave Me Here is a viral sound effect of William Afton pleading to be let out from a fan-made Five Nights at Freddy's analog horror video. The sound effect gained popularity in memes on TikTok in November 2021, also inspiring video memes after in January 2022 a YouTube user created a 3D animation inspired by it.

Origin

On July 11th, 2020, YouTuber^[1] Squimpus McGrimpus uploaded "Finale," the last video of their fan-made Five Nights at Freddy's VHS analog horror series. One part of the video imagines William Afton, the main antagonist of the game series, pleading with his son Michael to be let out and banging on a surface, with the recording taking place on November 12th, 1993 (video shown below).

Michael! Don't leave me here! Michael! Michael! Help me-

The clip references the burning of the Fazbear's Fright and William in it by Michael that happens in this fanon in year 2008.^[2]

Some time prior to November 25th, 2021, TikTok user Lupin uploaded the soundbite to the app (original video no longer available). On November 25th, 2021, TikTok^[3] user @igottafart_and_barf posted the earliest viral meme using the sound effect, a video of a plush toy spinning in a washing machine combined with the sound. The video (shown below) accrued over 11.9 million views and 1.8 million likes in one year.

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7034547968367955246

Spread

In late 2021 and early 2022, the sound effect saw viral popularity on TikTok, with over 32,900 videos using it posted as of April 2023.^[4] For example, on December 12th, 2021, TikTok^[5] user apeachedwhale posted a video that gained over 7.1 million views and 1.2 million likes in one year (shown below, left). On January 1st, TikTok^[6] user @they_call_me_goggy posted a clip that received over 7.9 million views and 1.4 million likes in the same period (shown below, right).

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7040662384326987055

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7048391167297277186

On January 25th, 2022, YouTube^[7] user Mayhem posted a 3D animation inspired by the soundbite which gained over 193,000 views in one year and was used to create memes by other users (shown below, left). For example, on February 22nd, 2022, YouTube'^[8] user TheKarlitosYeahッ posted a meme using the animation that gained over 197,000 views in one year (shown below, right).

Both the soundbite and the video format maintained popularity through the early months of 2022.