Gumdrop Angel | Sergio's Lucky Day | What We Found
It's your lucky day!
Before, it had seemed wrong to talk about Lucky Boy, but now it felt disrespectful not to talk about him. Not telling the truth felt like Sergio was taking credit for the recent turn of events his life had taken. Lucky Boy should have some recognition.
Nothing seems to go Sergio's way. His new job is overworking him, his neighbors are annoying, his girlfriend won't stop nagging him for presents, and to top it all off, his car breaks down. On his walk to the mechanic, he spots something in the trash– a little boy figurine, with a sign reading "I'M A LUCKY BOY." When spoken to, Lucky Boy responds with a simple phrase. Cute enough, so Sergio takes it with him.
Unfortunately, the phrases get more and more specific, and Sergio becomes more and more inclined to listen as Lucky Boy's words start to bring him the happiness he so desperately craved.
The twenty-third Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights story, and the second of the eighth book, Gumdrop Angel. It was adapted into the graphic novel series in 2023.
Tropes related to “Sergio's Lucky Day”:
- The '90s: The story is set in 1995, with Sergio's high school reunion being the class of '85, an important year in the franchise.
- Adaptational Dye-Job: Sergio and his family are described with black hair in the book, but are light brunettes in the graphic novel.
- In a similar manner, Lucky Boy's sign reads "IT'S YOUR LUCKY DAY" rather than "I'M A LUCKY BOY" in all official illustrations.
- Adaptational Sympathy: Violet never finds out about Lucky Boy in the book, and just curses Sergio out for dumping her. In the graphic novel, she hears Lucky Boy's advice from the truck, and becomes worried, asking Sergio what that sound was and why he's listening to it.
- Affably Evil: Lucky Boy is nothing but cheerful and giggly with seemingly good advice, but he slowly guides Sergio down the path to destroying his own life, which Sergio never realizes despite its increasing obviousness.
- Blush Sticker: Can be seen in illustrations of Lucky Boy, who of course is a Balloon Boy variant and shares this trait with the other toy animatronics.
- Body Horror: At the end of the story, Sergio mutilates himself after asking Lucky Boy how he should improve his appearance for wooing his high school crush. From his ideas and Lucky Boy's suggestions, it can be inferred that he removes his ears and eyelids, scalps himself, trims down his lips and nose, and cuts out his stomach fat. It's never described in the book, but seen in all its gory detail in the graphic novel.
- Cassandra Truth: Claire tells Sergio that he's too reliant on Lucky Boy and it's turning him into an asshole. He won't listen, but she's not wrong.
- Ceiling Banger: Sergio's upstairs neighbor is constantly dancing, to his annoyance.
- Changing Yourself for Love: Sergio does this to an extreme at the behest of Lucky Boy.
- Creepy Child: In the traditional Balloon Boy manner, as well as a Cheerful Child.
- Creepy Doll: Lucky Boy is pretty much everything you hate about Balloon Boy compressed into a ten-inch figurine.
- Extreme Doormat: Sergio is this at his job, apartment and in his love and family life. Even when he stands up for himself, it's only because he's become the doormat to Lucky Boy.
- Foreshadowing: Early on in the story, Dale warns Sergio "not to cut off his own nose to spite his face." He didn't mean it literally, but...
- The Ghost: Sergio's high school crush, Sophia Manchester, who's never actually seen in the story.
- Gold Digger: Violet, who is dating Sergio likely for his high-paying job and gets excited when he wins the lottery only because she thinks he'll buy her things.
- It Can Think: Any remaining possibility that Lucky Boy is just a figurine repeating certain pre-programmed phrases goes out the window when he mentions that Sergio's father is rich while suggesting that Sergio get a loan.
- Madness Mantra: "It's your[/my] lucky day!"
- Monster of the Week: Lucky Boy.
- More than Mind Control: While it's doubtful that he's outright controlling Sergio, there's clearly something going on with him, given that most people aren't so casually willing to mutilate their own face on the advice of a doll.
- It's theorized that there may be some form of illusion disc active on him, as nobody notices Sergio's horrifying appearance until he puts Lucky Boy down, but that of course wouldn't explain the mental takeover.
- Mysterious Past: Where Lucky Boy came from, why he's out in the trash, and why a Lucky variant of Balloon Boy even exists in the first place.
- The Obstructive Love Interest: Violet, who's a bit of a Gold Digger and gets upset when Sergio didn't buy her anything specific... after buying her dinner at the most expensive restaurant in town. The graphic novel gives her a little more sympathy.
- The One That Got Away: Sergio sees Sophia Manchester as this, despite them never having dated.
- Perpetual Smiler: Lucky Boy has an eerie, painted-on smile as he suggests to Sergio that he break up with his girlfriend, quit his job, and cut his own face open.
- Rambunctious Italian: Sergio's parents are both very expressive with heavy Italian accents, and his mom is very excitable.
- Sanity Slippage: Sergio doesn't even notice when all his good fortune turns on its head, because he's convinced that Lucky Boy will bring him out of it again.
- Setting Update: The graphic novel ignores the '90s setting, opting instead to give the characters modern phones.
- Signature Headgear: As a Balloon Boy, Lucky Boy has a pinwheel hat.
- Unreliable Narrator: Sergio begins thinking to himself about how rude Claire is being to him, and about how great his life is now that Lucky Boy is here, both things the reader can easily see are untrue.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Sergio is just waiting for his dad to be proud of him, rather than comparing him to himself.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Sergio starts the story as a bumbling, awkward guy who just wants his life to go right. When he gets confidence, it escalates to him breaking up with Claire on the car ride back from dinner with his parents, crashing the car with her inside of it, and apparently not caring if she's okay.
