Timeline / Bendy and the Ink Machine

1874

MacArthur Steel Co. is established.

1900s

1900

• Bertrum Piedmont begins his career in designing amusement parks.

1901

• Joey Drew is born in Paterson, New Jersey.

1902

• Kyle is born.

1911

1911

• Joey Drew witnesses a man fall from a building and nearly die while looking out a window.

1912

• Joey goes to his first vaudeville.
• On December 20, Cort Theater is opened to the public.

1913

• Joey visits Coney Island for the first time.

1914

• On July 28, the Great War/World War I has begun.

1917

• On April 6, the United States declares war on Germany.
• Joey lies about his age and signs up to join the Signal Corps.
• Joey becomes friends with Donaldson and Eckhart during training.
• Joey is introduced to Lottie at the dance hall on base.

1918

• Joey is assigned to the Signal Corps Radio Laboratories, where he meets Nathan Arch.
• Donaldson and Eckhart are shipped overseas.
• In the fall, Walter Benjamin Richmond returns from overseas and shows off his photographs, including one of the dying Ivan Newsome.
• Casualty lists reveal Donaldson and Eckhart died together.
• Lottie is shipped off to London.
• Nathan is shipped overseas.
• On November 11, World War I ends.

1920

• On January 17, Prohibition begins.
• In April, Joey Drew is approached by Detective Adam Sinclair to investigate the murder of Walter Richmond.
  • Joey asks to join Detective Sinclair in his investigation, which the detective allows.
  • Two days later, Detective Sinclair and Joey go to Isabel Newsome's art gallery to question Mrs. Pepper, Miss Newsome, Mr. Wadsworth, and Everett.
  • A firecracker is set off in the art gallery, causing a massive panic, and Arthur Fallow is reminded of his time in the war, causing him to break down on the floor.
  • Detective Sinclair learns from Arthur that there was a surprise attack on his unit during the war, and Walter left him and Ivan Newsome to die.
  • Three weeks later, Detective Sinclair invites Joey to a dinner in Newport at Adelaide Richmond's house, where Mrs. Richmond, Mr. Wadsworth, Everett, Mrs. Pepper, and Isabel Newsome are waiting.
  • Detective Sinclair concludes that Isabel was the murderer, wanting revenge for her brother being left to die, but with no proof or a confession nothing is done and the detective leaves.
  • Joey becomes friends with Mrs. Richmond.
• Two weeks after going to Miss Newsome's art gallery, Joey gets a job at Mr. Kirkpatrick's bookstore.

1922

• Joey meets Abby Lambert while working at the bookstore, and the two become friends.
• Abby takes Joey to his first true art gallery experience.
• Joey discovers his love of film and constantly visits the Grand Cinema, where a teenage Sammy Lawrence played the piano.

Unknown Year

• Abby introduces Joey to Henry Stein sometime before 1925, and he gets a job at the bookstore with Joey.
• Joey moves to a new apartment closer to Midtown.

1925

• Joey meets Abby Lambert while working at the bookstore, and the two become friends.
• Abby takes Joey to his first true art gallery experience.
• Joey discovers his love of film and constantly visits the Grand Cinema, where a teenage Sammy Lawrence played the piano.

1927

• On March 5, the Sardi's restaurant is founded and opened by Melchiorre Pio Vincenzo "Vincent" Sardi Sr. and his wife Eugenia "Jenny" Pallera.
• Sometime in the fall, Kyle takes Joey to a party in the Meatpacking District and Joey reunites with Nathan Arch.
• Dot is born.

1928

• At an art gallery being hosted by Abby in the summer, she shows off some of Henry's work to Joey and it inspires him to create animated cartoons.
• Joey comes up with the idea for a devilish character and tells Abby in hopes she could draw cartoons, but at the time her drawings are too realistic.
• Over the next few days, Joey works out the financial side of his business plan.
  • Joey sits down with Nathan to discuss the essential details.
  • Joey meets with Mrs. Richmond for investments, and she gets ahold of the best animators and cartoonists at the time.
  • Joey comes up with the name Joey Drew Studios.
• One Saturday night, Abby brings Henry over to Joey's apartment with a sketch of a cartoon character.
  • Although not what Joey was looking for the sketch makes Joey think, and with input from Joey and Henry's own creative input, Bendy is created.
  • Henry offers to become partners with Joey, and Joey accepts the offer.
  • Joey asks Abby to join, but she turns it down, having a year left in her art program and needing more time to practice drawing cartoons.

1930

• Planning begins on a female character for the cartoons.
• On October 14, Joey Drew attends the opening night party for Ira Gershwin's Girl Crazy, and there he meets Sammy Lawrence and Jack Fain.
  • The two will join the studio two weeks later.
• Henry Stein leaves Joey Drew Studios and moves to Pasadena, California, leaving a note for Joey so they can discuss it pending such time as Joey is available to do so.[2]
• The concept for Bendyland is created, based upon inspiration from employees of Joey Drew Studios, culminating in the planning stages for the amusement park itself.

1931

• On February 10, Joey records his announcement concerning his future plans for the studio, which is stored within the archives.
• Abby Lambert joins the studio.
• The Haunted Hijinx cartoon is produced.
• The Cookie Cookin cartoon is produced.
• On November 3, the first known Bendy comic strip, Barnyard Opry is published.
• On December 4, the Sole for Supper comic strip is published.
• On December 18, the Pie and Pop comic strip, where Ruby Goldberg premieres, is published.

1932

• On January 13, the Up in Flames comic strip, where Boswell Lotsabucks premieres, is published.
• On March 2, the What Crumbs Around, Goes Around comic strip is published.
• On March 17, the The Artist comic strip is published.
• On May 4, the Cats and Dogs comic strip is published.
• On August 2, Susie Campbell records a message to her mother, which is stored within the archives.
• On September 22, the Two for One comic strip is published.
• On October 2, the Rain, Rain, Go Away comic strip is published.
• On October 3, the Bright Idea comic strip is published.
• On November 10, the Counting Sheep comic strip, where the Woolly Triplets premiere, is published.
• On November 16, the Hands Off comic strip is published.

1933

• Joey purchases the remaining floors of the building, massively expanding the studio.
• On January 3, the F for Effort comic strip is published.
• On January 10, the comic strips How Not to and On Cloud 9 are published.
• On February 10, the Rocks Cream comic strip is published.
• On February 14, the Mice Try comic strip is published.
• On March 3/4, Susie Campbell meets with Sammy Lawrence for a private discussion.[3]
• On March 5, Wally Franks' records his reaction to more employees at the studio, which is stored within the archives.
• On April 5, the Pig Sty comic strip is published.
• On April 12, the Batter's Eye comic strip is published.
• On May 6, the Opening Act comic strip is published.
• On June 7, the Stink or Swim comic strip is published.
• On June 10, the Bon Appe-Sneak comic strip is published.
• On July 10, the Ode to Reuben comic strip is published.
• On July 23, the True Love comic strip is published.
• On September 12, the Sent From Above cartoon, where Alice Angel premieres, is produced, leading to the publication of an article regarding her debut by The Erie Daily Times.
• On October 5, the Mutt Cuts comic strip is published.
• On October 8, the Sticky Situation comic strip is published.
• On November 6, the Encore comic strip is published.
• On December 5, Prohibition is ended by the the 21st Amendment.
• The Hell Firefighter cartoon is produced.

Unknown Year

The Hell's Kitchen cartoon is produced in the early 1930s.

1934

• On February 18, the Fleas and Z's comic strip is published.
• On May 18, the Nothing is Free comic strip is published.
• On June 16, the Three for One comic strip is published.
• On August 10, the The Money will roll right in comic strip is published.
• On November 20, the Poor Yorick comic strip is published.
• On December 5, the Graduation Day comic strip is published.

in December, the Bendy and Boris dolls are made and sold in stores by Heavenly Toys.

• The Snow Sillies cartoon is produced.

1935

• On March 10, the Pie and the Sky comic strip is published.
• On May 11, the Opposites Attract comic strip is published.
• On May 13, the final known comic strip, Automo-steal is published.
• On June 16, Sammy Lawrence records his personal struggle concerning his extremely tight schedule, which is stored within the archives.
• The The Butcher Gang cartoon, where Charley, Barley, and Edgar premiere, is produced.
• The Tasty Trio Troubles cartoon is produced.

1936- 1939

1936

• The first known proper Bendy comic book, "To the Moon! Or, Not everyone's a fan of good comedy" is published.

1937

• The Nightmare Faire cartoon is produced.

1939

• Bertrum Piedmont is interviewed for an article on the World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York.
• On September 1, the global war, World War II, has begun.

1940

• Joey Drew sees a newspaper article on the decline of amusement park attendees, and it inspires him to create Bendyland and seek out Bertrum Piedmont.
• Joey and Bertrum meet up for lunch and discuss Bendyland, and Bertrum ultimately agrees to help out, exiting retirement.
• The construction for the Bendyland amusement park begins, under the supervision of Bertrum.
• On May 19, Bertrum records his objections to Joey Drew's criticisms concerning his Bendyland creative effort, which is stored within the archives.
• The comic book Alice the Aviator! Or, Give them Heck, Angel!" is published.
• The "Employee of the Month" initiative at Joey Drew Studios is established.

1941- 1942

1941

• The comic book Construction Corruption, as well as the cartoon of which it was based upon, are published and produced, respectively.

1942

• Daniel "Buddy" Lewek's father dies during World War II as a soldier.
• The Illusion of Living is published.

Unknown Year

• Somewhere on the early years after the Americans enter World War II on December 7, 1941, Joey Drew Studios re-releases almost all of their Bendy cartoons to promote war bonds.
• The head of the Art Department, Mr. Morris, is overseas and Abby Lambert takes his place.

1943

• In October, Jack Fain and Sammy Lawrence win an award for one of their Bendy songs (albeit with Joey Drew taking the credit for it).
• On November 12, Thomas Connor records his initial impression concerning Joey Drew's hiring him, which is stored within the archives.
• On November 16/17, Joey Drew meets with Thomas Connor to ratify the partnership between their respective companies.
• On November 18, Jack Fain records his account of his eavesdropping on Joey Drew speaking with Thomas Connor, which is stored within the archives.

1944- 1945

1944

• On June 23, Bertrum Piedmont purchases a massive amount of steel from the McArthur Steel Co.
• Spanning from July 1 to August 1, Joey Drew Studios begins to experience financial troubles, due to excessive spending on Joey Drew's part.

1945

• On September 2, World War II has ended.

1946

• The main setting for the Dreams Come to Life novel.
  • In late July, Daniel "Buddy" Lewek is hired to work as a gofer/apprentice in the Art Department of Joey Drew Studios, and that same day Buddy's grandfather moves to New York from Poland to live with him.
  • On Buddy's first day, an ink pipe in the music sheet closet bursts and Sammy Lawrence is covered in ink, which Buddy helps clear off his face.
  • A few weeks later, Buddy sneaks into the music sheet closet to steal some ink and paper, and he overhears an argument between Thomas Connor and Sammy over Sammy sneaking around the Ink Machine and asking Gent workers where the ink is kept.
  • Buddy conceives the idea of Giddyup, Bendy!, based on a script written by Dot, which later culminates in the production of a cartoon based on this concept, entitled "Giddyup, Bendy", as well as the publication of a coinciding promotional comic, which is also the final known Bendy comic book.
  • On Buddy's fourth week, he stays late to practice drawing perspectives and hears banging and moaning, ultimately leading him to find and unleash Ink Bendy.
  • The next day, Buddy and Dot investigate the Music Department, where Buddy finds Sammy's disturbing sketches and Dot finds a supply closet full of empty ink bottles.
  • A day later, Sammy storms into the Art Department demanding ink bottles and Joey takes Buddy out to buy tuxedos for an upcoming party.
  • Two weeks later, in early September, Sammy mysteriously disappears and the musicians are locked out of the Music Room.
  • Three days later, Thomas is fired after an argument with Joey over Ink Bendy and the Ink Machine.
  • A week after the Music Room lock-out, the studio is closed down for two days after the Music Department is vandalized.
  • Buddy and Dot break into the studio and are hunted down by Ink Bendy, who kills a violinist, but they are soon saved by Norman Polk.
  • Friday of that week, Joey hosts a company party to unveil Bendyland and the purchase of the Court Theater, which Joey Drew Studios will own the following day.
  • Thomas and Allison Pendle arrive at the party to demand the Ink Machine back, but Joey refuses and fires Allison for siding with Thomas.
  • Dot, Jacob, Richie, and Buddy an hour later, break into the studio and discovers Sammy has descended into insanity as the result of ingesting ink on the first day Buddy met him, and consuming excessive amounts of ink from ink bottles has transformed him.
  • Buddy and Dot go into the Court Theater to rescue Jacob and there they also find the deceased Dave and Norman, along with the Ink Machine.
  • Buddy is brutally murdered by Beast Bendy during a fight at the Court Theater and resurrected by Joey as Buddy Boris, who assaults Joey for trying to make him give into his cartoon persona and retreats into the studio.
• Allison is rehired immediately after being fired.
• The main setting for The Lost Ones novel.
  • Wally Franks, on a mid-October night, comes across the now rehired Thomas Connor, who is in the process of moving the Ink Machine out of Joey Drew Studios in order to fix it.
  • On a Tuesday morning in mid-October, multiple disasters threaten the shooting of a tourist film being produced by Emmett Chambers, but Bill Chambers, Constance Gray, and Brant Morris are able to step in and fix each problem.

Later that afternoon, Brant convinces Mr. Clark to let him write an article for their newspaper, and Brant decides to befriend Bill to write about his father's corruption in Atlantic City.

• That night, through different circumstances, Bill, Constance, and Brant find themselves dragged into the Rose Club when a blackout occurs, and while Brant leads Bill to the fuse box, Constance drags Andrew to the Boardwalk, where she spots a ship.
• Thomas and a few movers carry a create containing the Ink Machine and seemingly Ink Bendy down into an old factory from Prohibition days, which Scott found.
• The next day, Bill, Constance, and Brant finally meet each other after Bill invites the two to attend a small screening of his father's footage.
• Later that afternoon, Bill accepts a job offer from Scott, and he's taken to the Jive Dive to meet Thomas to confirm his job at Gent.
• Just over two weeks later, with Scott at home caring for his ill baby, Thomas approaches Bill and shows him the Ink Machine, and in the process of fixing it Bill accidently has some ink sprayed on him.
• A few weeks later, Bill approaches Constance and decides to show her the Ink Machine, with Brant following from the shadows until eventually joining them once they reach the machine.
• They open a large icebox after hearing banging from it and unleash Ink Bendy, who attacks Bill before lashing at the Ink Machine in order to reactivate it, and Brant is consumed by the flowing ink as the machine explodes, spraying Constance and Bill in ink and leaving an inky puddle which retreats back into the factory.
• Once the two return home, Bill is overwhelmed by fear and bangs his head into a wall to knock himself out while Constance aggressively attempts to remove the ink stains from her dress before using her chemistry set to experiment with the ink.
• The next day, Bill is forced to attend a dinner party with his father, and while he's getting ready an inky figure stalks him, leaving an ink puddle on his floor.
• At the dinner party, Bill comes across Allison Pendle and Joey Drew, who explains that Bertrum Piedmont had recommended he get in contact with Bill's father while he was in New Jersey.
• Meanwhile, while Constance is experimenting with the ink, she hears sobbing and is grabbed by an unseen figure which vanishes, leaving a black handprint on her wrist.
• The next morning, Bill joins Joey and Thomas as they take another secret path to the Ink Machine, but Bill refuses to go farther after a crazed, ink-covered Scott jumps at him and screams about a monster before running into a wall and knocking himself out.
• After finding the black beetle she took the day prior dead following her experiments with the ink, Constance concludes that contact with the ink enhances deeper emotions and feelings with whatever it makes contact with.
• That afternoon, Bill and Andrew arrive at Constance's apartment, and after a fight between Andrew and Constance, Bill and Constance talk about what they've discovered about the machine and the ink.
• Constance has developed a cure for the ink and the mysterious ink figure returns and takes it, revealing itself to be Brant, and the three decide they need to destroy the Ink Machine before it gets shipped back to New York.
• That night Bill leads the trio to the Ink Machine and when they get there Constance rushes over and attacks the machine causing a leak, but Bill gains the courage to take apart the machine properly, and he manages to take out a chrome pipe before happily allowing the ink to consume him right as Ink Bendy lunges at him.
• While Ink Bendy escapes through the open entrance, Brant gets cut and notices his blood is actually ink, but instead of telling Constance that the cure is temporary he instead hands the parts over to her while he sacrifices himself in order to keep Ink Bendy back.
• Constance nearly falls into a deep cavern, but is saved by Buddy Boris who quickly retreats into the studio, and after disposing of the Ink Machine parts the crazed Scott returns but refuses to join Constance as she jumps into a small body of water to escape the factory.
• Brant makes it back to the Ink Machine and is too weak to fight, but before Ink Bendy can do any more harm, Bill, who is now an ink figure, lunges at him and lures him into the room, acting as a distraction so Brant can close the door before allowing himself to let go.
• Constance washes up on a rocky beach near a highway, and after a few minutes of walking a car heading for Atlantic City stops and offers her a ride, and she gets in only to realize the driver is Scott and the other passenger is Joey.

• The investigation for financial troubles in Joey Drew Studios begins, culminating in the World Herald publishing an article concerning the investigation itself.
• Several former employees of the studio report citations of Joey Drew's unethical business practices to the general public.

1947- 1948

• On September 25, 1947, the New York World-Telegram publishes the article Joey Drew Studios In Dire Straights.
• On July 29, 1948, the New York World-Telegram publishes article Bendy Goes Bankrupt.

1950s

1952

• On February 23, at the time of 2:30 PM, Allison Pendle and Thomas Connor are married.

1959

• On August 15, at the time of 9:30 AM, Joey Drew Studios receives a bankruptcy report from Snooks, Spitner and Snooks.
• On August 28, Joey Drew Studios is defunct due to bankruptcies, legal issues, and health/safety concerns, in accordance with bylaw 11 U.S Code § 1125 (Id est: the prohibition of the misrepresentation of legally established companies), as well as the repercussions of the citations of previous employees years earlier.

1963

• The main setting for Bendy and the Ink Machine and Boris and the Dark Survival.
  • Sometime before Henry Stein revisits the studio, Buddy Boris gathers multiple supplies while visiting other levels of the studio, all while avoiding the various hostile inhabitants such as Ink Bendy and the Projectionist. This event shown in Boris and the Dark Survival.
  • Buddy Boris assembles a haphazard mural fashioned from torn fragments from theatrical posters that previously promoted the Bendy Cartoons.
  • Buddy Boris discovers a hidden Pachinko machine, which is rigged to hide an audio log left behind by Joey Drew, intended for Nathan Arch, as well as a series of tapes from "Milla Legna", who is later revealed to be Twisted Alice, whom the former accidentally releases simply by buying into her deception.
  • Buddy Boris discovers a series of padlocked crates, and later unlocks them with the corresponding keys, only to accidentally release Piper, Fisher, and Striker.
  • Buddy Boris discovers a series of candles whilst exploring the studio, and ends up summoning Sammy Lawrence, who uses a series of instruments to reveal a hidden Audio Log from an unknown individual (see below).
  • 30 years later on hiatus, in August, Henry Stein revisits Joey Drew Studios after receiving a note from Joey Drew and ends up stuck in an endless loop as revealed at the end of Chapter 5.

1972

• Nathan Arch, with the aid of his fellow workers at Archgate Films(who also happen to be Bendy fans), archive the surviving Bendy comics, culminating in the publication of a collection of these comics.
• The Illusion of Living is re-released by Nathan with new footnotes from him.

Unknown Decade

• Joey moves into a Greenwich Village apartment building and begins to use the nickname Joey.
• The comic book Papa Pluto's Pitchfork! Or, Don't Trust Imps Bearing Gifts is published.
• The comic book Yukon Bendy! Or, How the North Was Lost is published.
• The comic book Souper Boris! Or, The World's Wiliest Wolf is published.
• Bertrum Piedmont retires.
• Bendy Land is open to the general public in the Meadowlands of southern New Jersey.
• Wally Franks retires from Joey Drew Studios, and moves with his family to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he founds Franks Handyman Service.
• Archgate Films is founded.
• Allison Pendle joins Archgate Films.
• On April 14, an unknown character haphazardly splices together an audio log made from snippets from audio logs by Joey Drew, Wally Franks, Susie Campbell, Sammy Lawrence, Thomas Connor, Bertrum Piedmont, and Jack Fain, with the intent of spreading a message that something terrible would happen that he is excited about.