Hello Crafties!
A fictional parody YouTube channel (spun-off of DanAndPhilGAMES) created by Dan and Phil that first launched on April Fools' Day in 2015, showcasing a glimpses of an alternate reality where an almost robot-like Dan and Phil make strange arts and crafts-related videos that seem mostly innocent at first, but become more unsettling with each video and addition to the lore, as the crafts increasingly turn into horrific ritual practices. Originally a trilogy consisting of Squareflakes, Glitter Faces, and Potato Prints (the latter two uploaded in 2016 and 2017), the channel verged directly into horror short film territory upon its surprise return with Slime in 2024.
Videos
- Squareflakes (2015)
- Glitter Faces (2016)
- Potato Prints (2017)
- Slime (2024)
Tropes include:
- Ambiguous Situation: Slime especially raises more questions than it answers:
- Crafts Dan and Phil used to wear normal clothes, why are they now wearing matching plain grey t-shirts? What happened? Where are they?
- How conscious is Phil of what is about to happen to him, and how much free will does he have? He suggests he is a willing participant and helps Dan prepare the sacrifice without hesitation, even handing Dan the knife, but then he screams "NO!" when Dan goes to perform it.
- Speaking of, what exactly happened to Phil after Potato Prints? Phil claims he was "in a box", and a flashback of him unconscious is shown, implying he died and was reanimated, or maybe that he was locked up. But what exactly happened and what effect did it have on him?
- Analog Horror: The second half of Slime, which is shot on location at a shed (either in a forest or park), is shot this way. At some points, the camera is moving around; at others, it has been stationed in a particular spot. The original trilogy already had a Deliberate VHS Quality.
- Bloody Handprint: One appears on Dan's shirt in the camera shot of him exiting the room he entered with a knife.
- British Brevity: There are (currently) only four short videos — Squareflakes, Glitter Faces, Potato Prints, and Slime — on the channel, with a year-long gap between the original three videos and seven years until the next one. The first two clock in at under 5 minutes, the third under 10, and fourth under 15.
- Call-Back: In Slime, as Dan and Phil begin their ritual upon nightfall, they offer up a squareflake, a bag of glitter, and a potato with the number 6 embossed and painted red. The red slime also loosely resembles snokoplasm.
- Character Catchphrase: "Don't cry, craft!" and "Protip". The former doubles for an Ascended Meme, as the phrase would eventually be put on a t-shirt.
- Darker and Edgier: Squareflakes, the original entry in the series, is odd but mostly a harmless parody with ironically amateur footage and editing. The first hint of something more sinister comes in Glitter Faces, when Dan inadvertently draws a pentagram. The pair have a brief moment of panic but brush it off. Potato Prints swiftly turns into a ritual, and it's unlikely anyone in 2017 could've predicted the channel would take it up to eleven with a short horror film in 2024.
- Fan Community Nickname: This version of Dan and Phil call their fans Crafties.
- Gory Discretion Shot: The most violent parts of Slime have jump-cuts or otherwise limited visibility.
- Laughing Mad: Dan and Phil conclude their squareflake-making with maniacal laughter that goes on for about 15 seconds.
- Number of the Beast: Potato Prints ends with Dan using the embossed potatoes to paint 6s on Phil's hands and forehead as a summoning ritual.
- Parallel Universe: Crafts Dan and Phil claim to upload videos twice every single day, but evidently only a few have crossed over and are available to view in the real world, which is probably a good thing. That said, it seems the channel was inactive in the Crafts world while Phil was "in a box" and "they" tried to stop them.
- Satanic Panic: The opening shot of Slime is a heavily redacted British government document that hints at the DanAndPhilCRAFTS channel getting in trouble. That said, the concern is not entirely unfounded.
- Silence Is Golden: The second half of Slime, where things get really freaky, has almost no dialogue, with mostly the sounds of movement and the nature/creaky house around them.
- Splash of Colour: The end scene of Potato Prints turns black and white, except for the red paint.
- Tarot Motifs: The closing tableau of Slime (which would become a design on a t-shirt, further corroborating this interpretation) strongly resembles The Devil card in Tarot, with Dan and Phil holding hands and a demon behind them.
