In September 2022, El Observador reported that seven children at a school in Uruguay played a game based on Poppy Playtime that instructed them to commit self-harm using pencil sharpeners, with two being hospitalized as a result. [50] The president of the Institute of Children and Adolescents of Uruguay, Pablo Abdala, states that the incident "confirms that technological development entails a very severe risk". [51] Spin-off Project: Playtime Hoekstra, Kenn (September 25, 2021). "Horror Puzzle Game 'Poppy Playtime' Releasing First Chapter Soon". PopHorror . Retrieved March 18, 2022. Lane, Amaya (November 24, 2022). "Project: Playtime Trailer Reveals First Look At Terrifying New Monster". Screen Rant . Retrieved November 24, 2022. The first chapter was released on Steam for Microsoft Windows on October 12, and later for Android and iOS on March 11, 2022. [12] After the first chapter's release, official merchandise of the game began being released, including T-shirts, posters and plush toys, [13] [14] [15] as well as official collectibles produced by Youtooz. [16]

Bunn, Glenn (December 7, 2022). "Project: Playtime Misses Release Day Due To Server Issues". Screen Rant . Retrieved December 7, 2022. a b Lane, Amaya (March 30, 2022). "New Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 Teaser Hides Secret Message". Screen Rant . Retrieved March 31, 2022. Barmeier, Elizabeth (October 30, 2021). "St. Louis animation company debuts horror video game". FOX2now. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021 . Retrieved October 30, 2021.

Bunn, Glenn (May 6, 2022). "Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 Ending Is "Traumatizing" Players". Screen Rant . Retrieved May 6, 2022. a b c Liles, Jordan (April 6, 2022). "Huggy Wuggy Police Warning Prompts Misleading Rumors About TikTok and YouTube Kids". Snopes . Retrieved April 7, 2022. Around Poppy Playtime 's release, developer Ekrcoaster claimed that Mob Entertainment plagiarized his game Venge. In the aforementioned statement, Belanger denied the allegations, stating that there was no intent to plagiarize. [41] [42]

Wilcox, Matthew (March 11, 2022). "Poppy Playtime Mobile Is Now Available On iOS and Android". Screen Rant . Retrieved March 14, 2022. Poppy Playtime was nominated for the "Most Stream-friendly Game" award at the 2022 Indie Live Expo Awards [ ja] in Japan. [37] Controversy Freidly, Damien (February 27, 2022). "More Poppy Playtime Chapters Could Take Players Outdoors". Screen Rant . Retrieved March 19, 2022.

Feliciani, John (March 20, 2022). "Is Poppy Playtime Free To Play". Screen Rant . Retrieved March 20, 2022. Tornabene, Juliana (April 7, 2022). " 'Huggy Wuggy'-inspired videos brings on warning from Lafayette Co. officials". WMTV . Retrieved April 9, 2022. Newell, Suki (April 9, 2022). "Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 Needs A Monster As Good As Huggy Wuggy". Screen Rant . Retrieved April 9, 2022. Freidly, Damien (November 2, 2021). "Poppy Playtime: How To Find Every VHS Tape". Screen Rant . Retrieved November 2, 2021.

Sant, Sam (October 14, 2021). "Is there a Poppy Playtime PS5, PS4, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch release date?". GameRevolution . Retrieved October 28, 2021. McNulty, Thomas (February 23, 2022). "Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2 Game Trailer Promises Even More Scares". Screen Rant . Retrieved February 23, 2022.a b Taylor, Magdalene J. (February 17, 2023). "The Terrifying Plushie Taking Over Gift Shops Everywhere". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved February 17, 2023.