Kickstarter Backer Characters, or just Backer Characters, are a large group of characters created for the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Kickstarter Rewards.
Although some of these backer characters made it into the original game, most Kickstarter Backer Characters were included in the Weird Autumn update to Night in the Woods.
Background[]
Because of the massive number of Backers who backed these Kickstarter Rewards, we're unsure how many actually made it into the game itself. It's assumed that at least 27 individuals[1] backed these rewards.
19 backer characters appear to have actually been added into the game (This number may be incorrect, as many supporting characters in this game may be Kickstarter Characters), 18 of which are only known as backers due to their backer character's sprites being named after the backer, and one of which only known as "Pumpkin Head Guy". Pumpkin Head Guy is likely the Kickstarter backer who backed the 12th reward, the reward being: "The in-game band will sing a song about a character based on [you]."
After the sudden passing away of Alec Holowka, co-creator to Night in the Woods, it is unlikely that any further updates will add the rest of the Kickstarter Backer's characters.
Located below is a list of every known Kickstarter Backer Character, a brief description of their appearance, as well as their rolls in-game (if any):
Pumpkin Head Guy[]
"*mmf**mmfmmffmffff*" - Pumpkin Head Guy
Pumpkin Head Guy is the sole backer of the 12th Kickstarter reward that cost $2K. His character is the inspiration for the song with the same name, Pumpkin Head Guy, that the band play on day 8.
He is (presumably) a black cat that Mae can interact with during part 2's Harfest celebration. He can be found in the Trolley Tunnel alone, wearing jack-o-lantern pumpkin head and black cloak for a Harfest costume. Underneath his costume, he is seen wearing a striped black and white shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes.
Because of the jack-o-lantern on his head, his dialogue comes out as muffled, although Mae appears to understand what he says.
Their design can also be seen during the "Pumpkin Head Guy" band practice mini-game.
CJ[]
"You know, we don’t really learn this kinda stuff in law school." -CeeJay
You can read more about CJ in his own fandom page here.
CJ, also known as CeeJay, is a character who appears in front of the second opening of the trolley tunnel in Act 2. He is based on the Kickstarter backer CJtheOtter[2].
He is a tall and slightly chubby otter with a brown and cream face, a patch of brown fur at the top of his head. He's seen wearing a black sweater with a green DND-esque shirt, green pants and brown shoes. His right hand is in his black sweater.
He has a husband and has a job as a lawyer. He was in high school when Mae was in middle school and he used to play "nerd games" with his friend Tom Bramwell across the street from her house.
Shane "Wags" Wegner[]
"You know, I don’t want to intrude"..."but if you’re someone who’s maybe lacking a bit of direction...? That’s what brings a lot of folks to the navy." - Shane Wegner
Shane "Wags" Wegner is a character that appears in front of the 1065 Building that houses Pastabilities, along with his enlisting booth, in act 1, day 3. It is unknown which Kickstarter reward he backed.
He is a grey-blue male canine seen wearing a formal dirty-yellow navy uniform. Judging by the badges on his uniform, he's worked as a part of the U.S. navy in multiple different countries.
Shane is a Navy enlister that Mae runs into on her way to band practice. Due to him being an enlister, he tries to get Mae to sign up to become a part of the Navy, although Mae is less than interested in actually doing so, depending on the player's choices in their conversation.
Shane insinuates that he thinks Mae might be a bit aimless right now, and because of that, her joining the navy would make for a great direction in her life, although Mae disagrees. Before Shane can further manipulate her into signing up, she cuts the conversation short.
Ilya Sobin[]
"I’m hiking the Great Eastern Deciduous Trail." - Ilya Sobin
Ilya Sobin is a brown fox that appears in front of the Snack Flacon in act 2, day 2. It is unknown which Kickstarter reward he backed.
He is a male brown fox with blue eyes, wearing a dark green hat with the number 27 on it, a low collared light blue over-shirt, and a white long-sleeved under-shirt. His pants are yellow-beige, and are tucked into brown hiking boots. On his back is a large camo green backpack with two red straps slung over his shoulders, with a metal water-bottle hanging from it
Ilya is native to Russia, and as such speaks with a Russian accent.
He is touring the States' Great Eastern Deciduous Trail. He briefly pauses his long journey at Possum Springs to restock at the now defunct park store that got replaced by the Snack Falcon, where he runs into Mae.
Mae's conversation with Ilya Sobin is brief. Ilya asks her where the now defunct park store is, Mae tells him it no longer exists, and has been replaced by the Snack Falcon. She mentions his unique accent, and he says he's from Russia. Ilya and Mae have a small conversation about his hike, and when he asks her where he can restock on non-perishables, Mae motions towards the Snack Falcon.
Ilya thanks Mae in Russian, and the two part.
Liz Chandler[]
"I used to lay awake at night, worried that statue would come to life, and climb in my window." - Liz Chandler
Liz Chandler is a female deer that appears on the rooftop of the Santello Apartment complex. It is unknown which Kickstarter Reward she backed.
She is a brown female deer who is much older than Mae, with black prescription glasses, a pink nose, and tufts of hair both on her head and cheeks. She is wearing a grey-blue vertical-striped sweater, a vibrant red scarf, blue pants, and black boots.
Liz Chandler visits Possum Springs, having moved away for a higher education years ago, and runs into Mae on top of her old apartment building. She, like many adults older than Mae, mistakes her for being a child, but quickly apologizes when Mae corrects her. She reminisces about living in the apartment building they're standing on, about how the statue just outside of her bedroom window would scare her every night. When comparing Possum Springs to her current residence, Liz thinks her childhood town is "alright".
Mae mentions her room being in her houses' attic, how no one would possibly get to her bedroom window, not even "vampires or warlocks or skeleton men." The conversation ends shortly after, both of them glad the conversation occured.
Dmitry Gavriluk[]
"Oh wow are you the kid that killed a bird with her mace?" - Dmitry Gavriluk
Dmitry Gavriluk is a brown deer that appears in front of the run-down Husker Bee Ballroom in Act 3, day 2. It is unknown which Kickstarter Reward he backed.
He is a male brown deer with dark purple eyes and navy blue antlers, wearing a green shirt with a pixelated blue bomb design underneath a dark grey zipper sweater. He has blue jeans on and brown shoes.
Dmitry visits Possum Springs to demo an infrastructure and municipal services management to the Town Council, to help manage with snow plows, broken hydrants, etc., although he can't seem to find their office building. He runs into Mae who mistakes him for one of Gregg's cousins.
The two have a short conversation about how frustrating it can be for small and insular communities, like Possum Springs, to be afraid of change that may help them in the long run. Mae thinks he's too into his job, and asks if he has a plan to make minimum wage jobs less boring, to which Dmitry says it'll all soon be run by robots. Mae agrees.
She finally recognizes Dmitry as Donna's cousin. Donna used to babysit Mae when she was 9, and they both reminisce about a time Mae accidentally kills Donna's bird with her mace. The two end the conversation on a high note, and part ways.
- Dmitry is the only kickstarter backer character to be related to a non kickstarter character, that being Donna (The Grey Canine in front of the Telezoft Building).
Kevin Clark[]
"We got like the same shirt! But like opposites!" - Kevin Clark
Kevin Clark is a brown fox that appears in front of Video Outpost "Too" in Act 2, day 1. It is unknown which Kickstarter Reward he backed.
He is a male brown fox with dark brown hair that partially covers their face, a dark brown mustache and beard, yellow rectangular glasses, wearing a black shirt with a beige O shape design, blue jeans, and black shoes. He is always seen smiling.
He runs into Mae on her way to hang out with either Gregg or Bea, and notes that their shirts are very similar, but opposites at the same time. He mentions that his shirt design is a "Secret Symbol of God’s Wrestling League", aka backyard wrestling. Mae is almost immediately intrigued, asking where she can partake in these wrestling matches.
Kevin says she can find them all throughout the country, just in people's backyards. She asks why she hasn't heard of this until now, and he explains that it's probably because it's illegal, and that people have been seriously injured. Mae of course finds this awesome, and ends the conversation by saying she'll look it up.
Ryan Branch[]
"Noted." - Ryan Branch
Ryan Branch is a llama or a camel that appears on the rooftop of the 1065 building that houses Pastabilities. It is unknown what Kickstarter reward he backed.
He is either a male llama, or a male camel with blue eyes, dark brown fur that covers the majority of his body except for his face, which is covered in light-tan fur, and a dark brown goatee. He wears a grey sweater with a minimalist M/leaf design, a collared blue shirt underneath, dark blue pants, and dark orange shoes.
Mae runs into him on top of the rooftop, and almost immediately worries for his safety, despite her also being on the rooftop. Ryan says he's trying to get a better view of town centre so he can draw a more accurate map. Confused at the prospect of wanting to create an already made map, Mae says to just look up a map, but he explains that he enjoys re-creating maps from scratch.
If the player went ghost hunting with Gregg prior to this interaction, Mae mentions that there's a huge map at the Shreigeist House, Ryan seems intrigued. She also mentions about the "ghost" sightings, the weird goat painting, and to not go at night. He only replies with "noted".
Mae tells him to be careful, and that if he falls off the roof, don't come crying to her. He ends the conversation with "I probably won’t be saying anything".
Michelle Czajkowski[]
“The wise kitten focuses not on that which is lost but on all that remains.” - Michelle Czajkowski
Michelle is a tabby cat that appears in Jackie's College Town party both Bea and Mae go to, and as such, only appears if Mae hangs out with Bea every chance the player gets. They appear to be based on the Kickstarter backer @avasdemon / Michelle Czajkowski, creator of Ava's Demon.
They're a grey tabby cat with brown eyes, wearing perhaps one of the most complex outfit in the game; a dark purple dress with black long sleeves, a brighter purple collar, cuffs, and a symmetrical zombie cat, leaves, and triangles design on either side of it's opening flap. Below the over-dress is another bright pink dress, with neon purple pants, and black boots.
Michelle can be seen leaning against the back-most wall of the party, to the right of Bombshell. Their interaction with Mae is short, yet impactful. They whistle Mae over, and quote a poem they likely created. Mae is taken aback, thanks Michelle for their "sage wisdom", and heads back into the party.
- Since Michelle Czajkowski (the kickstarter backer) is non-binary, this makes Michelle Czajkowski (the character) the only confirmed non-binary character.[3]
Garret Randell[]
I'm from Canada. I have to apologize. - Garret Randell
Garret Randell is a lizard that appears in front of Video Outpost "Too" in the epilogue. It is unknown which Kickstarter Reward he backed. He is the final chronological kickstarter backer character in the game.
He is a green male lizard with blue eyes, wearing a red plaid button-up shirt, blue denim jeans, and red shoes.
Garret is native to Canada, but currently lives in Possum Springs. He bumps into Mae in the epilogue, on her way to band practice. The two reminisce about fall ending, and he teaches Mae how he likes to "chill out" during the cooler months of the year, which Mae replicates. She can either find it cooling her off, or not, although both interactions end the same way. He mentions how his favorite thing to do during winter time is to get hot coffee / cocoa during a cold day, and relax in his apartment.
The two end their conversation rather abruptly, with Garret making a joke about him having to apologize since he's Canadian, and Mae telling him her blood ran out of her arms.
Katherine Prevost, Kelly Turnbull, Jessica Murphy and Joanie Rich[]
Katherine Prevost, Kelly Turnbull, Jessica Murphy and Joanie Rich are four Backer characters that only appear during the Harfest festival on Act 2, day 4. It is unknown which Kickstarter Reward they backed.
Their appearances (from left to right):
Katherine Prevost is a female black crow with light blue eyes with black mascara underneath, a bright yellow beak, wearing a grey sweater and beige collared shirt underneath, as well as black pants and shoes. She can be seen flicking through their phone with a bored expression, next to the rest of the backers who only appear during the Harfest festival.
Kelly Turnbull is a red boar of unknown gender (despite the feminine name), with dark-blue-grey eyes, a nose piercing and frizzy black mohawk hair. She can be seen wearing a leather jacket, dark-blue denim jeans, and black boots. Resting in their arm is a black biker's helmet. They have what appears to be a slightly angry / aggressive expression, and can be seen next to the rest of the backers.
Jessica Murphy is a female orange tabby cat with black eyes, wearing a deep purple sweater over what appears to be a blue UrRevolution "Droner" shirt, a dark-blue denim pair of pants, and neon yellow-green shoes. She can be seen next to the rest of the backers.
Joanie Rich is a female black bird, who's species is similar to Germ's, with red eyes and a bright yellow beak. She is seen wearing a white lumpy hat, an orange shirt with a pixelated lightbulb design, blue pants, and red-brown shoes. She can be seen next to the rest of the backers.
None of these Backer Characters have any dialogue, and as such, are used as background characters to fill in the crowd at the Harfest Festival.
Daniel Pennycook and Anderson Ekermo[]
Daniel Pennycook and Anderson Ekermo are two Backer characters that only appear in Jackie's College Town party both Bea and Mae go to, and as such, only appears if Mae hangs out with Bea every chance the player gets. It is unknown which Kickstarter Reward they backed.
They are both seen having an unheard conversation, in a group with two unnamed and faceless canine and peacock party-goers.
Their appearances (from left to right):
Daniel Pennycook is a brown male owl with one of the most unique designs in this game; bright neon hair, salor mustache, and goate under his yellow beak, as well as a black pair of prescription glasses. He wears a grey shirt with an ace design in the middle, blue pants, and black shoes. He is seen in a crowd of faceless party-goers, next to his fellow backer character.
Unique to Daniel Pennycook, he is the only male character to also feature a non-conforming, non-natural hair color.
Anderson Ekermo is a brown cat with black eyes, wearing a black top-hat, a navy blue dress vest overtop a blue collared dress-shirt. his pants are black, and his shoes are brown, the same color as his fur. He is also seen in a crowd of faceless party-goers, next to his fellow backer character.
Neither of these Backer Characters have any new or unique dialogue, and as such, are used as background characters to fill in the crowd of party-goers at Jackie's college party.
Adia Al Gadhi, Anderson Pich, and Matthew Myles[]
Adia Al Gadhi, Anderson Pich, and Matthew Myles are three Backer characters that appear throughout Possum Springs at various acts and days. It is unknown which Kickstarter Reward they backed.
These characters are not seen together, but because they all of no dialogue, or interact-ability, they have all been lumped together for ease of mind.
Their appearances (from left to right):
Adia Al Gadhi is a pastel cream colored female bunny, with red-brown eyes and a purple nose. She wears an orange dress / skirt combo, with puffed-up short sleeves, a white coller, and a lighter orange hem waist-level. Adia wears no pants, and has bright green dress-shoes.
Although she can't be interacted with, Adia is seen standing on the front steps of the Harley Household's townhouse. It is unknown if she lives in said townhouse, or if she is just a visitor.
Anderson Pich is a grey North American Virginia opossum, with brown eyes, curled brown hair and goatee, as well as a black beanie covering most of his hair. He wears a blue-grey zipper vest-sweater overtop a long-sleeved, black and white adjacent striped shirt. His pants are blue, and shoes are white.
Matthew Myles is a brown Beaver with dark-brown / chocolate colored hair, black eyes, and buck teeth. He wears a black shirt with an owl design in the middle, blue pants, and white shoes.
Although Mae can see these characters, they cannot be interacted with in any way, and as such, have no new or unique dialogue that comes with them.
References[]
- ↑ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1307515311/night-in-the-woods
- ↑ https://www.furaffinity.net/view/23907385/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/avasdemon?lang=en ( "Ava's Demon is a scifi webcomic made by Michelle Fus, who posts art here sometimes, too. They/Them | Rep'd by @Skybound | http://twitch.tv/tiny_paint" )