The concept of The Sims is to build your own families and people, in order to control their lives and fate. You have complete control of the world around you, controlling the look of your sims, their houses, their careers and relationships. While you can start your own neighbourhood from the very beginning, the games contain several premade families with their own backstories and implied future destinies, giving you the chance to follow the implied path the EA has set out for them or go off script and make their lives your own original creation.
Hard-core Sims fans can recite the background of some families by heart, with certain characters being iconic to the franchise and others becoming key principles of the Sim worlds. In a game with so much implied, but with so many different ways players can take the stories, a seemly innocent Sim family can produce many, sometimes dark, fan theories. There are so many questions in The Sims that we can’t be sure of. Why did they move there? Where did she go? Why is that tree on the left side rather than the right? A lot can be dismissed as speculation, but we can never be sure what the creators were really trying to imply.
When you boil it down, The Sims is a rather creepy concept. Mindless zombies being controlled by some (evil?) overlord/lady/however the player self-identifies. So, it’s no surprise that dark thoughts can sometimes come from the players. It’s been made pretty clear over the years that the lives of our sims aren’t as innocent as they seem.
20 Taken By A Bad Man
Bella Goth is probably the most well-known pre-made Sim in the history of the game. Bella appears in all Sims games and is part of the original Goth family, along with her husband Mortimer and daughter Cassandra.
But when Sims 2 came along, Bella was nowhere to be seen. Sometime during the 25 years between Sims and Sims 2 she was, according to Sim memories, abducted by aliens. Normally within the game, if a Sim is abducted by aliens, the aliens return the Sim after a few hours, so why didn’t they return Bella?
Well, according to some fans, it’s because they never took her!
According to the Pleasantview backstory, Bella Goth was last seen on the roof of Don Lothario’s condo, after rejecting “making out” with him. So, what if she was never abducted by aliens? What if Don was enraged by Bella’s reaction? No woman rejects Don Lothario! So he took her and kept her hostage, telling her family that he saw her abducted by aliens. This theory gets very dark, but it makes sense in terms of story.
19 A Dance With Death
Nervous Subject is a character introduced into the Sims 2 in the new Strangetown neighbourhood. Nervous is an interesting subject, as he has very few memories of his childhood. He was taken away from his biological mother Olive Spector, despite them sharing no notable features, but is never technically “adopted.” He lives with Circe and Loki Beaker who use him as a subject for some of their horrible experiments.
Why wasn’t Nervous adopted? Maybe because he was a demon child! The only WooHoo Memory Olive has, despite her marriages, is with the Grim Reaper, meaning that Nervous Subject was most likely his son.
Due to being a creation of the underworld, Nervous scared away potential parents, and in order to get rid of this terrifying creation the Social Worker gave him away to the Beakers as an old teen (due to only being around four days younger than Circe).
18 One Messed Up Family
The Tricous are introduced in Sims 2: Nightlife as ghosts, the majority of the family being buried in Gothier Green Lawns, while teens Gvaudoin and Fricorith are buried in the back garden of House of Fallen Trees along with Rainelle Neengia, a young woman who lived in the house after the Tricous but died of fright.
But what happened to this tragic family?
One fan theory suggests that Jon Smith Tricou had one too many affairs, since he is the biological father of many of the townie teen sims downtown (although, let’s not think too much about the timeline). So, his wife Jennicor starved him to death in revenge. After killing her husband, Jennicor wanted to keep her daughters close, so trapped them in her house. After this, both daughters starved to death, as both them and Jon Smith appear blue in ghost form. Fearing that they will discover her secrets, Jennicor then started the fire that caused the deaths of her grandchildren, before starving herself to death. Fun, right?
17 The Bleak Future
Strangetown is primarily a Sims 2 neighbourhood, appearing in the PC game and the DS version. Although it is never confirmed, it is thought by fans that the desolate desert wasteland is the miserable future version of the town, after being invaded by aliens, or possibly blown up by one of the town scientists.
In the DS Strangetown, there is only a hotel, a bar, a convenience store, the town hall, and a jail, with no resemblance to the PC neighbourhood. Surrounding the town is a vast desert that becomes windy if you wander too far and in which your Sim will collapse if they spend too much time wondering around. The town is also constantly overtaken by goons, aliens, and evil robots. Implying that it is the future, returning characters Johnny Smith and Tank Grunt are now adults, appearing in the PC version as teens.
16 She’s The Worst
Mrs Crumplebottom is a recurring character in the Sims franchise. She first appeared in Sims Hot Date, returning later in Sims 2: Nightlife and as Agnes Crumplebottom in Sims 3, famous for beating Sims with her purse if they show too much affection in public. While Agnes is confirmed to be the Ms Crumplebottom in Hot Date, it is unknown who the Mrs Crumplebottom in Nightlife is. There are many fan theories about her identity, but one is heartbreaking.
One theory suggests that she is really Bella Goth. Bella is returned by the aliens many years after her disappearance to find that her brother is dead and her husband Mortimer has moved on. Brokenhearted, she moves downtown and takes on the persona of her husband’s aunt, continuing her hatred of romance. Possible evidence for this is that the skin tone of the Sims 2 Crumplebottom better matches Bella’s skin tone than that of Agnes.
15 This Is Why I Like Your Twin Sister Better
The Pleasant family were introduced in the original game, with parents Jeff and Diane, along with their children Lucy and Daniel. Although this family seems fairly happy, the futures of Lucy and Daniel aren’t so bright. In Sims 2, both children have married and have their own children. Daniel has twin daughters, Lilith and Angela.
For reasons that are never explained, Angela is favoured over Lilith. Angela learnt her toddler skills, while Lilith did not, and grew up well while Lilith grew up badly. She also has a computer in her room.
The origins for Lilith’s issues with her family is unknown, given that it seems to have begun very early, but as a result she has a negative relationship with her parents and sister. One theory is that Lilith was abused by Daniel from a very young age. When the twins were born, Mary-Sue focused on Angela and Daniel was in charge of Lilith. He looked after her poorly, leading her to be a fussier baby, especially compared to her angelic sister. This frustrated her parents, leading them to resent her. Lilith then got less attention, leading her to act out and her parents to excuse their abuse.
14 And They Were Roommates…
While many families in the original game are continued in the sequels, the Roomies family, Chris and Melissa are not. Why is never explained. They don’t appear in Pleasantview after the sims time skip in Sims 2 or even in Sunset Valley during the Sims 3 prequel. What happened to them? Why did they leave?
What if they never left?
One theory suggests that, due to a life of crime, the Roomies started a new life as the Caliente sisters! Changing their names and identity in order to slip by unnoticed. Why they decided to stay in the same neighbourhood rather than leave doesn’t really fit into the story, but as the Roomies disappeared when the Calientes appeared, one can’t help but wonder…
13 What Did They Do?
According to the Caliente’s family description, they appeared on the eve of Bella’s disappearance, implying that they had something to do with her abduction. For some reason, Nina and Dina (or Melissa and Chris?), had something against Bella and made it their goal to get rid of her. Maybe it was Dina’s interest in Mortimer and she wanted Bella out of the way? But Dina was married to Michael first, so maybe she sensed Bella getting in the way of her relationship with her brother?
For whatever reason, they did what they did, they turned up and Bella disappeared. Coincidence? Possibly. But maybe they killed her and hid her body underneath their hot tub! Maybe! Or, as some fans believe, the Calientes ARE the aliens and wanted to overthrow the Goth family and take over Pleasantview!
12 It’s Hard To Be A Teen Mom
The Broke family that appears in Sims 2 is a continuation of the Newbie family from the original game. Bradi is the daughter of Betty and Bob Newbie, who passed away before the beginning of Sims 2.
Brandi has had a hard life, currently an unemployed widowed mother of two boys and another on the way. But perhaps her story gets a little bit deeper…
Some fans have speculated that Brandi was actually a teen mother, as when you begin the game Brandi is twenty-two years old and her eldest son Dustin is a teen, twelve days away from being an adult. Therefore, if she had had Dustin as an adult, she would have been older. This is unlikely, as teen pregnancy is not available without hacks or mods, and Brandi has memories of having Dustin as an adult.
11 Even Sims Cheat Sometimes
Despite her husband dying in a “pool ladder accident,” when the game begins Brandi is pregnant with her third son. However, her memories state that her husband Skip died when she was pregnant with Beau. This might not be the case, as there is a picture of Brandi in labour next to Skip in the family album (although Skip could have gone for a swim after this photo was taken and died before labour was complete… unlikely but possible). Regardless, Beau is almost a child at the start of the game and Brandi is less than a day pregnant, therefore Skip could not possibly be the child’s father.
This has led to speculation that the child’s father is actually the son of the town Casanova, Don Lothario. When the child is born, he does not have blond hair like his brothers, but dark hair like his mother and Don! Bradi, obviously ashamed of getting close with Don, has convinced herself and the game that her late husband was the baby’s father.
10 Family Troubles Run Deep
The Grunt family’s problems are blatant from the moment they are introduced into the game. Dad and military man General Buzz is hard on all his sons, but cares more for his older, active teen son Tank, giving little attention to indoorsy, artsy Ripp. It’s clear that Ripp has family issues, having poor relationships with both his father and brother.
Fans speculate that this is much more vicious than just difference of opinion. It is likely that this relationship was much more abusive, given Ripp’s confessions in Sims 2 PSP. His dark secret is that he has a fear of toilets, “caused by one too many swirlies as a child.” His innocent victim secret is that his brother “beats him up regularly, even though they are both adults.” Fans have speculated, due to their poor relationship, that not only did General Buzz overlook this abuse, but joined in! Poor Ripp!
9 What Happened To Mrs Grunt?
Perhaps Ripp’s abuse is linked to the disappearance of his mother Lyla. Lyla left her husband before the game begins, when Tank and Ripp are children (possibly causing Ripp to grow up badly). But after she left, the family have no other interaction with her and appear to have no idea of her fate.
But the player can find the grave of Lyla in the back garden of one Olive Spector! Since her family have no memory of Lyla’s death, they are assumed to be unaware. If her death was just a terrible accident, then why weren’t her family informed? So, perhaps that Black Widow of Strangetown had a personal grudge against this particular neighbour and felt that it was better to take care of the situation. Or maybe Olive just fancied a killing that day!
8 Big Brother Is Always Watching
For those of you who don’t know, 1984 is a dystopian novel by George Orwell about a future where the population is oppressed by “Big Brother” (the government), so all actions, possessions, and even thoughts are monitored and controlled. Remind you of anything?
Although the Sims is a lot more bright and colourful than Airstrip One, with upbeat music in the background. But some fans believe that the two are connected. In this theory, The Sims is the distant future of 1984. All languages have developed into Simlish and at this point, all people have lost the ability to think and act for themselves. And Big Brother? The government, controlling the Sims and always watching over them. Check the mirror!
7 The Walking Dead
The chronological order of the Sims franchise goes Sims 3, Sims Original, and Sims 2, with Sims 4 believed by most to be some sort of spin-off from this timeline into an alternative universe. However, lots of characters featured in the third instalment were not part of the original world and some the appear in the original world are nowhere to be seen in either game (see the Roomies theory). So, what happened to the world?
Zombies have been present in all the Sims games, being deceased Sims that have been poorly resurrected. They play the biggest part in Sims 3: Supernatural, the seventh expansion pack and at the halfway point of the series. A zombie apocalypse after the events of the third game would explain the disappearance of some Sims, the early graves of others and the vastly different appearance of the neighbourhoods.
6 He Took A Little Too Much Elixir…
Michael Bachelor was one of the first Sim families in the original game, being portrayed as a young man just out of college, trying to make his way in the world. This implied that he was very young at the beginning of the Sims, likely being in his early twenties. However, after the twenty-five years pass between the original and Sims 2, Michael has already died of old age.
Michael married Dina Caliente before he died (being her first kiss when she was a teen!) and married her when he was an elder. But according to the timeline, he shouldn’t have been old enough to have died of old age. Fans of the game have speculated that his premature aging and death were the result of misuse of the Elixir of Life, resulting in losing days.
5 The Tragic Ghost
Everyone who has ever played the Sims knows that Tragic Clown! This clown is a NPC that first appeared in Livin’ Large. If you purchased his clown painting and then allow the motives of the household to decay, he will turn up at the house and stay there until the household’s mood improves. He was a very annoying NPC, as he mostly sat around the house weeping and could escape from boxed-in walls by dropping a hole in the floor! He appears as a ghost in the Sims 3 and a painting in Sims 4.
But if he’s a ghost in the third game, then that would mean…
Yep, that creepy clown that comes to haunt your house could well be the ghost of a poor clown that died in some presumably tragic circumstances. His death was most likely mysterious, as a missing poster of the clown can be seen on food boxes in Sims 2 and milk cartons in Sims 3.
4 Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Roads
Ever wonder how the Goths manage to be everywhere at once? How their ages change drastically throughout games? How their house seems more traditional than others in the game? Well, some Simmers have come to the conclusion that the Goths have mastered the art of time travel!
Time travel is canonical in the Sims, being introduced in Sims 3: Ambitions. So, perhaps the Goths figured it out long before anyone else. This is due to their gothic, Victorian style furniture, along with their preference for traditional forms of entertainment such as reading, rather than owning a television in the original game. It’s also noted that in Sims 4, they have a fire alarm system much more advanced than other citizens of the town, implying that they brought it back from the future. There is also a book in Sims 3 written by Alexander Goth, published decades before he was even born!
3 I Mean, It Does Have Her Name In It…
Time for another theory about what happened to Bella! Perhaps Bella wasn’t so happy with her life as a mother and wife? Perhaps she wanted more from life? So, she staged her abduction and took to the road.
Belladonna Cove is the last pre-made neighbourhood introduced in the Sims 2, included in the Apartment Life expansion pack. Not only is the neighbourhood literally called Belladonna Cove, there is a huge bronze statue of Bella Goth in the centre of the neighbourhood, holding a platinum Plumbob! The description of Belladonna Cove, mentions that Sims have come from all over to live in the neighbourhood, so we have no indication how old the neighbourhood could be. Maybe it was all built by Bella!
2 The Simtropolis Conundrum
With Sims 3 being the original neighbourhood in the timeline, it’s unknown what happened that lead to Pleasantview, as the original neighbourhood is Sunset Valley. Perhaps following on from the zombie apocalypse theory, how did things end up the way they did in Sims 2? Strangetown is mentioned in Sims 3, but only as a reference to starving children after wasting food. From this, we know that the town has a bleak past, and if the DS game is to be believed, a bleak future.
Because of this, Sunset Valley has been linked to the 1930s classic, Metropolis. The film portrays a dystopian future, where the rich live in a glorious aboveground city while the poor work long, unforgiving hours in the underground city to support the world above. The theory is that Sunset Valley plays the role of Metropolis, with Strangetown as their underground city (just not literally). It’s people enslaved and working machines to keep Sunset Valley up and running. In Sims 2, Strangetown has been freed and is its own town.
1 The Meltdown Of Natasha
Natasha Una is a memorable Sim, as she is the only premade Sim in the franchise to have the grilled cheese aspiration! This aspiration is simple: all the Sim wants is more grilled cheese!
Natasha is a resident of Desiderata Valley, the premade neighbourhood that comes with the Freetime expansion pack. She is one of my all-time favourite Sims, with a passion for the arts and a passion for cheese! However, having grilled cheese as your main aspiration is only available during misuse of the ReNuYuSenso Orb, even after Natasha’s introduction. So how did she end up with the aspiration?
Natasha is at the beginning of her adulthood when you first play her, is unemployed and according to her memories recently orphaned. Her album also implies that she had a close relationship with her mother as they engaged in arts and crafts together. So perhaps her love for grilled cheese is the result of a nervous breakdown, perhaps triggered by her parents’ death?
