Chucky (Child's Play)


Chucky, originally known as Charles Lee Ray, is the main antagonist of the Child's Play franchise. He first appeared in Child's Play as a vicious serial killer who transfers his soul into a "Good Guy" brand doll using voodoo magic. Chucky was created by writer Don Mancini and is primarily voiced by Brad Dourif. The character has subsequently been represented in various other media, including novels, video games, and comic books.

Appearances

Original series

''Child's Play'' (1988)

Chucky first appeared in the 1988 film Child's Play. In the film, a serial killer named Charles Lee Ray, also known as "Chucky", uses a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into a Good Guy doll after being shot by Detective Mike Norris. Pretending to be an inanimate object, Chucky later is given to young Andy Barclay by his mother Karen Barclay and begins terrorizing the family. Chucky learns that he can only become human again by possessing the first person he told his real name to- Andy. The Barclays and Norris eventually kill Chucky by setting him on fire and shooting him.

''Child's Play 2'' (1990)

Chucky made his second appearance in the 1990 sequel, Child's Play 2. In the film, Chucky is repaired by Play Pals Inc, leading to his resurrection. Chucky continues his pursuit of Andy, who is now eight and has been placed in foster care. Andy is terrorised at his new home and at school, leading to the deaths of his teacher, case worker and foster parents. Andy's foster sister Kyle learns that Chucky is alive and follows Chucky and Andy back to the Play Pals factory. Together, Andy and Kyle kill Chucky by partially melting him with molten plastic and then blowing his head up with an air-hose.

''Child's Play 3'' (1991)

In Child's Play 3, Chucky is inadvertently resurrected eight years after the events of the previous film when a splash of his blood is mixed with molten plastic being used to produce new Good Guy dolls. He finds that a now teenage Andy is currently enrolled at a military academy. Chucky attempts to possess the body of a young boy named Tyler, but is stopped by Andy and his love interest Kristin de Silva, with his body being shredded apart by a giant fan.

''Bride of Chucky'' (1998)

Chucky is reconstructed and resurrected by his former girlfriend Tiffany Valentine. When Tiffany learns Chucky had no intentions of marrying her, she holds him captive in a cage-like playpen. Chucky escapes, kills Tiffany and transfers her soul into a female doll. Chucky explains that in order for them to transfer their souls again, they need a magical amulet called the Heart of Damballa, which was buried with his body in Hackensack, New Jersey. Tiffany calls and convinces her neighbor Jesse to take the dolls to Hackensack.
With his girlfriend Jade, Jesse takes the dolls to Hackensack, with Chucky and Tiffany killing multiple people along the way. The dolls also have sex one night, unknowingly impregnating Tiffany. Chucky and Tiffany take Jesse and Jade hostage to be their new host-bodies, but Tiffany has a change of heart and betrays Chucky. Chucky kills her before being shot to death by Jade. Shortly after, an infant doll crawls from Tiffany's corpse, attacking a police officer.

''Seed of Chucky'' (2004)

Several years after the events of Bride of Chucky, Chucky and Tiffany's gender confused and pacifistic living-doll child tracks their bodies down to Hollywood, Los Angeles, where their bodies have been rebuilt as props for a horror film based on the "urban legend" of Chucky the doll. The child uses the Heart of Damballa to resurrect the pair. Realizing their child has no blatant gender, Chucky proclaims them a boy and names them "Glen," while Tiffany insists they are a girl and names them "Glenda."
Tiffany decides to transfer her soul into her favorite actress, Jennifer Tilly, who Chucky impregnates with his semen to create a body for Glen/Glenda. Chucky forces Glen/Glenda to help him commit several murders, causing Glen/Glenda's psychological trauma. Chucky and Tiffany learn that Glen/Glenda actually has two distinct personalities- the peaceful male Glen and the murderous female Glenda. Jennifer gives birth to twins, allowing both personalities to have a body of their own, while Chucky decides he doesn't want to transfer his soul into a human anymore. Angered by his change of heart, Tiffany leaves Chucky. A vengeful Chucky tracks down and kills Tiffany, not realizing she had already swapped spirits with Jennifer. Glen, believing his mother dead, murders Chucky with an axe.
Five years later, Glen and Glenda have transferred their souls into Jennifer and Chucky's babies while Tiffany now masquerades as Jennifer. Glen discovers his father is still alive when his disembodied arm appears and attacks him.

''Curse of Chucky'' (2013)

Nine years after the events of the previous film, Chucky arrives at the house of the paraplegic Nica Pierce and her mother Sarah. Chucky kills Sarah and several of Nica's other family members who come to visit. He reveals himself to Nica and explains that in 1988, he became obsessed with Sarah and took her hostage after killing her husband. When the police arrived, Chucky became convinced Sarah was somehow responsible and stabbed her pregnant belly, causing Nica's paralysis. He was then tracked down and shot by detective Norris, leading to the events of the original film.
Chucky, using anecdotal evidence from the murders, frames Nica and manages to escape. He travels to visit Nica's niece Alice to take over her body. Sometime later, Chucky tries to kill his old nemesis Andy Barclay, only for Andy to ambush him with a shotgun.

''Cult of Chucky'' (2017)

Four years after the events of the previous film, Chucky returns to torment a now institutionalized Nica, while Andy Barclay attempts to stop his plans once and for all. Chucky kills numerous other inmates at the asylum, continuing to frame Nica for the murders. Andy becomes confused at the prospect of this latest murder-spree, as he still has the living head of the Chucky that tried to ambush him.
Chucky eventually reveals that he found a new spell that allows him to split his soul and possess multiple different bodies. He possesses Nica, and kills her sexually abusive psychologist before escaping with Tiffany. Meanwhile, Andy ends up locked in a room at the asylum after he traveled there to kill all of the Chucky dolls.
Later, Andy's former foster sister Kyle arrives at his home to torture the Chucky head he still has.

''Chucky'' (2021-2024)

The television series Chucky acts as a sequel, following the events of Cult of Chucky.
In the first season, Chucky is purchased by 14-year-old Jake Wheeler at a yard sale. After Jake learns who Chucky is and his intentions, he teams up with his crush Devon Evans and bully-turned-friend Lexy Cross to stop him. Chucky kills several of the kids parents and is able to complete a voodoo ritual that allows him to possess an army of Good Guy dolls. While several of the Chucky dolls are killed, the rest escape, taking Andy Barclay hostage.
In the second season, Jake, Devon and Lexy are sent to a Catholic reform school after Chucky kills Jake's new foster-brother and frames them. The three manage to take one of the Chucky's hostage and brainwash him into being a "Good Chucky," while most of the other Chucky's are killed by The Colonel, a psychopathic and cannibalistic Chucky. The kids save Andy from The Colonel's cabin, and he kills the doll. Good Chucky's spirit is sent to hell after he begins to have violent episodes, while the Chucky possessing Nica is removed from her body through an exorcism and escapes in a new doll body. Meanwhile, Lexy's sister Caroline begins to believe that Tiffany and Chucky are her "real family" and runs away with Tiffany.
In the third season, the last remaining Chucky begins to age rapidly when he is abandoned by Damballa due to the exorcism in the previous season. Learning that the only way he can get back Damballa's support is to perform a series of ritualistic murders in a place of great evil, Chucky infiltrates the White House and begins killing staff members. Jake, Devon and Lexy, desperate to find Caroline, befriend the son of the president in order to infiltrate the home and stop Chucky. Chucky is eventually able to win back Damballa's favor, restoring his body, and reconciles with Tiffany. Chucky and Tiffany escape with Caroline, while Jake, Devon and Lexy's spirits are trapped in marionettes.

Reboot film

In the 2019 reboot, Chucky is a high-tech artificially-intelligent "Buddi" doll created by the Kaslan Corporation. Primarily designed to be a life-long companion to its owner by learning from its surroundings, Buddi dolls can also connect to and operate other Kaslan products.
Chucky has his safety protocols disabled by a disgruntled Kaslan employee during the assembly process, and as a result, Chucky gradually develops violent tendencies as he tries to eliminate anyone stopping him from being "best friends" with his owner Andy Barclay. Together with his mother and some of his friends, Andy is eventually able to kill Chucky and burn his remains. However, another Kasland doll elsewhere begins to malfunction, hinting that Chucky's consciousness may have transferred into it.

In popular culture

Film

A short film entitled Chucky's Vacation Slides was included on the home media release of Seed of Chucky in 2005, and in 2013, a series of short film videos titled Chucky Invades were released leading up to the DVD release of Curse of Chucky. The clips showed Chucky interrupting the events of Psycho, The Purge, Mama, and Drag Me to Hell.
Chucky has a brief cameo as a program in the OASIS virtual reality simulation in the film adaptation of Ready Player One.