"On the plus side, I got a new character I think people are going to love." - Henry Stein
This article may contain unmarked details of spoilers. If you wish not to read without spoiling yourself, play the game, watch the cartoon, or read the book first, depending on the article's topic.
"I'm outta here!"
— Wally's catchphrase.
Wally Franks is a previous Brooklyn resident, former janitor for Joey Drew Studios, and the apparent founder and owner of Franks Handyman Service in Bendy and the Ink Machine, with only his recorded voice, heard from Chapter 1 to 5. A man who is willing to go along with Joey Drew's strange practices as he writes the paychecks, Wally's voice primarily appears in audio logs that explain his views on how the studio runs and his day to day routine. Shown from the Ink Machine's blueprints and design sheet, Wally is the attendant and designer of said machine.[1][2]
A note in the first game's ending revealed that Wally retired due to Joey Drew Studio's closure as he moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida with his family.
Though Wally has never been seen in person, he comes across as an "average Joe", a regular working man whose only real concern at the studio is getting his work done. After the introduction of the Ink Machine, he appeared suspicious of the workshop but never bothered to look deeper than his job required. Judging by him losing his keys in the Music Department and a conversation with Thomas Connor on working on the ink pressure, he is somewhat absent-minded. He also seemed to have felt somewhat annoyed about some situations within the company, such as the Ink Machine's abundance of leaks and why most of the staff appeared to be angry when they were making cartoons at the studio. In terms of social behavior, he is noted to be friendly and easy to get along with, as evident by his note found in Joey Drew's apartment, which also notes that Wally's surprised that Joey remembers him since Wally was not especially memorable among his coworkers.
In The Illusion of Living, Joey describes Wally as a self-starter, never knowing when and where he'd find the man around the studio fixing things.
In The Lost Ones, Wally says he doesn't understand why people like to keep secrets, and what you see is what you get when it comes to him. He isn't foolish enough to not notice anything wrong, but he also isn't the type to seek out answers and prefers to mind his own business. Wally also says he enjoys being the dark and can tell when people need to answer a question despite him not always needing one himself, along with when they've answered all they feel like answering.
Wally's first appearance is as a voice from an audio log located on the table of the narrowed room.
He talks about Joey Drew's plans and the Ink Machine, claiming he doesn't understand Joey's plans for the workshop. He also claims that the animations are not being finished on time and the Ink Machine's noise and tendency to leak is making things hard to work.
Wally then mentions the bizarre command Joey gave to his staff; including Wally himself, to donate things from their workstations and set them on pedestals in the break room in order to "appease the gods". Wally then claims that he will leave the company if any other pipes burst.
Wally's second diary cassette is located near the entrance to Sammy's office. He complains that he lost the keys to his cleaning closet, most likely in one of the garbage cans while making his rounds a week ago and has a bad feeling about what Sammy would do if he ever found out.
This audio log gives Henry the task of finding Wally's keys, so the former can unlock the latter's closet.
There is a duo audio log in the trailer room of Level K, where Wally is talking to Thomas. Thomas tries to teach Wally what to do when the ink pressure reaches over 45, but Wally has trouble understanding him. He then states that if Thomas thinks Wally's going to do his job and Thomas', he's leaving.
Wally's third diary cassette is found on Level 11, just outside from the waiting room where the Projectionist is first seen skulking around. In his tapes, he complains about the behavior of the studio's staff members, wandering around in the room while likening their faces to being as if they were angry or grieving when they should be positive given how they should make cartoons. Wally threatens that if the attitudes of the people in the studio do not change, he will leave his post. The Ink Machine can be heard running in the background of the tape if Henry listens more carefully.
Wally's fourth audio log is found in the Storage 9 warehouse, between two closed amusement park game attractions (Bulls-eye Bonanza and Bottle Wallop), far away from the punch card stand.
He complains about the workers in the warehouse getting involved playing games while he is stuck cleaning up after they leave. One day, he tells them the idea about rigging these games up to knock the door open if they win, so his trip down will be saved every day, and they went for it like "a dog to pot roast". Wally threatens that if anybody doesn't start realizing who the real genius is (referring to himself), he will leave this area.
Wally's fifth and final audio log is located on top of a desk with some books in one of the offices found in the Administration maze.
In the log, Wally reveals that the day where he cleaned up some of the offices around 2 AM was his lucky day because a large chocolate cake was on one of the chairs, which (according to him) was yelling his name. Wally states that as a janitor, he works hard and earns his pay on every dollar. He then claims that the studio is missing little, benefiting perks, and believes that the chocolate cake he got was a perk.
At the end of the audio log, Wally hopes that no one would find out about what he did, and proudly claims that if anyone finds out about his work, he will leave.
In Joey Drew's apartment, there is Wally's note talking about what he has been doing since the closing of Joey Drew Studios. As evident by the company logo shown at the bottom of the letter itself, Wally has moved on to a different work placement. Unexplained as an employee or the owner, though the latter is more likely, hence the company name "Franks Handyman Service". The letter reveals that he is not only married but also a family man:
"Dear Mr. Drew
I have to say it was a big surprise getting a letter from you after all these years! I'm surprised you even remember me from back in the old days at the studio. I mostly just swept up the place.
I'm doing good here in Florida, lots of sun for me and the Mrs. Hope you're doing good too. Sorry to hear about the studio closing down. You all made some great little cartoons there. They was good for some laughs.
Ok, I gotta wrap this up. The grandkids want to hit the beach so I'm outta here!
An audio log recorded by Wally Franks appears in the game. In this log, he rants about Thomas Connor's bossiness towards him, even boasting that he is smarter than Thomas having received a formal education.
Another audio log recorded by him was added in The Wolf Trials and can be found randomly. In this log, he documents a personal account of a shift of cleaning the floors in what was once the employee coat room now converted into a laboratory by Thomas Connor, for use by Gent, when a puddle of ink would not come off the floor. He then goes on to mention that the ink only expands as Wally mopped. He then declared that he would leave should the inky messes spiral out of control.
Wally only has one audio log in the attic of the flashback scene, but he also has one memo in the Guys Locker Room, where he talks about how Thomas Connor started taking over the entire back of the locker room how he'll will have to move his office of carboard boxes somewhere else. He also wrote down that Thomas gave him the door code if he ever needed to clean up in there, so he wrote the code down and put it in his locker, but Wally states that if 'that guy' keeps on causing trouble for him, then he's outta there.
Wally Franks is a relatively minor character in the novel Dreams Come to Life. He is mostly mentioned by Daniel "Buddy" Lewek, as coming across him during his errands at Joey Drew Studios and is said to have a makeshift office to serve as a home-away-from-home for Wally to use when he is not cleaning the studio. He does make a brief appearance when Buddy's Grandfather suddenly enters the studio unannounced, when he is pulling the latter by the elbow, falsely seeing him as a threat. Buddy steps in and assures Wally that he is not a threat, questioning if he thinks his grandfather would take over the studio. Wally simply shakes his head, replying "You never know..." with a shrug.
Wally makes a minor appearance in the third chapter of Part V: Living in the Now. While on his way to the archives to retrieve an article with Bertrum Piedmont in it, Joey Drew passes Wally in a hallway. The two briefly exchange a few words before Joey continues heading towards the archives. In the book, Joey praises Wally for being a self-starter and for his solid handywork, and says he has a great deal of respect for him.
Wally appears only in the prologue of The Lost Ones novel, which is told from his perspective. In it, he expresses his enjoyment of late nights at the studio while also acknowledging that strange things occur around. He also notes that the new renovations are causing his muscles to ache more frequently, but he isn't ready to retire yet. Wally overhears Thomas Connor yelling at others to be careful when moving something and Wally explains that he always overhears conversations, even when he's standing in the same room as them. Wally at first thinks he may be wrong about it being Thomas since he was recently fired, but he is proven to have suspected correctly when he bumps into Thomas as he turned the corner. Wally asks if Joey rehired him, to which Thomas responds that they didn't have a choice, which Wally doesn't understand but nods anyway. He then asks if he's moving the machine, and Thomas repeatedly says yes to end the conversation. Wally lets him go and goes on to talk about Joey Drew Studio's attempts to save money, listing off the things he's seen. He then claims he's seen everything, including what dragged the ink so far down the halls and on the walls. He ends the prologue by taking the trash out of a small tidy office and making sure to turn the lights off.
Dialogue
The following information contains spoilers. To view them, click the [show] tag.
"At this point, I don't get what Joey's plan is for this company. The animations sure aren't being finished on time anymore, and I certainly don't see why we need this...machine. It's noisy, it's messy, and who needs that much ink anyway? Also, get this: Joey had each one of us "donate" something from our work stations. We put them on these little pedestals in the break room. "To help appease the gods", Joey says. "Keep things going". I think he's lost his mind, but, hey, he writes the checks. But I tell you what, if one more of these pipes burst, I'm outta here."
— 1st audio tape.
Prototype version
Chapter 2: The Old Song
"So I go to get my dust pan from the hall closet the other day and guess what? I can't find my stupid keys. It's like they disappeared into thin air or something. All I can think of is that they must have fallen in one of the garbage cans as I was making my rounds last week. I just hope nobody tells Sammy. Because if he finds out I lost my keys again, I'm outta here."
— 2nd audio tape.
Chapter 3: Rise and Fall
"Wally:Alright let's go over this again. If the pressure goes over 45, I screw the safety bolt in tighter, right?
Thomas:No! For the last time, you do that, you'll blow every pipe in this place! If it reaches 45, you unhook the safety switch.
Wally:You sure? You know, this sounds harder than comparing ear wax to bee's wax!
Thomas:Look, it's not that difficult! Just keep an eye on the gauge!
Wally:Look pal, if you think I'm doing my job AND yours, I'm outta here!''"
— Wally and Thomas' audio log.
"I don't get it. Everyone's walking around here like grandma just died. Nothing but angry faces everywhere. These people gotta lighten up. I mean, hello! You make cartoons! Your job is to make people laugh. I'm tellin' ya. If these people don't start crackin' a smile every now and then, I'm outta here."
— 3rd audio tape.
Chapter 4: Colossal Wonders
"These guys down at the warehouse get to play games all day while I'm stuck cleaning up after 'em. They keep locking themselves out of their own back room. So I says to 'em, "look guys", I says, "you're smart, right? Here's an idea! Why not rig these games to knock open the door if ya win? It'll be fun for you guys, and it saves me the trip down here every day." They went for it like a dog to pot roast. I tell ya! If these guys don't start realizing who the real genius is, I'm outta here."
— 4th audio tape.
Chapter 5: The Last Reel
"So turns out it's my lucky day! I got to cleaning some of the offices around 2 am last night. And what do ya think I find on one of the chairs? A big freaking chocolate cake. Just sitting there! Practically yelling my name! You know, I work hard! I earn my pay. Every darn dollar. But you know what this company's missing? Little, benefiting perks. And this here cake? It's a perk! Hopefully no one finds out what I done. Cause if they did, I can tell ya what would happen. I'm outta here."
— 5th audio tape.
"So here's my beef with this whole Gent thing... I went to school, yeah that's right - me! Star student at Brickmore High! I know my potatoes! So where's this Mr. Connor get off telling me what to do? These college boys, they can tell ya what's wrong, but you try to fix it on 'em, they're outta here!"
— 1st audio log.
"So here's where the weird starts. I was mopping up Mr. Connor's spilled ink in that little room he called a laboratory. He can call a laboratory all he wants, but it used to be the employee coat closet. Anyway there I was, mopping. But that puddle? I'm tellin' ya, it kept moving this way and that way like it had the smarts or something. If these messes keep being like this, I'm outta here"
— 2nd audio log.
"So here we are! Another big day at Joey Drew Studios! Lot more people running around here these days. But for me, it's the same old dirty floors they've always been! Just more feet messing them up now! The only feet I don't mind tromping around here are Miss Campbell's. She's good to me! I'll make sure I empty her garbage every day just to see how she's doing. Speaking of which, I heard her talking with Sammy the other day. If I didn't know better, I'd say there was magic there. But who am I to judge? I think they saw me looking though ... ... So I just tipped my hat and said: "See you later!" ... "I'm outta here!""
— Audio log, dated March 5th, 1933, by Wally Franks.
"At this point, I don't get what Joey's plan is for this company. The animations sure aren't being finished on time anymore, and I certainly don't see why we need this...machine. It's noisy, it's messy, and who needs that much ink anyway? Also, get this: Joey had each one of us "donate" something from our work stations. We put them on these little pedestals in the break room. "To help appease the gods", Joey says. "Keep things going". I think he's lost his mind, but, hey, he writes the checks. But I tell you what, if one more of these pipes burst, I'm outta here."
— Wally's Only Audio Log
Trivia
General Facts
Wally's line "I'm outta here!" is repeated in almost every audio log he appears in, acting as his catchphrase. It even appears in his note to Joey Drew which is seen in the latter's apartment.
In the transcript of his audio logs in Chapter 3 and above, Wally's line "I'm out of here!" was changed to "I'm outta here!".
This was referenced during the Hot Topic Q&A, when Sammy claimed that Wally can never keep things in order as his mind is "way out of here".[3]
His line is also used in one of the official images for merchandise.
The only time Wally had a audio log where he didn't say "I'm outta here!" was in Boris and the Dark Survival. It was in a log with Wally complaining about Thomas Conner where at the end, He said "they're outta here!" instead of his usual catchphrase.
Wally's name could be based on Frank Wells, who was the president of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 to 1994.
In the Joey Drew Studios Employee Handbook, it is revealed that one time Wally ate what he thought were churros, but were something else that currently remains a secret.[4]
Wally has been shown to touch the tip of his cap at the end of conversations as a sort of salute.
It was stated that the reason why Wally or Norman Polk didn't have as many audio in BaTDR was because their were just too many other characters and not enough material to add to their stories.[5]
Wally is aware of "what made the ink on the floors" during the events of The Lost Ones, possibly the Ink Demon.[6]
In the prototype version of Chapter 1, while his audio log was on the shelf instead of the table (until Chapter 4), Wally's recording had no transcript to go along with it, meaning that his name was initially unknown until it was added in from the first remastered update.
The quality of his voice recording's sound was also slightly cleaner.
Wally is also the only radio speaker from this prototype and the chapter's first remastered update before Thomas Connor's audio log was planned to add.
Chapter 2: The Old Song
Wally's recording in Chapter 2 implies that him losing his keys has happened before, as he explains that Sammy would probably fire him if he was caught doing so again.
According to theMeatly on Twitter, Wally's keys were in the trash bin for 30 years, as he never had a chance to retrieve them.[7]
Despite this message, Chapter 5 reveals that Wally managed to leave the studio without any trouble.
Chapter 3: Rise and Fall
When playing Wally's audio log and walks farther away then come back after his tape ends, a bug will occur to cause Wally's transcript not disappearing after his speech was finished until playing his audio log again.
Before the release of Chapter 4, the audio log for both Thomas and Wally to record at the same time was not made due to the trailer room not planned to be implemented.
Wally and Thomas are the only workers to use the duo audio log together.
Wally's second audio log is added in The Wolf Trials update.
Gallery
Wally's transcript for his first audio log from Chapter 1.
Wally's transcript for his second audio log from Chapter 2.
Wally's transcript for his third audio log from Chapter 3.
↑"That Wally! That man can't ever keep his things in order! If I didn't know better I'd say his mind was wayyyy out of here!"
- Hot Topic. July 26, 2017. Twitter.
↑"Let Mr. Franks tell you about the time he though he ate some tasty churros but they turned out to be... well, we'll let him tell you." -Joey Drew Studios Employee Handbook, page 189
↑"Oh yes, ol’ Wally sees everything. Including the machine. Including what made the ink on the floors. What dragged it far down the hallways and along the walls. You didn’t think ol’ Wally had seen it? Ol’ Wally sees all." -The Lost Ones, page 7
↑"Why would Wally leave his keys in the trash for 30 years? It's almost as if he never got a chance to go back for them..." - theMeatly. June 25, 2017.
Twitter.
