Prologue (1980)

"What kind of a name is Fred for a bear?"

James Hill, the CEO of the new, as-of-yet-untitled diner, leant back in his chair, unimpressed by the efforts of his brand design team. Bemused, he took a long slurp of coffee from his porcelain mug. The lead pitcher, now standing in awkward silence following the rejection of his proposal, tried to get back on track by consulting his many cue cards.

"We want kids to like the bear, right?" he stammered. "To feel like they can trust in him... Be his friend."

"Yes..." James replied, feeling the early hours of the morning and his sleepless night pressing hard upon his scalp. "But does the name 'Fred' scream 'friend' to you? Kids love wordplay - they love alliteration. Mickey Mouse... Donald Duck... Fred the Bear? I'm not feeling it, you know?"

The pitcher coughed and adjusted his yellow-pinstriped tie. "According to our surveys, Fred is this year's fourth most popular baby name..."

James rested his head on his hands. "What about Boris? Boris Bear?"

The brand design team looked about themselves, none of them daring to speak out against their boss.

James continued to spitball. "Ben? Brandon? Bob? Come on! What am I paying you for? Feedback!"

The pitcher swallowed, checked his notes again, and nervously replied. "The market research likes Fred."

James scowled. "Alright. Show me the concept art."

The woman to the left of the original pitcher stood up straight as she realised it was now her turn to speak. Turning to the sketch board next to her, she flipped the cover and revealed the first image: A black bear riding a unicycle.

James stroked his chin, before abruptly stating "Too comedic. Do we want them to laugh at him, or with him? Next!"

The next sketch was a brown, besuited bear with a golden monocle and a suitcase.

James took one look at the gently grizzly and pressed his fingers to his temples with annoyance.

"Boring! We don't want kids being reminded of their father! We want excitement - childlike enthusiasm. Next!"

Sighing, the woman flipped the page again, this time revealing a graphite impression of a guitar-playing bear on a stool, complete with bowl for loose change. It was the spitting image of a hobo.

"What the hell is that supposed to be?" James asked, chuckling loudly. "A music-playing bear? How obnoxious can you possibly be? Good god, next!"

The final sketch was simply a bear wearing a party hat with red and gold trims. James finished his coffee and slammed it down on its coaster, demonstrating his growing impatience.

"That's fine," he conceded. "Simple, undemanding, does the job. Good. Okay, shall we talk titles?"

"We were thinking Fred the Bear's Steakhouse," the original pitcher said.

"Can we lose the 'the'?" James asked. "It sounds hokey. Oh, and I think 'steakhouse' misdescribes it. It needs to be more general, less emphasising. How about Fredbear's Diner?"

The brand team all nodded their heads in approval, before James snapped his fingers and smashed his hand upon the table with enthusiasm.

"Fredbear's Family Diner!" he cried. "It's perfect. It describes it perfectly!"

Nobody in the pitching team seemed to have any quarrels. The woman operating the sketch board turned over a new page, writing the title in block capitals in its centre.

"Well done, everyone!" James announced, smiling at his employees as they breathed sighs of relief at having reached the conclusion of the pitch.

"Fredbear's Family Diner," James thought to himself gleefully. "I'm going to be the next Walt Disney!"

As the brand team packed up their notes, James approached the sketch board, turning back the page to the image of Fredbear, adorned with a party hat.

"Ah, Fred," he smiled, tapping the bear's hat with his finger. "You're going to make me a lot of money."

Fred stared back at James, his wide, joyous eyes paralleled by his goofy grin.

"A lot of money."