From Anchors to Nightmares: When Talking Tom & The Joy of Creation
What happens when you take the nostalgic, goofy chaos of Talking Tom & Ben News and drop it into the pitch-black horror of The Joy of Creation (TJoC)? On Scratch, the answer is a bizarre, viral mashup of remix culture that transforms your favorite childhood virtual pets into something much more... ignited. The News Anchor Legacy
Since its 2011 debut by Outfit7, Talking Tom & Ben News has been a staple of mobile gaming. The app let players poke, swipe, and record hilarious news segments with two anthropomorphic anchors who eventually started fighting in their chairs.
Fast forward to today, and the Scratch community has taken this formula to the next level. Through countless "HD" and "Remastered" collabs, users have turned the news desk into a playground for crossovers—mixing in everything from The Simpsons to Baldi’s Basics. Entering the Dark Side: The Joy of Creation
On the other side of the spectrum is The Joy of Creation, widely considered one of the best FNAF fan games ever made. Created by Nikson, it places players in the shoes of Scott Cawthon (the creator of Five Nights at Freddy's) as he is hunted by "Ignited" versions of his own characters. The game’s hallmarks are:
The Ignited Animatronics: Withered, charred, and terrifying versions of Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy.
Intense Gameplay: Moving from the bedroom to the living room and office, players must survive the "scorched beings" using sound and sight. The Remix: Why Scratchers Are Obsessed
On Scratch, these two worlds are colliding in "horror edition" remixes. Creators are building Talking Tom and Ben News Horror Games where the usual comedic news segment is interrupted by jumpscares or distorted "EXE" versions of the characters.
Projects like THE JOY OF CREATION SCRATCH prove that even complex 3D horror can be adapted into 2D block coding, featuring mechanics like limited flashlight battery and fuse management. By combining Tom and Ben's interactive desk with the "Ignited" aesthetic, Scratchers are creating a new sub-genre of parody horror. talking tom and ben news scratch the joy of creation
Want to try it yourself? Head over to the Tom and Ben News Official Studio to see how users are coding everything from simple fight buttons to full-blown horror simulations.
Are you brave enough to record a news segment with Ignited Ben, or will you stick to the classic chair-flipping antics? Let us know which horror remix is your favorite! general.search - Scratch
The terms " Talking Tom and Ben News ," "Scratch," and "The Joy of Creation" (TJoC) refer to different fan-made projects on the
platform, often crossing over in the form of "remixes" or horror-themed adaptations. Talking Tom and Ben News (Scratch Projects)
These projects recreate the classic "Talking Tom & Ben News" app where the two characters interact at a news desk. Variations : Numerous versions exist, including Talking Tom and Ben News HD and various numbered sequels (up to version 10.0). Customization : Many of these are released as "collabs" or open-source
files, allowing users to change sprites and add new activities. Availability : You can find these on Scratch - Search for faster performance. The Joy of Creation (TJoC) on Scratch Based on the popular Five Nights at Freddy's
fan game by Nikson, several developers have ported its mechanics to Scratch. Gameplay Mechanics
: These versions typically involve managing fuses and switches to survive while avoiding animatronic jumpscares. Key Version THE JOY OF CREATION SCRATCH by IAN64gamer From Anchors to Nightmares: When Talking Tom &
features a "flash Freddy" mechanic to win and is optimized for PC play. IAN64gamer Horror Remixed: Talking Tom and Ben .EXE
The intersection of these two concepts usually appears in horror-themed remixes like Talking Tom and Ben News .EXE
. These projects take the standard "news" format and add TJoC-style elements, such as: Sudden jumpscares. Glitched or distorted character sprites. Darker background themes inspired by FNAF fan games. direct link to a specific project or instructions on how to one of these yourself?
talking tom and ben news.EXE (Most Viewed Project) remix on Scratch
talking tom and ben news. EXE (Most Viewed Project) remix on Scratch - YouTube. This content isn't available. HarryJustin Talking Tom And Ben News version 10.0.0 - TurboWarp
In the official Talking Tom app, the characters react to your touch, but the narrative is limited. In Scratch, you control the script. You decide if Ben throws a pie at Tom. You decide if the "news" is about a lost sock or an alien invasion. This agency is powerful. For a child, moving from "push button, hear laugh" to "write code, cause explosion" is a leap from spectator to god of a small digital universe.
Go to scratch.mit.edu. Create a new project.
What does the "joy of creation" look like for a 10-year-old using this tool? Indie horror series by creator Nikson (and later
It starts with curiosity. A child opens a shared project featuring the sprites of Tom and Ben behind a microphone. The original coder has already programmed basic animations—mouth movements, idle shuffles, a "breaking news" banner.
Then, the magic happens. The child clicks the "See Inside" button.
Suddenly, the cartoon is a puzzle. They see colorful blocks of code:
The child realizes: I can change the words. I can change the jokes. I can make Ben announce that pizza is a vegetable.
This is the joy of creation. It is the shift from "How do I play this?" to "Look what I made."
Scratch is built on a "remix" license. If you see a Talking Tom and Ben News project you like, you can click "See inside," steal the code, change the dialogue, and republish it as your own (with credit). This destroys the myth of the "lonely genius." A 12-year-old in Brazil can remix a project started by a 10-year-old in India. They change the news script to a local joke, swap the background to a school, and suddenly, Tom and Ben are speaking to a new culture. The joy here is communal—building on the shoulders of other creators.
Unlike coding in a vacuum, Scratch is a social network for creators. Once a child finishes their "Breaking News" episode (featuring Tom interviewing a dragon, or Ben losing his mind over a floating banana), they hit "Share."
Within minutes, the feedback arrives.
This cycle—Create -> Share -> Remix—is the heartbeat of Scratch. The Talking Tom assets serve as familiar, friendly avatars that lower the barrier to entry. You don't need to learn how to draw a dog to tell a joke; Ben is already there, waiting for you to give him a voice.
"Talking Tom and Ben News" and "The Joy of Creation" are two distinct indie-game phenomena that sparked intense fan engagement, modding, and controversy. This piece examines their origins, how fan-made content and mods connected them, the resulting creative energy, and the tensions—legal, ethical, and emotional—that can scratch or dampen that joy of creation. It concludes with practical guidance for creators, fans, and platform hosts to preserve creativity while minimizing harm.