Bad Day on the Midway

Game Details: Mystery, 1995

Walkthrough Updated: 4/2/2025

Suggested Listening: Help Me Out (Ash 25)

Bad Day on the Midway is a surreal adventure set in a carnival. You get to piece together the tales of the various inhabitants by possessing them and gradually uncovering their mysteries. There is a random element to the game so that multiple plays will be required to discover all of the carnival's secrets.

Timmy

You will start the game playing as Timmy. For most of the game-play, you will be walking around and exploring the amusement park. Occasionally a clock will appear across the top of the screen, telling you the current game time - the time generally advances as you move around and meet people, and as you enter/exit the various attractions.

Whenever you meet another character in the game, you can click on them to inhabit their body (with the eye icon) or click elsewhere to let them leave.

Death

If you want to die while playing as Timmy, climb up the stairs of The Abominable Snowman, then walk past the Danger sign.

Ending

For the easiest game ending, just wander around and visit the attractions as Timmy, without ever inhabiting another character. Once you reach the closing time of the amusement park, you will leave and say "Wow! What a great place, I have to come back here tomorrow".

Dixie

You will find Dixie wandering around the amusement park - she has long red hair and is the current owner. She currently nurses a man in a coma, who was her husband Ike - he is in the back of the Kill-A-Commie Shooting Gallery. After playing as Dixie past a certain point, you will meet The IRS man, and your agenda changes to locating the amusement park's missing taxes.

Deaths

If you enter several of the attractions (The Warehouse, Sperm Whale, Dagmar the Dog Woman's Theater, Tortures Top Ten), there is a chance that Ted will find you and attempt to kill you. You have a very brief period of time where you can click on Ted to see Dixie die, then you will be back in Timmy's body.

Another way to die is to climb up the stairs of The Abominable Snowman, then walk past the Danger sign.

You can also be killed by the red rat plague after 5pm - if you mention that you have a fever, or if the screen begins to turn red, you need to switch characters or you will die.

Ending

If you are playing as Dixie and are the last adult character alive, you will end up finding Ike's diary, then Ike will wake up and you will leave together.

Dagmar

You will find Dagmar walking around with her 2 Dobermans - she has long dark hair and is covered with tattoos. The game clock will behave differently while you are playing as Dagmar, generally slowing down but occasionally passing quickly if she has lots of thoughts at once.

Deaths

If you enter several of the attractions (The Warehouse, Sperm Whale, Tortures Top Ten), there is a chance that Ted will find you and attempt to kill you. You have a very brief period of time where you can click on Ted to see Dagmar die, then you will be back in Timmy's body.

Another way to die is to climb up the stairs of The Abominable Snowman, then walk past the Danger sign.

You can also be killed by the red rat plague after 5pm - if you mention that you have a fever, or if the screen begins to turn red, you need to switch characters or you will die.

Ending

If you are playing as Dagmar and both you and The IRS Man are the last 2 adult characters alive, you will end up dating each other, and will drop Timmy at the entrance to the amusement park as you leave.

Otto

Otto is the overweight man wearing red that you will find walking around the park and operating the Oscar the Racing Rat game. The other characters tend to avoid Otto, so it can be harder to switch to other characters once you become him.

Deaths

Another way to die is to climb up the stairs of The Abominable Snowman, then walk past the Danger sign.

You are always killed by the red rat plague, as its first victim at 5pm. There is no chance for a good ending with this character.

Ted

You will frequently run into Ted as you walk around the amusement park - he is the skinny man wearing a pink top. Ted is a psychopathic killer, and is the son of Lottie the Human Log.

Deaths

One way to die is to climb up the stairs of The Abominable Snowman, then walk past the Danger sign.

You can be killed by the red rat plague after 5pm - if you mention that you have a fever, or if the screen begins to turn red, you need to switch characters or you will die.

Ending

If you are playing as Ted and are the last adult character alive, you will end up killing yourself.

Jocko

This character only appears later in the game - he has a mustache and was the former business partner of Ike. He tried to kill Ike and his agenda is to find a CCTV tape that apparently captured this event.

Deaths

Another way to die is to climb up the stairs of The Abominable Snowman, then walk past the Danger sign.

You can also be killed by the red rat plague after 5pm - if you mention that you have a fever, or if the screen begins to turn red, you need to switch characters or you will die.

Ending

If you are playing as Jocko and both you and Ted are the last 2 adult characters alive, you will end up watching a scene where Ted is killed. You will drop Timmy at the entrance to the amusement park as you are arrested by the police.

The IRS Man

This character also appears later in the game - he has glasses and a business suit. He needs Dixie to find tax documents relating to the amusement park, and develops a crush on Dagmar.

Deaths

Another way to die is to climb up the stairs of The Abominable Snowman, then walk past the Danger sign.

You can also be killed by the red rat plague after 5pm - if you mention that you have a fever, or if the screen begins to turn red, you need to switch characters or you will die.

Endings

If you are playing as The IRS Man and both you and Dagmar are the last 2 adult characters alive, you will end up dating each other, and will drop Timmy at the entrance to the amusement park as you leave.

If you are playing as The IRS Man and are the last adult character alive (without Dagmar), you will close down the amusement park.