A new horror movie titled Buddy is marketing itself as a forgotten 1990s children's TV show, attempting to convince viewers that it is a real throwback. The film follows the adventures of a giant orange dinosaur named Buddy and his friends on the fictional show It's Buddy.
Dark secret behind the show
The film's description ominously states: "A seemingly innocent children's show holds a dark secret." Characters include Buddy the Unicorn, Dark Buddy, Charlie the Train, Willie the Ventriloquist Doll, Strappy the Backpack, Betty Bunny, Clocky, Mr Mailbox, Mailman Justin, Mailman Miles and Nurse Nancy.
The It's Buddy YouTube channel posted a "commercial" for the show with the description: "90s kids, do you remember watching It's Buddy? The nostalgia is so real." They also uploaded a theme song video with hashtags #90sTV and #Throwback, adding: "To this day the It's Buddy theme song still gets stuck in my head!"
Marketing praised by horror fans
Horror fans praised the unique advertising approach. One commented: "The marketing is genius." Another said: "This ad caught my attention, and already I'm sensing some analog horror vibes if there will be." A third wrote: "I just got an ad for this so I looked it up, I’m intrigued." A fourth added: "This almost looks like a Nick Jr. Commercial in the 1999's tbh."
Others remarked that It's Buddy "genuinely looks like a real children's show from the 90s or 2000s," that they were "insanely impressed" by the advert, and that the theme song is "so good they couldn't tell if it was an actual TV show or not."
Release details
Buddy premiered on 22 January 2026 at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and is scheduled for theatrical release in the US on 28 August 2026.
