For most fans, the series began with the polished (yet still janky) Slendytubbies 1 released on GameJolt in 2012. But lurking in the dark corners of Italian forums and early YouTube reaction videos is the story of the Alpha—a prototype so raw, so broken, and so obscure that many believe it to be a myth.
Consequently, the Alpha vanished. For years, it was considered "lost media." In March 2020, a YouTuber known as Pyrocynical (during a Slendytubbies retrospective stream) offered a $500 bounty for a working copy of the Alpha. Two weeks later, a user named "TubbyTech" uploaded a file to the Internet Archive. The file was labeled ST_Alpha_Original_Non_Remake.zip .
This is the complete history of the build that started the horror parody genre. The game was created by an Italian indie developer known as Zeekerss (now famous for Lethal Company ) under his early alias "SZenka" or within the "Zeekerss Entertainment" testing phase. Contrary to popular belief, the Alpha was not intended for the public. It was a personal tech demo created over a single weekend in late June 2011 , using FPS Creator (a drag-and-drop engine known for making 90s-style shooters). slendytubbies 1 alpha
Before the memes, before the Multiplayer Mod, and long before the cinematic tragedy of Slendytubbies III , there was a single, crude, and terrifying experiment: The Slendytubbies 1 Alpha .
Unlike the final game where he teleports, the Alpha Tinky Winky phases . He slides through walls at a constant, slow speed. His face is a single, static JPEG of a roaring bear plastered over the model. If he touches you, the game doesn't end—instead, your screen turns bright white, and a distorted, slowed-down version of the Teletubbies theme song plays indefinitely until you Alt+F4. For most fans, the series began with the
The Alpha’s broken geometry inspired the "liminal space" aesthetic years before it became a genre. The feeling of being in a familiar cartoon world that has been corrupted not by blood, but by empty code , is a direct line to modern indie horrors like The Baby in Yellow and Poppy Playtime . The Slendytubbies 1 Alpha is not a "good" game. It is a barely functioning tech demo with stolen assets, broken collision, and a kill sound that sounds like a dying sheep. But it is also a historical artifact—the primordial ooze from which one of the internet’s most enduring horror franchises crawled out.
For fans, it represents the purest form of fear: the unknown, the unpolished, and the forgotten. Just remember: if you play it, don't look at Dipsy for too long. And if the wind stops... run. Have you ever played the Alpha? Or did you start with the Main Release? Share your memories of the Tubby Custard void. For years, it was considered "lost media
Po does not stand. In the Alpha, Po is a shadowy, twisted ragdoll that slides on her belly like a snake. She is completely silent. The only warning you get is that the background wind sound effect stops. She is the only entity that can kill you instantly via a "head crush" sound effect (actually a reversed goat bleat).