Billy's Tricycle

Billy's Tricycle
Information
Appearances	Saw (short film), Saw, II, III, IV, 3D, Saw: The Video Game, Flesh & Blood
Purpose	Mobilizing Billy the Puppet
Used by	John Kramer
Status	Inanimate

“	What's with the tricycle?	”
	— Strahm asking Jill about the tricycle

Billy's Tricycle is a recurring item appearing on multiple occasions throughout the Saw franchise.

History

John Kramer's Childhood

During his childhood, John Kramer used to play with a red tricycle. As he became older, he kept his old toy as a childhood memory in his house where he lived with his wife, Jill Tuck. (Saw IV)

Amanda Young's Test

Several decades later, several traumatic events changed John's life dramatically and caused him to eventually turn into an infamous serial killer known as Jigsaw, who tested his victims' will to survive by putting them in potentially deadly situations which they could only escape by making big physical and emotional sacrifices. One of his first victims was Amanda Young, a drug addict and a patient of the Homeward Bound Clinic, a recovery clinic for drug addicts ran by Jill, from who he had separated at this point. After abducting her and Donnie Greco, another patient at the clinic, he strapped Amanda to a chair in the middle of an abandoned hall and put one of his newest devices, a Reverse Beartrap, on her head. When she woke up again, she immediately panicked and tried to free herself from the chair but stopped when a TV next to her was turned on. A mechanic ventriloquist puppet appeared on the screen and told her that the device on her head was hooked into her upper and lower jaw and would rip her head apart if she didn't manage to free herself within 60 seconds. It also revealed that the only key was in the stomach of her supposedly dead cellmate. (Saw, IV)

The puppet approaches Amanda

When the TV turned off Amanda panicked again. However, the timer of the trap just started to count down when she freed herself from the chair which caused a metal pin to be pulled out of the trap resulting in its activation. When she saw the lifeless body of her cellmate she recognized him from the clinic. She initially hesitated to cut open the body. However, when she realized that Donnie wasn't dead, but merely paralyzed, she grabbed a knife lying next to him and stabbed him multiple times until he died. With only a few seconds left, Amanda searched his stomach for the key and eventually managed to get free only moments before the trap was activated, making her the first person who ever survived one of Jigsaw's deadly games. Horrified by these events Amanda began to cry, when the mechanic puppet slowly approached on a red tricycle, similar to the one used by John during his childhood. It congratulated her for her survival and told her that she now knew how to appreciate her life. In panic, Amanda fled and ultimately found a way out of the building. (Saw)

Jigsaw's Hideout

Billy greets the SWAT team

Several months later, Detective Eric Matthews managed to find John's hideout at the Wilson Steel Plant by deducing a clue left for him by John at his latest crime scene. The next day, Eric went to the plant along with his former partner, Detective Allison Kerry, and a SWAT team led by Sergeant Daniel Rigg. The first ones to enter and secure the building were Rigg, SWAT Officer Pete Baker and two other SWAT officers. When they went in, they soon reached a staircase surrounded by a chain-link cage. While Rigg stood back, his colleagues entered the staircase. When they tried to climb the stairs, they suddenly stopped when they heard a mechanical squealing sound. Seconds later, Jigsaw's puppet appeared at the head of the stairs, sitting on its tricycle and maniacally laughing at them. When the staircase was locked by a mechanism, Officer Baker tried to approach the puppet when suddenly a rigged step sprang forward and broke his shins, causing his two fellow officers to back away and receiving a lethal electric shock when they touched the cage. While they were killed in front of Sergeant Rigg's eyes, the puppet slowly rode back on the cycle. Moments later, the remaining SWAT team as well as Eric and Kerry entered the building. While the detectives went upstairs, Pete's colleagues dragged him out of the staircase. (Saw II)

Jill Tuck's Interrogation

Hoffman interrogates Jill

Even though John revealed his identity to the police, he was able to escape custody. In their attempt to find him, the police began to examine John's past. Therefore, they also interrogated his ex-wife, Jill Tuck, who was soon treated as a suspect as well, and searched her house for evidence. Upon doing so, they found a small wooden ventriloquist puppet resembling the mechanical puppet occasionally used by John to communicate with his victims as well as John's old red tricycle. During Jill's interrogation at the police station, Detective Mark Hoffman asked her about these finds. Hoffman however was in fact and accomplice of John. To cover the fact that they knew about each other and their connection to John, Jill refused to give him any useful information and instead called her lawyer, Art Blank. (Saw II, IV)

Jeff Denlon's Test

Billy lying on the floor, resembling the death of Dylan Denlon

Six months after the events at Wilson Steel, Hoffman abducted another test subject, Jeff Denlon and took him to the abandoned Gideon Meatpacking Plant, where he was forced to participate in their next game. John had chosen Jeff because the latter lost his son, Dylan, in a car accident three years ago and therefore neglected both his wife and daughter as the only thing he cared about was getting his revenge on Timothy Young, the drunk driver who killed his son. While making his way through the building Jeff found Jigsaw's puppet and his tricycle lying on the floor in hallway. The position in which they lay on the ground resembled the way his dead son had lyed before him on the street after the accident. Remembering his son's demise, Jeff carefully picked up the puppet. However when it suddenly started to mockingly laugh at him, he dropped it and continued his way, leaving the puppet behind on the floor. (Saw III, IV)

Brad and Ryan's Test

Billy is covered in Dina's blood

The puppet was used again on several occasions later on. At one point, Hoffman abducted three more people and put them in a trap inside the Welthammer Store, a home improvement market located at a public place. When the victims, Brad, Ryan and Dina woke up, the puppet slowly approached on its tricycle and explained the rules while both the victims as well as the crowd that witnessed the game from the outside were listening. Brad and Ryan were both chained to a circular saw, while Dina was hanging above a third one. In order to prevent Dina from being killed, Brad or Ryan had push their saw all the way to the other side, which would inevitably result in the death of one of them. However after a brief argument both of them agreed to sacrifice Dina as she had cheated on both of them. When the time went off, Dina was sliced in half by the third saw, resulting in both Brad and Ryan as well as the puppet getting covered in her blood. (Saw 3D)

Use in other Media

Saw: The Video Game

Billy was also used by John in Saw: The Video Game. While Detective David Tapp made his way through the abandoned Whitehurst Insane Asylum to face his series of tests, John frequently contacted him through his puppet via video messages. Similar to its role in the movies, Billy introduced Tapp to all of his tests and the victims he had to save.

Saw: The Short Film

The puppet was also used in the original short film. When David, a young orderly from a hospital, woke up after being abducted by Jigsaw, he found himself to be strapped onto a chair and with a Reverse Beartrap placed on his head. He immediately panicked and tried to free himself from the chair but stopped when a TV next to him was turned on. Billy appeared on the screen and told him that the device on his head was hooked into her upper and lower jaw and would rip his head apart if he didn't manage to free herself within 60 seconds. It also revealed that the only key was in the stomach of his supposedly dead cellmate.

When the TV turned off David panicked again. However, the timer of the trap just started to count down when he freed himself from the chair which caused a metal pin to be pulled out of the trap resulting in its activation. When he saw the lifeless body of his cellmate he initially hesitated to cut open the body. However when he realized that the man wasn't dead but merely paralyzed he grabbed a knife laying next to him and stabbed him multiple times until he died. With only a few seconds left David searched his cellmate's stomach for the key and eventually managed to get free only moments before the trap was activated. Horrified by these events Amanda began to cry, when the mechanic puppet slowly approached on a tricycle. It congratulated him for his survival and told him that he now knew how to appreciate his life.

Appearances and References

Films
Saw	Saw II	Saw III	Saw IV	Saw V	Saw VI	Saw 3D	Jigsaw	Spiral	Saw X
Flashback	Appears	Appears	Pictured	Absent	Absent	Appears	Absent	Absent	Absent