The Nuclear War Theory, popularized by Polish YouTuber Kraina X, is centered around the possibility that Kraina Grzybów is actually about nuclear war.
Timeline[]
KGTV probably takes place in 1988.
The Kraina Grzybów series most likely takes place in 1988. The only evidence of this can be found on the Kraina Grzybow TV shop, where a shirt, named 'GENERIC TEUFEL', shows a text box underneath a smiling Maggie the Squirrel reading 'GENERIC TEUFEL - 25% OUTLET WORK' and 'PARIS STYLE · SINCE 1988'. This is supported by the VHS-style quality of the series, implying that it was recorded on/for VHS in the late 1980s. VHS was a very popular format at the time.
Why is the year 1988 important?
The Cold War was still taking place, and Poland was still under Communist Rule, the country being renamed the Polish People's Republic until 1989[1]. The series even mentions the hard currency store Pewex, where hard-to-find Western products were sold (and that includes television sets)[2]. The mention, seen in Poradnik Uśmiechu 4, announces that Andromeda Toilets are "available for purchase in Hell and PEWEX's".
(I am another writer and did not write the above paragraph), but Wiktor Stribog, the creator of the series, was born in 1988, which may be significant.
Conelrad[]
The series uses multiple clips of the Rural Civil Defense TV Spots, especially the puppet, affectionately named Conelrad (after the organization CONELRAD[3]). The specials deal with residents living in rural areas (a possible hint to the true location of Mushroom Land) and how to deal with nuclear strikes if they happen.
"No one can predict the future. The most we can do is to be prepared for whatever might happen." -Rural Civil Defense TV Spots, found in Poradnik Uśmiechu 1
Nuclear Bomb Diagram[]
In Poradnik Uśmiechu 1, the diagram supposedly depicting the parts of an apple, might actually be a schematic for an atomic bomb.
In addition, even the phrase "Kraina Grzybów", or "Land of Mushrooms", may be referring to the result of a nuclear holocaust. The large, billowing clouds characteristic of a nuclear explosion are often referred to as "mushroom clouds" due to their mushroom-like shape.
Jeans[4][]
Another hint that the Cold War may play a major role in KGTV is the frequent mention of jeans. As previously mentioned, Poland was under the control of the Soviet Union. In the Cold War, jeans were a very controversial fashion item. Real denim jeans were worn by those who had the money to afford them; they were very expensive for the Soviets. However, the Communist rulers believed that wearing jeans was, by extension, owning property that was not shared with the government, thus going against traditional Communist beliefs. This lead to a ban on jeans, as well as the notion that jeans were a sign of freedom (something the government was obviously against).
So this brings up a very wild possibility: the Jeansman and Caroline might be the good guys.
The Jeansman is seen "coming full-on jeans", his body decked in denim, his peepers keeping his identity a secret from the Red Army (which had occupied a large area of Poland at the time). The same goes for Caroline; she wears all denim, also hiding her face. The two of them represent a sort of cult with seemingly sinister intentions, judging by the line "Jeansman is coming". However, this cult could very well be an underground freedom-fighter group of kids dedicated to spreading freedom in Communist Poland and putting an end to nuclear war.
Paper eyes[]
One theory that I had (Based on information I learned from Wikipedia and another website.) was that the nazis during WW2 did a horrible experiment and tried to change the colour of people’s eyes. So maybe the paper eyes could be made to represent the experiments done on people’s eyes, and to cover up the experimented eyes.
Poradnik Usmiechu #5[]
In Poradnik Usmiechu #5, near the end, it is seen that Agatha and Hatshepsut are both touching their lips and Agatha (In particular) is clawing at her lips. If the series is about WW2, this might make sense because, Agatha and Hatshepsut were talking on the telephone, and during WW2, talking in a certain way of certain situations or things could get people into trouble, hence the term from WW2: “Loose lips can sink ships”. This idea would also explain why Agatha seemed to be so distressed after the talk on the phone, when “Malgorzata 3000” was coming, and why Agatha was running away. Maybe in the story this part could represent Agatha and Hatshepsut talking about something they were not supposed to, and maybe “Malgorzata 3000” is a nazi trying to track Agatha down.
Maggie[]
(Author's note: I put the 'Jeans' title in as a joke initially; after looking up the role jeans played in the Cold War, I flipped out)
Maggie the Squirrel might also represent the role of Communism in Cold War Poland. Her fur is colored red, like the Communist flag as well as the red flames produced by an explosion. She acts as a "friend" to Agatha, playing with her and acting as a co-host. However, other times, she seems threatening, calling Agatha a retard and following it up with "but I love you anyway". This could be a symbol of the Soviet Union's rule over Poland, and how Poland acted as a puppet to Communist rule but was still "loved" by the Soviet Union.
The only problem with this part of the theory is that she is often seen wearing jeans.
A possible counterargument is that her jeans may be worn in a mocking way. After all, she is labeled TEUFEL (in English, DEVIL), and the Devil is known to be a trickster. Maggie is also seen running away, yelling "You won't catch me!" This may be a sign of mockery; the government is trying to take their jeans away and the Red Army is too strong/fast to be "caught".
Another counterargument could be that Maggie represents the freedom-fighter group mentioned in the 'Jeans' tab. Poland was under Communist rule at the time, so Maggie, representing an advocate for a free Poland, would be a Polish citizen (red) wearing jeans. If this is the case, the "You won't catch me!" line might be mocking the mother (who is superimposed above the animation), telling her that her daughter is fighting for the other side now and won't be coming back home to their Communist society. This could even be the reason behind the disturbing scene shown after Poradnik Uśmiechu 4; Agatha might be playing along with the Jeansman (who is wearing a wig similar to Agatha's mother's hair). The Jeansman is her mother now ("Jeans is our sun, my friend").
Not to mention, the blue of the denim and Agatha's sweater provides a stark contrast to Maggie's fur and the red mushrooms (Nuclear bomb clouds) seen throughout the series.
Black car[]
In Smile guide #4, at the end, the video cuts to a scene after the “forget the hair” scene, where Agatha is in a room with a blank Malgosia and the Jeans man as her mother. In the middle of the static when it cuts to this scene you can see a picture of a black car- if this series is about the Cold War, Stalin sent people out in black cars to take people from their homes to his camps. - there is also muffled talking in the background of this clip, I’ve tried to make it out but I couldn’t.