Oshkosh, Wisconsin (former HobbyTown USA location)

Primary guess

Confidence

• Level: High
• The image of the "Backrooms" (the yellow-walled, carpeted space) was identified by internet investigators as being located at the site of a former HobbyTown USA store in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
• The "caveman" figure seen in the doorway is a well-known meme and a specific prop or character cutout used in marketing for the recent *Backrooms* film directed by Kane Parsons.
• This composite image is a popular internet edit merging the famous "liminal space" origin photo with promotional material for the *Backrooms* movie/web series.

Visual evidence

* **The Room:** The background features the characteristic yellow wallpaper, beige carpeting, and fluorescent lighting that defined the original 2002 "Backrooms" photograph. Research has confirmed this was a real, non-supernatural location: the back of a HobbyTown store in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, during a period of renovation.
* **The "Caveman" Figure:** The figure standing in the doorway is a promotional cutout or character asset (often referred to as a "caveman" in fan discussions) associated with the *Backrooms* film adaptation released by A24.
* **Composite Nature:** The image is clearly a digital composite. The lighting and perspective of the figure do not match the original archival photo of the empty room, confirming it is an edit intended to blend the "Backrooms" horror aesthetic with the film's marketing.

Reasoning

The "Backrooms" is a viral internet horror concept that originated from an anonymous 4chan post in 2019. For years, the original source of the image was unknown, leading to intense speculation. In 2024, investigators successfully traced the original image to a blog post from 2003 documenting a renovation at a HobbyTown store in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The person shown in the doorway is not part of the original 2002 photograph. Instead, this is a later edit incorporating a "caveman" character associated with the *Backrooms* feature film directed by Kane Parsons (released in May 2026). The edit is a common type of internet meme that places characters or "entities" into the iconic, liminal space environment.

Verification

* Wikipedia: The Backrooms
* Forbes: Finally, The Internet Found 'The Backrooms'
* Reddit: The original Backrooms image was found

Coordinates

Approximate location of the original building (Oshkosh, Wisconsin): 44.02° N, 88.54° W (The exact building site is in Oshkosh, WI, but it is a private commercial site and not a public landmark).