Baldi's Least Favorite Tape appears to be a clear but colorful cassette tape, with two reels with one of them storing the actual tape. To the right of them, there are gray pieces, which contains all of the parts that the tape feeds through and onto the other reel. According to Johnny's Store, it was carefully designed by a student to effectively make Baldi deaf so long as it's playing, although it's not just Baldi who dislikes the tape running.
Usage
Baldi's Least Favorite Tape can be used to deter all NPCs away from the location where playing and make Baldi and Dr. Reflex unable to hear any sound for 30 seconds by making an annoying noise. The item will disappear from the player's inventory once the player inserts the tape into the tape player, which is located in the Principal's office. This is especially useful if the player is in detention, as that is when the player is usually the most vulnerable to getting caught by Baldi especially when detention lasts for 99 seconds and there are no other items to escape from this location.
When the sound from the tape is done playing, Baldi and Dr. Reflex (when he is angry) will be able to hear sounds again and NPCs will be able to enter the Principal's office.
Specific behavior changes
Baldi's Least Favorite Tape can do the following changes to NPCs' behavior:
1st Prize will ignore the player, but he will still speed up if they are in his sight.
Arts and Crafters will slowly move and wander around hallways. Sometimes, he may enter rooms.
In all games and demos except for Baldi's Basics Plus, NPCs (including Baldi) may enter the Principal's office while they wander around and there is no clicking sound when the tape is inserted.
The Tape's location in Baldi's Basics Classic.
In Baldi's Basics Classic, it is found in the faculty room that connects with another faculty room. When it is used, it will cause Baldi to stop heading to the sound he heard and instead start wandering.
Note: The following content may have spoilers for the deep lore.
It also manages to prevent Null and the red Baldloon from hearing in NULL/Glitch Style. However, since they can see the player through windows in the Principal's office and break them to enter this location, so it makes this item less effective than other styles.
Prior to V0.4, Baldi could enter the Principal's office while the sound was playing if Baldi decided to head to the office while wandering around.
However, this still happens in Classic Remastered.
Prior to V0.6, the sound of inserting the tape into a tape player was not implemented.
Prior to V0.6, the item's description on Johnny's Store was:
This tape was carefully designed by a student to effectively make Baldi deaf as long as it plays. If you can hear the tone, you can make all the noise you want, worry free!
Baldi's Basics Classic
Baldi's Least Favorite Tape is the item that has gone through the most name changes, with a total of 4:
In V1.1, it was renamed to "Baldi Anti Hearing Tape". The name was changed probably so players could understand its purpose.
In V1.2, it was renamed from "Baldi Anti Hearing Tape" to "Baldi Anti Hearing and Disorienting".
In V1.3, it was renamed from "Baldi Anti Hearing and Disorienting" to "Baldi Anti Hearing and Disorienting Tape". The name was changed probably because it's still a tape.
It was finally renamed to "Baldi's Least Favorite Tape" in Baldi's Basics Full Game Early Demo, to make its mechanic more obvious.
The tape's location in V1.0.
In V1.0, the tape was originally found in the faculty room next to the Principal's office instead of the faculty room merged with another one.
This was changed due to the people playing the game ignoring the advice that is given to the player. Another reason is that it does not have any indication that it is disorienting Baldi.[2]
Glitches
Baldi's Basics Plus
Prior to V0.4.1, using this item during the party event would make Baldi freeze unless he saw the player.
The static noise after inserting Baldi's Least Favorite Tape in the tape player. This static noise can automatically get random tones, due to the Doppler effect. WARNING: LOUD!
Baldi's Basics Plus
Sound
Description
When the player uses Baldi's Least Favorite Tape.
Gallery
Baldi's Basics Plus
Baldi's Least Favorite Tape in the teaser of Johnny's Store.
↑"Since I've never doing a poll before... I'mma gonna try it! Which one of the four *least* popular #BaldisBasics items is your *most* favorite?" - mystman12. June 29, 2018. Twitter/X
↑"There are two main reasons why I removed the tutorial tapes. One reason was that I noticed that people who were playing the game back in that very first version, they weren't really paying attention to what was being said in the tapes, they just kind of keep playing the game but they didn't seem like they were actually really listening or learning from the tapes. The other reason was because the tapes even in that point in the game were still used to distract Baldi, but having just kind of, you know, audio someone talking didn't really make that clear, so that's why I replaced the tape with a tone, it just made it a bit more obvious that it was doing something to Baldi." - Baldi's Basics Classic LOST BITS (ft. The Developer!) | Unused Content [TetraBitGaming] 5:00-5:33
