CatNap

### Affiliation(s)

Toy produced by Playtime Co.Smiling CrittersHome Sweet Home (Playcare)Bigger Bodies Initiative

## Physical Info

### Height

Unknown (Can change to 1/3 of his original size)

## Appearances

### Debut

Chapter 3: Deep Sleep

**CatNap**, otherwise known as **Experiment 1188**, is an upcoming major antagonist in *Poppy Playtime*, with his impending debut in *Chapter 3: Deep Sleep* leaving fans eager for his appearance.

He was originally responsible for looking after the notorious Home Sweet Home, a Playcare facility that held child experiments captive. Experiment 1188 contained a non-lethal but potent version of Poppy Gas in its pulmonary. Prior to his creation, a prototype version of CatNap's gas was tested, causing Marie Payne, who was in the vicinity, to cry out and suffer traumatic nightmares. During the creation of Experiment 1188, he went through two iterations before the final version was perfected. Following the rebellion of the victims of the Bigger Bodies Initiative, CatNap was locked away in Playcare.

## Appearance

CatNap is an anthropomorphic purple-furred cat with black eyes, triangle-shaped ears, a black nose, and a long tail. His paws are a darker shade of purple, similarly to the inside of his ears. Like the other Smiling Critters, CatNap is depicted with a wide, toothless grin (the inner mouth shrouded in darkness), and possesses a zipper line running down his center, with the zipper sporting a yellow crescent moon pendant.

CatNap’s cartoon appearance is roughly the same as his toy appearance, albeit with his zipper line removed, the addition of white pupils, and the moon pendant now attached to a black necklace.

The Bigger Bodies Initiative version of CatNap has a far more feline appearance with animalistic characteristics. Aside from walking on all fours like an actual cat, he boasts purple fur with beastly attributes, in addition to black pupils surrounded by white irises and a cat-like black nose. His face and inner mouth are shrouded in darkness, while his paws have four digits furnished with sharp black claws. His limbs are now drastically longer (similar to Huggy Wuggy's), being somewhat skeletal in structure, but very much covered in fur.

## Personality

According to information gathered from his infocard as well as the Cross-Department Report, Catnap was originally stated to be docile, gentle, bashful, and highly impressionable. While eerie and unnerving at first glance, CatNap was in reality a rather calming presence who took his job of being Playcare’s caretaker very seriously, as he always wanted to ensure that his friends were getting the proper bed rest they need. He enjoyed watching them sleep soundly and could easily take care of the wants and needs of the children.

Based on the clawed wall markings revealed in the Chapter 3 Teaser Trailer 2, it appears that CatNap became fervently devoted to The Prototype, worshipping him as a god and encouraging others to rejoice in him and to always remember "The Hour of Joy". Catnap seems that his ultimate goal is to serve 1006, with his objective remaining a mystery. Given his devotion towards The Prototype, he does not tolerate non-believers that works against his leader, as evident with DogDay's line about how he treats heretics.

## History

### Backstory

#### Theodore Grambell

Theodore Grambell, an orphan living at Home Sweet Home, gained notoriety among the staff for his connection to an imaginary friend who seemed to encourage him to sabotage Playtime Co. In the Chapter 3 Interactable ARG, Theodore's drawing depicted him in purple, sitting on his bed while a skeletal arm emerged from underneath. This drawing strongly suggested that Theodore's "imaginary" companion was The Prototype.

One day, Theodore received instructions from 1006 to open a maintenance door in Playcare using a leftover GrabPack and a Green GrabPack hand. Following the Prototype's guidance, Theodore attempted to open the door, potentially with 1006's intentions of allowing the orphans to escape. However, due to his young age and lack of understanding on how to operate the GrabPack, Theodore ended up getting electrocuted by the Green GrabPack hand and needed immediate medical attention. Joel Sinclair and Thomas Clarke, upon hearing about the incident, concluded in a phone conversation that Theodore's imaginary friend was responsible. They specifically mentioned that the maintenance door required two people to operate. Thomas himself claimed to have seen Theodore's imaginary friend.

Despite Theodore's injury, the actions prompted by his imaginary friend continued, leading to the creation of CatNap. Like Boxy Boo, CatNap was created with a specialized goal in mind: to put the children at Home Sweet Home to sleep and prevent any orphans from escaping Playcare. Several candidates were considered to control CatNap, but Theodore Grambell was the final candidate, becoming the caretaker for Playcare.

#### CatNap

CatNap was meticulously designed to aid Playtime Co. in the practice of abducting select children from Playcare for human experimentation, presumably as they sleep so to not rouse attention. As stated within a proposal backed by Harley Sawyer himself, the purpose of Experiment 1188 was to watch over Home Sweet Home, In truth, the Playcare held child experiments captive and prevented them from escaping after said test subjects were eligible for experimentation upon beating the Game Station with a near-perfect score. With the creation of CatNap contained the creation of the red gas, securely implanted in his pulmonary, which, while non-lethal, was highly potent. CatNap went through two previous iterations (Experiment 1186 and Experiment 1187) before the final version was designed specifically for Home Sweet Home.

CatNap's only issue, as stated by Leith Pierre, was his connection to The Prototype. In the months following his creation, CatNap would act like a pet to The Prototype whenever they were together, although 1006 didn't seem to care about this. This eventually escalated into CatNap worshipping The Prototype as a god and even starting a primitive religion, with 1006 at its center.

### Smiling Critters Cartoon

The events of the **Smiling Critters Cartoon**, one of many cartoons produced by Playtime Pictures, unfold on a stormy and windy night, evident by the dark and unsettled atmosphere. Inside the house, a clock reads 10:05 PM before switching to 10:06 PM. All of the Smiling Critters, except for CatNap, are huddled together in the living room, wrapped in blankets and wearing worried expressions. They engage in a conversation, discussing their fear of the howling wind. The tension increases as a tree branch snaps off, causing CraftyCorn to cower and seek shelter under her blanket. DogDay attempts to uplift the mood by reassuring everyone that everything will be okay.

Suddenly, there is a knock on the door, with CatNap appearing on the other side. The critters' faces light up with relief as they all call out his name. They plead with CatNap to assist them in falling asleep. In response, a cloud of red gas billows out of CatNap's mouth. The rest of the critters begin to laugh uncontrollably as the gas fills the cabin, with the laughter building in volume and amplification. Reaching a climax, the critters fall to the floor, sleeping peacefully while CatNap sits alone on the couch, staring into the camera. With this chilling freeze-frame, the credits roll, acknowledging the producers and cast involved in the cartoon.

### CatNap Recall

**CatNap Recall**, a news broadcast from WLE-4, covers reports of children in possession of CatNap toys suffering violent nightmares. The broadcast begins with the **Smiling Critters Cartoon**, before cutting to the news anchor introducing the Smiling Critters toy line to the audience. A demonstration of how CatNap's scent is deployed plays, before the anchor discusses the aforementioned controversy surrounding CatNap and subsequently, Playtime Co. itself. He mentions that Playtime Co. issued a recall of all CatNap toys from the lineup, resulting in his presence removed from all promotional material featuring the Smiling Critters.

The anchor proposes that disappearing the CatNap toy from the market may not help Playtime Co., as the damage was already done. As he concludes that CatNap isn't a safe toy for children, a chorus of crying children and ominous music builds, transitioning into the logo for *Chapter 3: Deep Sleep*.

### Chapter 3: Deep Sleep

Catnap will be the main antagonist and will roam around Playcare.

## Abilities and Anatomy

CatNap was designed specifically to protect Home Sweet Home in Playcare and put the children within to sleep. Rather than traditional internal organs, CatNap's inner systems are made of an unknown malleable material, granting him the ability to manipulate his appearance. CatNap can shrink down to the size of a typical cat or even as small as a rat. In one of the teasers for *Chapter 3: Deep Sleep*, CatNap is seen hiding inside a decaying body adorned with a Hazmat Suit.

The main purpose of the CatNap toy, however, is to emit a clear, lavender-scented gas from its mouth whenever its tail is pulled, but an unknown error in the doll's production line caused the doll to emit a red gas that, according to a worker's notes, did not smell like lavender. This gas, showcased in the Smiling Critters Cartoon, is intended to help children fall asleep. Composed of various undisclosed ingredients, including the notorious Poppy flower, which was once utilized for soul transfers, CatNap himself can exhale this gas at will. Upon inhalation, anyone in his vicinity will lose consciousness. The effects of the gas, however, can be countered by wearing a Gas Mask.

CatNap also has sharp metallic claws which are able to retract from his fingertips, much like the claws of an actual cat. He mostly uses them to carve messages into the walls and they appear to be strong enough to scrape wood.

## Trivia

* It's theorized that the red gas CatNap emits may have an alternate counterpart or even be a side effect which causes hallucinations, as none of the children's drawings within the Chapter 3 Teaser Trailer 2 depict CatNap with identical features.
* CatNap was the eighth and final Smiling Critter to have his description revealed on Twitter.
* His name is a clear reference to "catnip", a plant that's used in herbal teas, valued for its sedative and relaxant properties as well as also being known for sedating and/or stimulating domestic cats. His name could also reference cat naps, which are small, light sleeps.
* In folklore, lavender is known as "The Calming Plant", as it produces slight calming, soothing, and sedative effects when its scent is inhaled.
* One of CatNap's original/conceptual names was "Nappy Cat".

## References

1. 1. Experiment 1188's proposal as revealed during the Chapter 3 Interactable ARG.
	2. ↑ Assessment Form (S. Abell) and Assessment Form (M. Lata) detailing two employees ranking the performance of Makayla Hyssop.
	3. ↑ Game Theory: Bow Before Him! (Poppy Playtime Chapter 3)
	4. ↑ https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/herb/lavender