CatNap

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CatNap

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CatNap
Aliases	Theodore Grambell (human identity) Theo (Leith Pierre) Experiment 1188 Kuddle Kitty (Original concept) Nappy Cat (Conceptualized)
Affiliation	Smiling Critters Playtime Co. The Prototype Bigger Bodies Initiative
Physical Information
Status	Deceased
Species	Monstrous Experiment (Toy Cat)
Gender	Male
Height	Unknown
Pendant	Moon
Scent	Lavender
Appearances
Role	Main Antagonist (Chapter 3)
Creation Date	1989 (Toy) 1990 (Monster)
Voiced by	Unknown
Appears In	Chapter 3: "Deep Sleep" Project: Playtime (upcoming)
Debut	Chapter 3: "Deep Sleep"

“	The Prototype will save us.	”
— CatNap

CatNap is a toy produced by Playtime Co., who debuted as the third antagonist of Poppy Playtime, serving as the main antagonist of Chapter 3: "Deep Sleep" and the secondary antagonist of the series.

In 1990, a young orphan named Theodore Grambell was chosen to become Experiment 1188, the Bigger Bodies experiment title for CatNap. 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 The Red Smoke in his respiratory system. During the creation of Experiment 1188, he went through two iterations before the final version was perfected.

During The Hour of Joy in 1995, CatNap, along with many of the other experiments, turned on the company staff, slaughtering innumerable employees. Following the rebellion, CatNap stayed within Playcare until the eventual return of The Player in 2005. CatNap was commanded to locate and defeat The Player, recruiting a series of other monstrous experiments in Playcare. Ultimately, CatNap fails to complete his objective; and during the final moments of Chapter 3, The Prototype reaches towards CatNap and slaughters him, snatching away his limp body.

Appearance

CatNap's toy form is an anthropomorphic purple-furred cat with black eyes, triangular ears, a black nose and a very long tail. His paws are a darker shade of purple, similar to the insides of his ears. Just like the other Smiling Critters, CatNap is depicted with a wide, toothless smile with a small gray air tube sewn inside. His torso possesses a zipper line running down that entire segment of his body, with the zipper sporting a yellow crescent moon pendant. CatNap’s cartoon/artwork appearance is roughly the same as his toy appearance, albeit with his zipper line removed, the addition of white pupils, and the zipper pendant now attached to a black necklace.

CatNap's monstrous form resembles a feline creature cloaked in purple fur. His eyes showcase black pupils encircled by white irises and a cat-like nose. His mouth remains open at all times, devoid of discernible teeth, forming an abyss-like void. The paws bear four digits, each armed with sharp, black claws, and elongated limbs that seem loosely stitched at the joints. The disproportionately small, emaciated torso exposes the rib cage and pelvic bone beneath the skin. Around his neck hangs a gold crescent moon, and a black zipper runs down the chest from it.

In his hallucination form, CatNap takes on a more haunting presence, with a sickly gray complexion. This skeletal version of him portrays a significant increase in his skeletal features. His legs resemble mere bare bones, lacking any semblance of flesh or fur. The paws, in particular, are completely skeletal with elongated bone-like fingers. The most dramatic part of the transformation can be seen in his mouth, which has elongated to an alarming extent, surpassing the length of his torso. His torso, on the other hand, displays an unexpected resemblance to a stegosaurus, with ridges and plates adorning his back. The crescent moon that was once a part of CatNap has also undergone a change, now becoming silver.

Personality

“	CatNap is a calming presence for the critters and ensures he and his friends always have the right amount of sleep to jumpstart the morning's play! End of the day, there's nothing CatNap enjoys more than watching his friends sleep soundly.	”
— CatNap's character description

According to information gathered from his info card, 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 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.

The Bigger Bodies version of CatNap is fervently devoted to the Prototype, tirelessly promoting worship and urging others to embrace the concept of "The Hour of Joy". This unwavering loyalty is epitomized in CatNap's treatment of heretics, as those who dare to oppose the Prototype, even toy mascots, are labeled as heretics and face dire consequences, exemplified specifically with DogDay, found after navigating through the Playhouse bound in a cell. From the time of his creation, CatNap firmly believes that his ultimate purpose is to serve and obey the enigmatic figure, although the true nature of this objective remains shrouded in mystery.

While exploring through the Caverns, CatNap is depicted engaging in fervent prayer at a shrine devoted to The Prototype. As the chapter reaches its conclusion, the Prototype emerges and CatNap is shown kneeling, seemingly conveying his submission and loyalty to this figure of reverence. His devotion to 1006 is more likely an evolved version of the “friendship” between Theodore Grambell and the Prototype.

Given his unwavering devotion to the Prototype, CatNap exhibits zero tolerance for non-believers who work against his revered leader. Despite the extremities CatNap has taken to further the Prototype's goal, he isn't fully heartless, at least towards children, as he still looked after and cared for the surviving children of Playcare after The Hour of Joy, making sure that they are not hurt. One of his efforts of ensuring their safety is to prevent them from encountering harmful entities that will hurt them such as the unhinged Miss Delight.

History

Debut and Cartoon Criticism

Playtime Co. debuted CatNap with the rest of the Smiling Critters line in 1989.

CatNap after putting his friends to sleep in "Can't Sleep"

CatNap was featured in Smiling Critters, a miniseries cartoon developed to promote the toys and establish the Critters' individual personalities. In one episode, "Can't Sleep", the Critters are having a sleepover in the living room of DogDay's house, but a windstorm frightens and prevents them from falling asleep. CatNap then appears at the house, much to the joy of the others, who frantically plead for 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 laugh hysterically and uncontrollably as the gas fills the room, with the laughter building in volume and amplification. Reaching a climax, the Critters collapse, sleeping peacefully while CatNap sits alone on the couch beside a sleeping DogDay, staring at the camera.

CatNap's traits in the series were criticized by viewers, citing how he never spoke, felt distant from the other Critters, and his method of putting them to sleep being unnerving. Playtime Co. attempted but failed to reassure children of the Critters' willingness to be put to sleep.

Recall

CatNap toys are stated to have the wrong smell.

In an unexplained production error, CatNap toys emitted Playtime Co.'s Red Smoke, which was used in Playcare, rather than the intended lavender scent. In the summer of 1989, an article headlined "CATNAP KILLER?" reported that children in the US who owned CatNap experienced intense nightmares, which ended when the toy was gone. Speculating a link between the nightmares and the toy, many parents began discarding CatNap and discouraging others from buying it.

In response to the controversy, Playtime Co. announced a recall of CatNap toys, removing it from promotional material. One news station, WLE-4, commented that having CatNap disappear from the market may be difficult, as the damage was already done. The station's newscaster concluded with the statement that CatNap isn't a safe toy for children.

Although the rest of the Smiling Critters line continued being sold, the controversy and recall of CatNap were deemed a disaster for Playtime Co.'s reputation, leading to a profit decline that fueled the launch of the Bigger Bodies Initiative.

Theodore Grambell

“	In CatNap's eyes, The Prototype is a superhero, and has saved this place. So CatNap treats him like a god, killing everyone that opposes him...	”
— Ollie

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

Documents of Theodore Grambell during Chapter 3's second gameplay trailer.

One day, Theodore received instructions from The Prototype to open a maintenance door in Playcare using a leftover GrabPack with a green GrabPack hand. Following the Prototype's guidance, Theodore attempted to open the door, potentially with the intention of allowing the orphans to escape.

However, due to his young age and lack of understanding of how to operate the GrabPack, Theodore ended up getting electrocuted by the green GrabPack hand and needed immediate medical attention. The Prototype seemingly had a change of heart, returning Theo to the scientists, consequently losing the chance to escape. 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 Theodore becoming a potential candidate to possess the Bigger Bodies version of CatNap. Several candidates were considered to control CatNap, but Theodore Grambell was the final candidate, and he became Playcare's guardian. Like Boxy Boo, CatNap was created with a specialized goal in mind: to oversee Playcare and prevent any orphans from escaping the place, an ironic fate for Theodore.

As CatNap

CatNap was 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 initially stated within a proposal backed by Harley Sawyer himself, the purpose of CatNap was to watch over Home Sweet Home. In truth, 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. Implanted in CatNap's pulmonary, was the Red Smoke, while non-lethal, was highly potent.

Soon after the creation of CatNap, multiple employees gave their evaluations of CatNap. All employees concluded with the only real flaw 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 The Prototype seemingly ignored him up until the events of Chapter 3. This eventually escalated into CatNap worshipping The Prototype as a god and even starting a primitive religion, with The Prototype at its center.

Prior to the events seen in Chapter 3, CatNap would have a conversation with Miss Delight regarding her situation and informed her regarding The Player's presence and offered her to eliminate them if they reach her, to which she agreed. Additionally, during some point of CatNap's reign of terror during The Hour of Joy, all Smiling Critters are implied to have been killed and DogDay tortured due to their disobedience towards The Prototype. After the incident, he would continue to roam around the Playcare, worshipping The Prototype until the eventual return of The Player.

Chapter 3: "Deep Sleep"

At some point following the ending of Chapter 2, CatNap finds The Player at the train wreckage and captures them. Desperate to get the attention of The Prototype, he is first seen dragging The Player into the Trash Compactor and dumping them in during the opening scene. The Player ends up escaping the Trash Compactor, and works with Ollie to defeat him. He was briefly seen entering a vent when they escape the compactor.

The Prototype's dedicated shrine, built by CatNap.

The second encounter The Player has with CatNap is inside Home Sweet Home. Upon unknowingly walking through The Red Smoke, The Player is seemingly sent into a hallucinogenic maze-like version of Home Sweet Home. As they navigate through the labyrinth, they hear news reports about a body being found at Elliot Ludwig's estate. The reports mention that Ludwig's neighbors have observed him leaving early in the morning and returning late at night. CatNap is also briefly seen in the dream peeking at The Player behind a door before disappearing after Ollie told The Player to run. While exploring Home Sweet Home in a non-linear fashion, the final segment of the report continues this story by stating that Playtime Co. is desperately making attempts at clearing Ludwig's name for the sake of him and his company. After awakening from the dream, The Player may complete Home Sweet Home normally. However, CatNap still remained in the building, teasing himself in a non-threatening manner by walking slowly by in boarded hallways and out-of-reach areas.

The Player has a third encounter with CatNap in Playcare's underground caverns. To progress, they must solve a complex puzzle involving turrets before walking across a catwalk filled with suspenseful ambiance. As they explore further, they come across a hidden area in the caverns filled with a stack of toys, bodies, and other items. The Player then observes CatNap crawl from below the area and pray to the shrine dedicated to The Prototype. Upon entering Playhouse, a miniature Bigger Bodies version of CatNap can be seen crawling around Playhouse alongside the rest of the Mini Critters. It, alongside the rest of the Smiling Critters cast, makes attempts to catch The Player off-guard and feast on their flesh. The Player must use the Flare Gun in order to frighten them away. He and the Smiling Critters seem to make high pitch giggling and screeching noises whenever they crawl around. Later, while still in the Playhouse, these miniature Smiling Critters crawl within DogDay and hijack his body. Fortunately, The Player narrowly escapes unscathed.

CatNap makes a significant appearance in the Counselor's Office, where he is first seen snatching a miniature version of Bunzo Bunny when it tries to escape from him only to later pass out from The Red Smoke. He later outright jumps The Player before sending them into a trance where they are subjected to a whirlpool entirely made with The Red Smoke. As The Player falls deeper and deeper through this whirlpool, flashbacks of the Playtime Co. factory begin to flash before The Player's CatNap makes remarks at them through Poppy's voice. He asks regarding the victims' current status within the factory while additionally vaguely answering their own questions by making The Player witness a series of familiar locations, such as the Entrance, Main Lobby, Home Sweet Home, and the Playhouse.

During the final sequence of this cutscene, CatNap uses the perspective of Huggy Wuggy as a vague answer towards the toys' motivations for The Hour of Joy, depicting Huggy being subjected to the wrath of the Prototype as his large arm lingers over him, signifying how he was subject to The Prototype much like the other toys. Upon waking up from this hallucination, The Player receives a call from CatNap demanding them to leave Playcare or else he'll come and kill them.

CatNap stalking The Player as they enter the Safe Room.

After powering the Counselor's Office and redirecting its backup generator to Playcare's statue, The Player is given the final battery required to power the Gas Production Zone a second time. As The Player attempts to place the battery into its respective socket, CatNap catches them off-guard and chases them up an elevator. During this moment, The Red Smoke follows behind him and his body begins to distort in an unnatural manner. Eventually, The Player is pulled into the Safe Room. Here, they are tasked with counteracting CatNap's advances while they overcharge a Green Hand Receiver in order to use its contents as a threatening attack towards the Playcare guardian. In the climactic boss fight, The Player must endure nearly five minutes of intense encounters, hallucinations, and close calls with CatNap. The tension builds until CatNap finally plunges into the Safe Room through the ceiling vent.

The Prototype reaching out to CatNap during the ending sequence.

As CatNap tries to exhale The Red Smoke in retaliation, The Player reacts quickly and fires their overcharged Green GrabPack hand at the monster, electrocuting him. This reveals the Smoke to be flammable, setting CatNap's entire body on fire who reacts in a violent and painful frenzy by rolling on the floor in an attempt to extinguish the flames. The Prototype then shows up from the same entrance as CatNap, lowering his hand from the ceiling hatch and opening his palm wide for the gravely burned CatNap, who initially recoils in surprise before he kneels for him. Eventually, CatNap raises his hands in submission (seemingly offering himself to his god) and The Prototype punctures his sharp needle-like fingers into CatNap's mouth, killing him instantly. The Prototype proceeds to lift CatNap's motionless body into the room above, presumably to graft him onto his body, similarly to Mommy Long Legs, and the hatch closes.

Abilities and Anatomy

CatNap, alongside the rest of the Smiling Critters cast, was specifically designed to oversee activities at Playcare and care for the orphans there. Despite being removed from shelves because his toys were causing nightmares, he can still be found at Playcare with the rest of the critters. It is rumored that he is now considered an "exclusive" character.

His main ability, which was experimented on by Doctor Harley Sawyer, is to emit a special gas known as "The Red Smoke" from its mouth, previously shown in his plush dolls when his tail is pulled, but an unknown error in the doll's production line caused it to emit a red smoke that, according to a worker's notes, did not smell like lavender as it was supposed to. 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 hallucinate and lose consciousness. While unconscious, CatNap can manipulate their mind to picture whatever he desires. At times, the effects of the gas can be so seamless to the point where The Player themselves cannot notice. The effects of the gas, however, can be countered by wearing a Gas Mask.

Based on the anatomical structure of a cat, CatNap stands in a quadrupedal posture and can break into deadly bursts of speed. His feline physiology further grants him increased agility and his elongated limbs allow him a significant height advantage over most prey. CatNap also has sharp metallic claws which are able to retract from his fingertips, much like the claws of an actual cat. They appear to be strong enough to carve through wood and even metal, as he uses them to carve messages into walls. When killed by The Prototype after his boss fight, blood can be seen splattering out from CatNap's wounds, heavily implying an organic nature like all of the other previously encountered toy experiments. A fully formed spine, rib cage, and pelvic bone can be seen underneath the skin of CatNap's emaciated torso.

Speculation

• Before CatNap was revealed as Chapter 3's main antagonist, fans theorized that the main antagonist was either going to be Daisy or Bron, due to both of them being in Chapter 3's first trailer.
• CatNap presumably might be the third Kitty Cat Collection toy, with Cat-Bee and Candy Cat respectively being the 1st and 2nd.

Trivia

• CatNap's name is a double entendre, which references a series of subjects relating to cats and/or sleep.
  • "Catnip" is a plant that's used in herbal teas, valued for its sedative and relaxant properties.
    • "Catnip" is additionally known for its sedating and/or stimulating properties, which is primarily found in nepetalactone and is commonly used in dogs or cats.
  • Additionally, "catnap" simply means a short nap performed by an entity.
• During the Chapter 3 Intractable ARG, during the marathon where the Smiling Critters were revealed, CatNap was the eighth and final Smiling Critter to have his description revealed on Twitter.
• In folklore, lavender is known as "The Calming Plant", as it produces slight calming, soothing, and sedative effects when its scent is inhaled.
• CatNap was originally conceived by Micah Preciado and centered around the character Kuddle Kitty. The toy's design remained mostly unchanged, except for the addition of horror features, like a human face in its mouth. The initial idea for the toy was to create zip-up pajamas that customers could wear.
• As seen in the intro cutscene for Chapter 3, CatNap carries The Player in his mouth, which mimics how mother cats carry their babies.
• "Nappy Cat" and CatNap were two of the considered titles for him to take during development. In the game files, this name still remains on all of CatNap's assets.
• CatNap has an unused model in the files of Chapter 3, which mainly consists more detail and an emphasis on his bones. It is presumed this design was scrapped as the model took a more violet tone than purple.
• CatNap is the only one who does not talk/close his mouth in Smiling Critters.
  • However, Experiment 1188 is capable of speech, as seen after The Player wakes up from the Red Smoke a second time and in the CatNap Check-In VHS.
  • In the CatNap Check-In VHS, Leith Pierre implied that the device used to give CatNap his voice is broken, hence why it sounds raspy.
• CatNap's being burned via electrocution calls back to his previous incarnation's accident.
• According to Amber, CatNap uses He/him pronouns.
  • Concept Art showcased that CatNap was meant to die by the fire, allowing players to see his bones and innards. This was possibly scrapped for being too graphic.