The Poppy Playtime Smiling Critters are a group of toys from Chapter 3: Deep Sleep, and it just so happens that a certain evil cat belongs to this group. Still, not all of them deserve such a malevolent title, so let’s take a look at who the Smiling Critters are and try to shed some light on what happened to them.
We can go into great detail about one member of the group, Poppy Playtime’s CatNap, though we can also let you in on some things about Poppy Playtime’s DogDay, the leader of the Smiling Critters. You may also want to know more about other characters that appear in Poppy Playtime Chapter 3, so make sure you check out our Poppy Playtime Kissy Missy, Poppy Playtime Poppy, Poppy Playtime Ollie, Poppy Playtime Miss Delight, and Poppy Playtime Prototype articles for more information.
Here’s everything we know about the Poppy Playtime Smiling Critters.
Who are the Poppy Playtime Smiling Critters?
Before we explain who each group member is, let’s look at the Smiling Critters as a whole. There are eight toys in the group, and it appears as though Playtime Co. created a TV show featuring them, as you can watch one of the episodes courtesy of the interactable Chapter 3 ARG experience, also known as the Lieth Pierre Computer Search. During the clip, CatNap puts all of his pals to sleep with his gas on a stormy night, a pretty foreboding sign of things to come.
It’s thought that Playtime Co. created the cartoon after the Smiling Critters became the main mascots for the company, following the commercial success of the line of toys.
Each Smiling Critter has a unique scent associated with them and a pendent that represents a core aspect of their personality. Playtime Co. designed the toys to emit their scents through their mouths and tails, helping the children relax or sleep.
As for the individual Smiling Critters, they are:
What’s the Poppy Playtime Smiling Critters’ role in the story?
Warning: you’re entering spoiler territory.
Beyond CatNap being the big bad of Chapter 3 and DogDay offering us some crucial information before chasing us in the Playhouse, the mini Smiling Critters are an enemy you must face as you search for DogDay. It’s also them that ultimately kill the poor pooch.
As for the Bigger Buddies versions of the members, they were all killed before we arrived at the Poppy Playtime factory. If we had to hazard a guess, we’d wager that, like DogDay, they were against the Prototype, which CatNap took great issue with. DogDay was missing the lower half of his body when we found him, as CatNap fed him to the mini Smiling Critters, so we imagine the others suffered a similar fate – the Prototype and CatNap killed them and used them to sustain the evil toys.
Those events followed The Hour of Joy, during which we suspect the other Bigger Bodies Smiling Critters may have taken part in the massacre. However, while CatNap and The Prototype killed people regardless of guilt and innocence, we believe that the other Smiling Critters may have had the same mindset and Kissy Missy – kill the guilty who caused them pain. Then again, as none of them are present in the videotape, there’s always the chance the they didn’t partake in the brutal killings at all.
Following The Hour of Joy, it’s highly likely that all of them, especially DogDay, tried to fight back against the control of the Prototype, leading to their unfortunate deaths, for, as we all know, the Prototype and CatNap don’t tolerate heretics.
Poppy Playtime Smiling Critters’ personality
Each Smiling Critter has a different personality, though all are caring in their own way. Some want you to be healthy, others care about your creative flair, and a few just want to see you smile. It’s only right to take a look at them as individuals, so we’ll go into what they’re like, what scent they have, and what symbol. This guide doesn’t go into how callous CatNap is, he has his own guide for that grisly tale.
CatNap
You all likely know just how evil CatNap is by now, but before those horrific events, CatNap is said to have a calming presence for critters, ensuring that both he and his friends get the right amount of sleep each night – makes sense, given his role as helping to put the children to sleep in Playcare. His scent is lavender, which is also heavily associated with sleeping, while his pendent is a crescent moon.
CatNap recall
Of all the Smiling Critters, it’s only CatNap that underwent a recall, the reason being that instead of emitting the peaceful lavender gas to put the kids to sleep in Home Sweet Home, then he began emitting red gas, a substance that caused the children to have nightmares.
DogDay
What happens to the Bigger Buddy DogDay is nothing short of cruel, and we’ll never forgive CatNap for it. However, looking at who DogDay was, he’s the leader of the Smiling Critters, with a sunny, determined, and strong disposition that leads his friends to turn to him when they need help looking at the bright side of things. This pooch is there for his friends no matter what, with his sunny pendent and vanilla scent at the ready.
Bobby BearHug
Look at her. Bobby BearHug is adorable, and she’s one of the kindest toys out there, with a caring heart and a soul full of compassion. Bobby BearHug loves everybody, and the fact that we never get to meet her Bigger Buddy variant (likely due to her death before we arrive) is nothing short of heartbreaking, especially as it’s due to her death before we even arrive. It’s hard to say how long she’s gone for by the time you arrive. If you want to know how caring this toy is, her pendant is a heart, and her scent is rose.
Bubba Bubbaphant
Bubba is an elephant, and a very intelligent one at that. The old adage is that an elephant never forgets, and perhaps that’s what makes Bubba the “brains of the critters.” He’s an attentive toy that’s always by his friends’ sides to help them make smart choices, which explains why his pendent is a lightbulb while his scent is lemongrass. Much like the majority of the Smiling Critters, he’s killed be we arrive at the factory, though it’s hard to say how long for
CraftyCorn
CraftyCorn is the most creative of the Smiling Critters, no doubt being a perfect friend to those who are more artistic. She sees the beauty in life and loves to share that with people through pencils, crayons, paint, and even writing. It’s a crying shame we never get to meet her Bigger Buddy variant, and we hate to think about what may have happened to such a visionary soul. Her pendant is a rainbow-colored daisy, while her scent is jasmine.
Hoppy Hopscotch
Unsurprisingly, the rabbit of the group, Hoppy Hopscotch, is the most energetic of the Smiling Critters, doing what she can to keep up her friends’ energy levels, giving them a pep talk when their enthusiasm is running low. Though she lives life in the fast lane, she can slow down to keep pace with her pals when they need her. It’s a shame that she wasn’t able to outrun her fate at the hands of CatNap and the Prototype. Her pendant is a lightning bolt, and her scent is peppermint.
KickinChicken
KickinChicken is the cool kid on the block (just look at that hairstyle). Nothing phases him; you can knock this toy over, and he’ll bounce back like nothing happened. This is the toy you want if you need to stay calm in stressful situations. He can even help you to calm down with his ylang-ylang scent and star pendant. Whatever happened to you KickinChicken, we’re sorry, we know you didn’t deserve it.
PickyPiggy
As you can probably guess, PickyPiggy is the Smiling Critter who cares about her friends’ diets, making sure that they make healthy choices, even if secretly, PB&J’s are her favorite food. It’s okay pal, we all have our vices and that’s a solid choice for a sandwich. We’d have loved to have met her; her apple pendant and citrus smell would have made us feel right at home – as we stuffed our faces with sweets.
Poppy Playtime Simling Critters’ appearances
The Poppy Playtime Smiling Critters only appear in Deep Sleep, and given how CatNap and DogDay meet their ends in the Chapter and the rest of the cast are long dead before you even arrive at the factory, we suspect that this is the last we’ll see of them. Unless one of our Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 theories comes to fruition, they may show up as part of the Prototype in Poppy Playtime Chapter 4 or beyond.
It’s a shame, mainly because we wish we could have helped save the good ones. All we can do is press onwards, try to save Kissy Missy, and put an end to the terror. It’s what the Smiling Critters would have wanted.
With that, you know everything about the Poppy Playtime Smiling Critters. If you want to know more about the previous chapters, check out our Poppy Playtime Chapter 1, Poppy Playtime Chapter 2, Poppy Playtime Huggy Wuggy, and Poppy Playtime Mommy Long Legs guides.