Who Are The New 'Poppy Playtime' Villains? 'Catnap' And 'Dogday' Story And Memes Explained

Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3 was released a week ago and fans are already embracing their new favorite antagonists in the horror franchise, Catnap and DogDay.

The horror game has always been known for its iconic haunted toys like Huggy Wuggy and Mommy Long Legs. Whether you’ve played the first two chapters or not, you’re sure to have heard or seen memes about these characters on Twitter / X, TikTok or YouTube.

Let's take an almost spoiler-free look at the newest antagonists in the Poppy Playtime franchise and the memes about them going viral on social media.

Who Is 'Catnap'?

Catnap is an anthropomorphic purple-furred cat with black eyes that initially looks like an adorable stuffed cat but transforms into an enormous monster with ridges and plates adorning his back. The character is the main antagonist in the third installment of Poppy Playtime franchise and first appeared in a trailer released on July 2023 on YouTube^[1] by the channel MOB Games. The video shows Catnap's silhouette from a distance, slowly walking towards the camera and releasing a gas from its mouth (shown below).

The antagonist may look cute at first glance, but he turns into an enormous monster chasing you inside the abandoned toy factory.

Who Is 'DogDay'?

DogDay is labeled as a heroic character and the trusted leader of the Smiling Critters group and a minor antagonist in Chapter 3: Deep Sleep of the horror video game. The character is designed as an anthropomorphic canine, with orange fur that complements his expressive black eyes.

He debuts in the game's lore in a video posted on YouTube on November 2023, titled "Smiling Critters Cartoon – Poppy Playtime Chapter 3," which shows several toys from the game, including DayDog, who is depicted as a leading figure who made attempts to uplift the mood to any situation, even in frightening moments. (shown below).

In the game, DogDay appears bound in a cell with the lower half of his body severed. (shown below)

How Did The Internet React To 'Catnap' And 'DogDay' In 'Poppy Playtime Chapter 3'?

As soon as the third installment in Poppy Playtime's horror franchise was released on January 30th, 2024, fans have been speculating about the relationship between antagonists Catnap and Dogday. For instance, on December 29th, 2023, the YouTube channel @HorrorSkunx uploaded a video (shown below, left) of a possible "origin story" for Catnap and YouTuber @Cutebattie uploaded a fan-made animation (shown below, right) on the same day, showing DogDay “annoying Catnap.”

'Catnap' And 'DogDay' Fanfictions and Fan-Arts

New characters are usually bound to get at least a dozen fan-made stories and content online. For Catnap and Dogday's case, fans decided to treat the duo in a friends-to-lovers dynamic, as shown in some fan arts below.

An Archive Of Our Own fanfic about the characters posted on February 7th, 2024, titled "Do you regret anything?", delves into fanfiction story of how the characters feel in love.

For the full history of Catnap and DogDay, be sure to check out their entries on Know Your Meme.