What is the shrine in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3? Answered

When you learn the story about CatNap and his shrine, you begin to question who the victims of Poppy Playtime truly are. Here’s everything there is to know about the shrine in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3.

Where to find the Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3 shrine

CatNap’s makeshift shrine is presumably used to call upon a higher power—the Prototype. His posture appears to be offering himself while praying, asking for his course of action while the protagonist moves toward the Play House.

CatNap and his shrine are spotted inside the Restricted Area, right before you enter the back door of the Play House. He stands on an inaccessible path, just off to the left-hand side. CatNap disappears as you drop down and onto the metal platform below. But what does the shrine mean?

What does the shrine symbolize?

Ollie explains that the CatNap created the shrine to worship the Prototype. It is not confirmed if the shrine was made before or after the Hour of Joy incident. He believed he owed the Prototype his life and therefore dedicated his days to the Prototype’s primary goal to escape the Playcare. He believed the Hour of Joy saved the Orphanage and the children with the murder of all Bigger Bodies Initiative staff.

The tapes in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3 and the ARG leading up to the latest chapter’s release revealed CatNap’s backstory. CatNap (aka Experiment 1188) was originally an orphan called Theodore Grambell, who lived in the Home Sweet Home Orphanage. His “imaginary friend” (the Prototype) influenced him to unlock a maintenance door, presumably to release the orphans and experiments from the Orphanage, but the escape attempt resulted in his electrocution.

Due to his injuries, Theo was transformed into CatNap, tasked to keep the orphans trapped inside the Home Sweet Home Orphanage. Using his red smoke to put the children to sleep, the Bigger Bodies Initiative could easily test the children without any incidents.

While Theo’s transformation meant losing his humanity, his belief in the Prototype grew stronger. It is later shown in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3 that the other Smiling Critters members (including DogDay) were killed by CatNap for disobedience and referred to as “heretics.” But the Prototype’s influence cannot possibly reach CatNap’s prayers at the shrine, for the Prototype wasn’t imaginary like the low-level Bigger Bodies Initiative staff believed.

Instead, CatNap simply viewed the Prototype as a god and would take down anyone who didn’t believe the same as him.

Our theories

Up close the shrine is an concoction of disposed toy bodies, gathered up to form a monstrous shape. Its form is shaped like a large entity, with a long arm reaching out to its left. Based on CatNap’s history with The Prototype, I believe this is our first hint into what The Prototype might look like. While we know Mommy Long Legs and CatNap were likely added to this amalgamation, their souls kept alive by being forcefully attached to Experiment 1006’s body, his final form is left up to our imagination. As CatNap follows The Prototype’s wishes, he probably revisits this shrine to get his next order.

The shrine consists of toys we recognise from the lore and previous chapters such as Huggy Wuggy, Mommy Long Legs, PJ Pug-A-Pillar, and Bron. There’s also the Smiling Critters and CatNap attached to it. But the strangest, most terrifying part of all is that a skeleton can be seen, sprouting from PJ’s mouth. This is the first time we’ve seen a dead employee at Playtime. In contrast to bodies of dead employees found in Chapter 4, this corpse has fully decomposed, now left as a (surprisingly) intact skeleton. PJ sits as the head of this makeshift body, hinting that The Prototype may be human or perhaps it’s a threat against The Player, who may be the final piece The Prototype needs for his form.