What happened to DogDay in Poppy Playtime?

Being the last Smiling Critters, DogDay meets his end in Poppy Playtime. If you’re wondering what happened to him, here’s everything you need to know about DogDay and the Smiling Critters in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3.

Poppy Playtime Chapter 3: What happened to DogDay?

The Smiling Critters appear as allies and foes in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3. The final Critter was DogDay, chained inside a cell of the Playhouse. Warned not to enter it by Ollie, you’re forced to enter the Critter-crawling domain after defeating Miss Delight in the School. Trapped in his cell, DogDay had his body torn in half. He stayed alive long enough to communicate with you and beg you to finish the job.

Let’s break down everything DogDay said to determine what happened to him in Poppy Playtime Chapter 3.

Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3: DogDay dialogue broken down

“You…you’re Poppy’s angel. Come to save us. Nothing left to save, not here…You’re in CatNap’s home, angel. Their home.” DogDay points out that nothing is worth saving inside the Playhouse. We assume “their home” is referring to the small Smiling Critters that have spread inside the Playhouse like a plague, consuming the flesh of their counterparts.

“A million pairs of eyes are on you now. Watching, waiting, hungry. They want nothing more than to crawl beneath your skin and eat away at you bit by little fill what feels empty inside themselves.” DogDay explains what likely happened to the other Smiling Critters and what he tried to avoid. But DogDay was caught by CatNap, likely thanks to the red smoke. His body was torn and strung up to stop him from escaping.

“The thing…CatNap. The Prototype is his God, and this is what he does to heretics. These little toys follow CatNap to avoid that very fate- and in return, they are fed.” The little toys refer to the small Smiling Critters that you previously faced. These follow CatNap to avoid a different fate, likely the Prototype taking the remains of Huggy Wuggy and Mommy Long Legs.

“We tried to fight it, the Prototype’s control. I’m…the last of the Smiling Critters.” This tells us just how much power the Prototype has. It likely has something to do with the red smoke. Maybe it telepathically links the Prototype to those who inhaled the gas that spread across the Playcare in the Hour of Joy, giving it influence to command others to “get up” and complete its tasks.

“Listen to me, you need to get out of this place. You need to live. You and Poppy can fix this, end this madness, the torment, the-Oh no…OH NO. Leave me. Please. Just go!…RUN!” This is the moment DogDay is overrun by the small Smiling Critters. They entered his ripped-open body, consumed his innards and mind in an instant, and resumed control to chase you.

What happened to the Smiling Critters in Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3?

DogDay is one of the Smiling Critters, a group of mascots with a Playtime Co. TV show with plushie versions of all your favorite characters. As you play through Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3, you’ll come across cardboard cut-outs of the Smiling Critter characters, including the ominous CatNap (lead antagonist of the third chapter).

The Smiling Critter audio clips are normal at first, but repeatedly pushing the cut-out button reveals a darker history, likely telling us what happened to each Critter inside the Playhouse. The Smiling Critters tried to escape or were consumed by their violent desires, possibly influenced by the red smoke. The result was DogDay escaping but ultimately meeting his end in front of you.